Keilani Sakumoto

“I think I’ve always been interested in business without even knowing it,” says Keilani Sakumoto, a San Diego native. Her dad works for HP, and when she was 10 years old, she spent an hour, spellbound, watching a video of a company executive talking about future plans for the business. “Something about her confidence and poise in front of the auditorium of people made me feel like there was something serious and important about being in business.”

As editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper, Keilani oversaw a team of 30 writers and editors. She compares the experience to running a mini business, as her team had to acquire funding and put together a product to distribute every month. “I think at the end of the day, business is just that—people pulling together to produce something awesome.”

She brought her passion for business to Boston, but had to leave the balmy weather behind. “When people find out I’m a born-and-bred Southern Californian they always ask why on earth I left a place that’s always 70 degrees and sunny to come to Boston,” Keilani says. “But for me, college was a chance to try something completely new—a new place, new people, new culture.”

And try she has. She’s part of the RISE Forum, a group that meets once a month to discuss societal issues such as gender and race, as well as the LOCK Society, for which she tutors fellow students in business classes. “In both clubs, it’s inspiring to see students taking time out of their busy schedules to help others or discuss ways to make our world a better place,” she says. “People are excited to share their passions and get involved and it brings Questrom to life.”

As someone who loves interacting with people, Keilani hopes to work in marketing or sales at a tech company after graduation, connecting “people and businesses to the technology solutions that improve their lives.”

She’s put plenty of energy into achieving her goals—so far, she’s had the opportunity to intern at an aerospace and engineering start-up, analyze data at Panera Bread, work in hiring at a financial recruitment firm in London, and help with sales at P&G. “I’ve found the skills and connections I’ve formed at Questrom to be invaluable.”