Q&A: Mentoring at a PWA Roundtable Event

Each semester, the Professional Women’s Alliance (PWA) hosts a Career Roundtable to help College undergrads recognize the wide variety of career paths possible with a liberal arts degree and to build their networks. Alumnae mentors describe a day in their lives and share insights on what skills are important in their fields, the advice they’d give their younger selves, and more.

Brittany Minor Tilghman, C’10, was a first-time mentor at the fall 2023 roundtable. We asked her about the experience.

What were your own major and career path so far?

I did a dual major, political science and French. I work in management consulting now as a project leader at BCG, but I had a slightly twisty path. I got a Master’s in international economics, and then I worked for about six years in international development. I was working with sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti, doing economic development programming, mostly through USAID. And then after doing that for about six years, I made a big pivot over to consulting.

Why did you volunteer to be a mentor at this roundtable?

I thought it was an amazing program and opportunity for students. I think part of my twisty path was that I just didn’t even know that consulting was an option for me or really what it was when I was in the College. I thought of consulting as something that only Wharton kids did. And I also didn’t know about the opportunities that exist in consulting to work in social impact. I think if I had, I might’ve made a different decision. And so, really, it’s just about knowing all of the options that are out there for you.

I think being part of the College broadens your options and opportunities, which in some ways can be a little bit daunting when trying to narrow in and decide what you want to do. But I think that programs like this, where you have opportunities to talk to people who have done different roles that you’re maybe interested in or that you haven’t even thought about or considered, is a great way to just understand all the different options and avenues that are out there.

Can you describe your experience at the event?

It was a great lineup of people. Everybody was excited to be back at Penn and to be able to contribute and speak with these students. And I had some really meaningful conversations at the tables. I think it was helpful to do the roundtable style, in smaller groups, so people felt comfortable asking questions and had some time to get some more detailed answers and make some connections. I had several people after that who connected with me on LinkedIn. Some even reached out and asked if they could do coffee chats and things like that. And I’ve had some follow-up conversations with people from that experience. 

What kind of questions did you get?

I personally got a lot of questions about why I decided to make the pivot that I did and how. I think several people had an interest in social impact. And there were people there who were weighing which direction to go in, whether private sector or public sector, and do nonprofit work or for-profit work. So, I was asked how I made that decision, how the pivot was from what I was doing before to now, and what I’d learned from my previous role that I could take into this.

Another line of questioning that I got a lot was, do you think that what you learned or things that you did while you were in the College helped prepare you for the role that you’re in right now? In what ways? How do you use school and your education in your current job?

Why is it so important for students to talk to alums about careers?

I think it’s just about people being aware of the options that are in front of them, and not just immediately cutting themselves off from things because they assume that it’s not accessible to them. Also, I think it’s helpful to be able to get a better understanding directly from someone who has lived and worked in that experience that you could not necessarily get just by doing research.

Would you recommend the experience to other alums?

PWA wasn’t around when I was in school, but I’m happy that they are and that they’re doing this. It’s got a great network of people who are excited about helping the next generation of grads and being able to bring people together with the students as they’re trying to think through the landscape of different opportunities. I think it’s a great program.

If you’d like to be a mentor at the next PWA Roundtable on March 20 or a future roundtable, please complete this form.