Student Profile

Desirée Kaplan

What is your current job/where are you working? Any career highlights you’d like to share?

I am currently a writer for Green Matters, a media company focused on news and topics regarding sustainability. As a writer, I’ve researched and published about 200 articles in the last year covering a wide range of environmental businesses and initiatives. I've conducted interviews with founders, curated lists, and covered the news. I was recently interviewed for an environmental podcast to discuss my career and passion regarding sustainable companies.

Why did you decide to sign up for Sustainable Business Strategy?

I am early in my career and am looking for a path to becoming a chief sustainability officer or sustainability manager with a company I can align my values with. This class seemed like the perfect opportunity to give me the right tools to learn more about this field. While I earned a minor in Business Law as an undergraduate and focused on business while attaining my JD degree, when this course came on my radar, it was a chance to get an official education focused on sustainability.

What did you enjoy most about learning with Harvard Business School Online?

I really liked the thought-provoking questions from our professor and the wide range of views from high-level professionals and leaders in the videos. The constant mix of information and how it was presented kept it very interesting.

How are you applying what you’ve learned in Sustainable Business Strategy?

I'm already discussing topics I learned about with sustainability leaders. For example, the CEO of Sea Bags, a company which upcycles used sailboat sails and turns them into reusable bags, recently asked my opinion about B Corps. I had just covered this in the course so I was able to give her my opinions based on what we had covered.

Any advice for people who will be taking HBS Online courses?

Take notes! I really enjoyed the section summaries at the end of each week, but there is so much information covered in depth that I'm planning to go back and jot more notes down before the portal is closed.