Nina Bernard

Professionals - Evening
Current Industry/Job: Human Resources Business Partner
From: Seattle, Washington

Favorite quote and why:

"When you stop doing things for fun you might as well be dead." (Hemingway) I think it's pretty self explanatory - a good reminder to keep things in perspective, especially when things get busy and stressful.

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor and why?

Laszlo Bock, head of People Operations at Google. I just read his book "Work Rules!" and it's transformed the way I look at the work I do, my career trajectory, culture-building ... everything! Now I'm making everyone I work with read it.

Best memory from your first year in the MBA program:

Just getting to know everyone in the program. No one who ends up here is boring, and everyone has different reasons for wanting to do the insane thing of getting an MBA while working full time.

What story does your family always tell about you?

I was a tiny, bossy tyrant as a child. When I turned two, I had a chocolate birthday cake and before anyone else had eaten any, I just dove in face first. When I emerged, I apparently yelled, "I need a spoon!" Yelling "I need a spoon" is probably the most common "request" in my family to this day. (Hilarious, guys.)

What advice would you like to provide incoming students?

Set boundaries and stick to them. Without them, it will be impossible to maintain any semblance of a work-life balance. Before I started the program, working late and sometimes on weekends was the norm for me. Setting expectations for when I would be available once I started the program was extremely important. It's the same for friends and family, too - you're going to see people less, travel less, miss some events, but people close to you will understand. You will naturally make time for the most important things and figure out a good balance for yourself over time.

Any additional unique facts you would like to share:

I have a seven-year-old terrier named Harry that I adopted two years ago. He runs the show.