For the HBS MBA Essay narrative on an applicant from an LGBTQ+ background with a passion for entrepreneurship, the challenge for me was to not include a large but credible backstory of immigration under violent conditions in the Career choice essay.
There were three unique themes going in parallel:
- Acceptance as an LGBTQ+ person in a conservative family
- Entrepreneurship in an industry with low VC support
- VC support for Black communities
Backstory: The test for me when I include backstory are two:
- What is the Essay Question about?
- Can we use the unique backstory for other questions?
For the Harvard MBA Career Choice Essay and how the person will contribute to the business, community, and organization, the parent’s immigration from Nigeria during the violent 1970s was not essential for charting the applicant’s path to entrepreneurship.
A more important thread in his story was acceptance.
His motivation to pursue entrepreneurship was to find an authentic living by serving communities.
This is what I have captured in the Harvard MBA Career Choice Essay with the LGBTQ+ and entrepreneurship in black communities essay example.