Biography
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Georgia Kossoff 18BBA is unique. While she’s not yet accomplished what other featured Goizueta alumni have, her character and interests align with theirs, making it easy to trace a similar trajectory of success.
“I’m driven by the idea that each generation goes further than the past generation, allowing the next generation to do even better,” Kossoff said. “My parents raised us to be grateful for the opportunities we have, and then find a way to pay it forward.” Education, as she approaches it, is a means to that end. “My great-grandparents never finished high school but raised my grandparents to have successful careers. My parents were first-generation college students, and my mother earned a doctorate in clinical psychology. Each generation went further than the last.”
She’s well aware of how fortunate she is to have the opportunities she’s been given. And she’s certainly making the most of her educational opportunities at Emory. A Goizueta Scholar, Kossoff is a chemistry major earning her BBA. That’s enough for most students, but she’s not most students. She’s done research at both the Rollins School of Public Health and Social Enterprise @ Goizueta. In early 2017, she founded the Translation Research and Innovation Network, or TRAIN, fellowship, a student-run incubator focused on interdisciplinary research. Her hope is that TRAIN will leave a lasting impact on campus by demonstrating the power of collaboration across Emory’s undergraduate departments.
What awaits Kossoff after Goizueta? Her answer is grounded by her intention to make a difference for future generations and it’s a continuation of her current circumstances.
As an associate consultant intern at Bain & Company’s Atlanta office, she gained real-world experience during the summer of 2017. And in August of 2017, she signed an offer letter from the firm. “I’m so excited to join Bain after graduation,” she said, the enthusiasm evident in her voice and on her face. After walking across the stage on May 14, she’ll join Bain & Company as an associate consultant.
Bain & Company is the employer of choice for many. (It’s ranked in the top four of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work every year since 2009.) No doubt some might say that Kossoff’s already set career-wise. But for someone like her (like a great many Goizueta graduates), personal and professional drive doesn’t have an expiration date or destination. She’s already looking forward to a number of opportunities at Bain, including her “externship,” which Bain offers to its associates after several years of employment.
This six-month period is meant to support associates’ growth beyond their roles at the firm. Kossoff is looking forward to it already and is considering spending the time in the area of B Corps. Such for-profit companies are certified to meet rigorous standards of environmental and social performance, transparency and accountability.
Her work at Bain and any future work with B Corps would echo her research and work with TRAIN, providing a synthesis of sorts for this budding enthusiastic, multi-disciplined professional. “While the B Corp is a relatively new model, I think it could really do some good,” Kossoff said. “There’s a lot more research to do, but I’m hopeful that they’re capable of strengthening roles traditionally served by governments and nonprofits.”
“I do want to go back and get my MBA,” she said, “but that would be after gaining some more experience.” While she’s bound to go far, she’s more than welcome to come back to campus for another degree before heading back out to do even more good in the world.