By the time Caroline Li started at McIntire, she had already set her sights on a future in business. What she didn’t yet know was how much the School would shape her voice, her confidence, and her understanding of leadership when she sets out to pursue her career goals.
A fourth-year student from Chantilly, VA, Caroline was drawn to McIntire’s smaller, highly engaged community, where strong peer connections and meaningful faculty relationships are part of the culture. Surrounded by ambitious, idea-driven classmates, the Finance and Management concentrator with a track in Global Commerce and Society found an environment that pushed her to grow not only intellectually, but personally.
While Caroline had been involved in leadership roles since high school, she describes herself as “a bit of a late bloomer” when it came to stepping fully into leadership with confidence. “I became more intentional about leadership in college,” she says.
A defining moment came in Professor Emma Zhao’s Strategic Leadership course. In a classroom simulation, students were divided into managers and workers. The managers had one goal: persuade just one worker to move seats in exchange for a collective reward. Caroline was on the manager side.
What seemed simple quickly unraveled. Her group failed to convince anyone to move.
“Leadership is harder than it looks,” she reflects.
The exercise revealed how much trust, coalition building, and thoughtful communication leadership requires. Authority alone was not enough. The lesson stayed with her and would shape how she led in the years that followed.
Applying Leadership Lessons Through the Integrated Core and Smart Woman Securities
As a Portfolio Manager for student-run investment org Smart Woman Securities, Caroline oversaw analysts and associates responsible for research and coverage reports. The role required more than technical knowledge; it required clarity.
An early challenge tested her approach. Her team underestimated the time needed for a major deliverable, leading to a stressful deadline crunch. Instead of accepting the chaos, Caroline adjusted. She began setting expectations earlier, clarifying structure, and checking in more frequently.
“Leadership isn’t just doing what’s required; it’s checking in and going the extra mile,” she says.
The organization was also transitioning from siloed teams to a more integrated structure, which demanded stronger communication across groups. For Caroline, it reinforced a core belief that communication and accountability are foundational to effective leadership.
Those experiences echoed in her Integrated Core coursework in Block 3 for corporate sponsor [solidcore]. Working closely with four teammates on high-stakes deliverables was “great but frustrating,” as an early time crunch quickly highlighted the importance of coordination and proactive planning. Simple actions like confirming meeting times and interim deadlines, though, would soon make all the difference.
Mentorship, Speaking Up, and Leading Before the Title
Caroline’s leadership philosophy extends beyond managing projects. As Co-Chair of the Women’s Leadership Development Program, she mentors first- and second-year students in biweekly seminars and peer panels.
For her, leadership equals service. It means helping others navigate opportunities and encouraging them to take chances.
“It’s always worth speaking up, even as an analyst,” she says, reflecting on advice she plans to carry into her career.
As Caroline prepares for her professional future, she intends to raise her hand, share ideas, and go beyond expectations.
She encourages students to embrace opportunities before they feel fully ready: “Even if something doesn’t work out, you learn something about yourself.”
Her leadership at McIntire shows that being communicative, intentional, and rooted in mentorship will continue to inspire younger students. It also reminds alumni why investing time, talent, and resources in the Comm School is essential to shaping how future leaders prepare to support others along the way.
