Making an Impact: Anna Manocha

This past week we had the pleasure of interviewing Anna Manocha, a senior majoring in Business Administration. It was an honor getting to know her and connect about how her work at Carolina has made such an impact. Her passion and drive for helping people of color and immersing herself in the Latinx culture was so enriching to hear about. During her time at UNC, Anna has worked tirelessly to connect women of color with resources to immerse themselves in business. Her passion surrounding Diversity Equity and Inclusion work has led her to win the UNC Advancement for Women Award and the Diversity Award. Her journey started off with an impulsive decision to go to Guatemala with her friend where she fell in love with the language and culture and decided she wanted to continue her work. With a minor in Spanish and fluency in the language, Anna has made an admirable effort to provide access to mentorship, leadership, and support to the women of color in our community. She currently is a marketing director at She’s the First club at Carolina which harnesses the use of technology and social media to connect women of color with the tools they need to succeed. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as we did!
 
What are three words you would use to describe yourself?

“Extroverted, disciplined, and passionate.”

What impact has UNC made on your life?

“UNC has taught me to get along and work with so many different kinds of people. It has taught me to love a place so much I can push it and its community members to grow and verbalize when change needs to be made – trading solutions for complaints.”

What advice would you give to people of color applying to the business school?

“Try and get involved as much as possible with the B school and on campus even before applying. The idea that you can’t join clubs, attend meetings, reach out etc. because you haven’t been accepted yet is false and it helps you to be more connected. Having been in close contact with Leslie Melton, I have a better understanding of what aspects sets you apart on an application. There’s a large difference between “joining vs having joined” in your essays. Putting in the extra effort to join clubs and make an impact goes a long way and says more about you than just expressing interest in doing something. Learn to make clear and specific goals for yourself and explain how exactly the B school will not make that happen for you but how your own effort along with your acceptance will make those goals happen. Act on your wants and needs!”

What are your plans after graduation?

I am planning on moving to Philadelphia where I will be working with Boston Consulting Group. I will be providing companies with advice with a focus on real estate and consumer goods and services. However, I have always had an interest in tech and think working at Google would be so fun.