Rise to the Challenge

On Wednesday, April 30, the Business Scholars Cohort welcomed Melanie Rubino, our final guest speaker for the Spring Speakers Series. Melanie Rubino talked to the scholars about challenges, and how it is so important for each and every one of us to look at our challenges and turn them into opportunities.

Melanie Rubino is currently the Managing Director at Wolverine Trading LLC, and she obtained her Ph.D. from Stanford University in engineering. Melanie talked to the Scholars about her path and the many obstacles that came her way when she was trying to reach her goals. Melanie’s presentation was titled “Rise to the Challenge” and she explained to us students that overcoming the obstacles in her life is what led her to where she is today.

Melanie started off her presentation by talking to us about not knowing what she wanted to do as a freshman at Purdue University. She connected this to us because a lot of us are uncertain when it comes to knowing what exact career path we would like to pursue. Also, she mentioned that she was the first in her family to attend a university, and because of this, she faced many challenges. Now, instead of letting these challenges put her down, she told us that she tried to look for opportunities. For example, one challenge Melanie mentioned was her very little career understanding that she had; however, the opportunity she gained from this was that she learned how to network, found great mentors, and chose her own path. These are some of the opportunities we all can find within many of our challenges, and the greatest thing I learned from this presentation was to take advantage of the challenges one faces in life. Instead of being vulnerable to setbacks, it is important to be strong and turn every little challenge into one big opportunity. In the end, Melanie said to us that because she had to face difficult challenges in her life, she was able to grow from them, and as a result, her successes were ultimately attained from facing those challenges head-on and learning from them. 

Now I am sure we all have challenges in our lives, whether it is family, financial, work, or even health. Melanie encouraged the Scholars through her story to rise to these challenges and to find the real opportunities within.