Forté Impact: Claire Pan

Fort? has benefitted Claire in numerous other ways. She is currently a Fort? intern working on projects like making Rising Stars more interactive and millennial-friendly. Her involvement with Rising Stars has prepared her for summer internships: she spent her summer after freshman year in Sydney working for the US Consulate, and last summer she interned at Deutsche Bank. “When I first started out, I had no idea how to become ‘career-ready,’ and Rising Stars gave me a foundation to work from,” she explains.

As the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants who did not have a corporate background, Claire was not on firm footing when she first got to Cornell. She has found Fort? to be nurturing, an experience that has helped her cast aside any doubts and go for what she wants. “In another club on campus, I was the only female project manager. It can be daunting when everyone doesn’t look like you. Fort? really gave me confidence to find my space and believe the work I did was good enough,” she says.

Setting her sights on an MBA

Claire is planning to get an MBA after she graduates from Cornell in 2020. “Because of Fort?, the MBA is on my radar,” she says, but first she wants to work for a few years. “I want to know what I want from an MBA before I consider all the options,” she explains.

Fort? has clarified the benefits of an MBA. “Meeting people who were getting MBAs and understanding their journeys has helped me understand why women need MBAs,” Claire says.

It has also given her a network to explore ideas with. “The greatest value of Fort? has been meeting other girls who share obstacles and gaining mentors who have shaped my experience,” she says. In addition to having a Fort? Fellow at Cornell’s Johnson School mentor her, Claire passes on the knowledge she has gained to undergraduate women at Cornell.

Wherever her path specifically takes her, Fort? has helped instill a confidence in Claire that will benefit her in any endeavor. “Fort? has given me the power and confidence to have and chase dreams. Fort? supports whatever your interests are and helps you get there.”