Presney Blackman and Alexis Murray UT-McCombs (‘21) took on leadership roles at McCombs right as COVID-19 hit in March. During this interview, we spoke about leading student organizations while navigating COVID-19, as well how they navigated, as students, and as student leaders in response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Finally, we also spoke about the response of the McCombs community, leading and taking initiative while maintaining self-care, and the importance of putting in the work as an ally. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Today.
Show Notes
- 1:40 – Backgrounds of Presney and Alexis, and Why they chose McCombs
- 7:35 – Presney’s role as President of Graduate Business Council
- 9:30 – Alexis’ multiple leadership roles on campus
- 12:35 – Presney talks about stepping into her role in March, and leading through COVID-19, as well
- 17:10 – Alexis talks about leading and navigating as a student and a leader through during the response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery especially as a Black student Leader
- 19:23 – Alexis talks about some of the conversations that came out as a result of this focus, and some of the discussions about how the community could respond in a meaningful way
- 25:12 – Presney talks about the response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery on campus from the community at McCombs
- 31:30 – Alexis shares examples of the positive displays of allyship from other students and student groups at McCombs
- 38:32 – Presney talks about the responses of companies who have put out statements around Black Lives Matter and police brutality
- 43:45 – Final advice on how to make the most of your MBA experience