“Hotel geek, Hamilton superfan, pro pizza guide, and always “expanding the pie.”
Fun fact about yourself: As a kid, I spent years learning the abacus (yes, with the beads!).
Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA
High School: Homestead High School
Major: B.S. in Business with concentrations in Finance and Management
Minor: Public Policy and Management
Favorite Business Course: Negotiations and Consensus Building
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
Stern Street Team Student Ambassador – Fall ‘24 President, Member
Stern Orientation Leader (2023-2025) – Fall ‘25 Captain
Stern Finance Society – Executive Committee
NYU 180 Degrees Consulting – Consulting Director / Alumni Relations Director
Dean’s List (3/3 full years)
Beta Alpha Psi Honor Society
Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society
Stern Program for Undergraduate Research (2022-2023)
Stern Judiciary Committee – Appointed Representative
Asian Leadership Initiative – Senior Advisor
Net Impact – Mentor
International Business Exchange Program – University of Hong Kong
Teaching Fellow (Business in Film)
Alumni Mentor (Future Business Leaders of America, Orion Abacus Association)
Where have you interned during your college career?
Evercore | New York, NY (Investment Banking Summer Analyst, Real Estate Group)
Bertram Capital | Foster City, CA (Private Equity Summer Analyst, Consumer Group)
Lakeshore Partners | Salt Lake City, UT (Private Equity Summer Analyst, Consumer Focus)
Where will you be working after graduation? I will be joining Evercore as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Real Estate Strategic Advisory group.
Who is your favorite business professor? Professor Gavin Kilduff. In his class Negotiations and Consensus Building, he taught us how to “expand the pie.” By this, he means instead of fighting for small slices, strive for win-win outcomes. My favorite part of his class was attending the lunches he held for his students, where we all grew much closer by sharing a meal. By the end of the semester, it felt like we had built a real classroom community. Professor Kilduff also has a knack for seeing our unique strengths, deliberately pairing us in scenarios where we would learn from each other best. In this way, he was the perfect negotiator himself, always looking for ways to “expand the pie” and maximize our learning opportunities. I enjoyed his course so much that I asked to join his lab as a research assistant the following semester. Professor Kilduff gave me the confidence needed to engage in difficult conversations about the causes I care about.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Lean on and listen to each other—that’s why you are here. The people around you will add to your learning and experience in ways that classes or internships cannot. At Stern, my classmates have often been my teachers. Working on team projects with open-ended problems taught me that diverse perspectives lead to better decision-making.
I was skeptical in the class Organizational Communication and Its Social Context when my teammates chose to represent a clothing brand for the entire semester, since I had zero industry context. However, my teammates showed me new ways to think about solving business challenges I had never encountered before. Their diverse experiences and interests in areas like digital virality and international affairs exposed me to far more perspectives and ideas than I could have explored on my own. Conversations like these round out the edges of my Stern degree and carry into my future career, where my success will be defined by what I create with others.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Pursue the hobbies and interests you care about. It’s consistently been my hobbies that have led to unexpected opportunities, even professionally. As a kid, I would spend hours dissecting different loyalty programs and recommending credit cards to my family. Growing up, I loved reading blogs about hotels and planes. In high school, I worked at the front desk of my local hotel to become a true “insider.” Working at a hotel cemented my long-standing passion for hospitality. Pursuing my interests ultimately allowed me to stand out when exploring a career in real estate investment banking. Leaving time to maintain and deepen my involvement in hobbies and interests led to finding a path that excites me.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? If I could go back, I would spend more time with people pursuing majors outside of business. College is a rare opportunity to meet talented people across disciplines—it’s the perfect place to geek out with others. I would love to learn more about hotel operations from friends in NYU’s School of Professional Studies or hear about the backstage of Broadway productions from buddies at the Tisch School of the Arts. By my senior year, it felt like I had become attached to the comfort of Stern’s warm community. Though being part of a home community is important, I think stepping outside my comfort zone would help me bring even more back to it.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? In Information Technology in Business and Society, we experimented with AI by helping organizations leverage GenAI and automation tools to scale.
My team worked with a minority-led nonprofit organization looking to build a new Learning Management System for its entrepreneurship incubator. AI enabled a resource-constrained nonprofit to expand access to its programs by giving the founder time to spend on curriculum development and outreach rather than on setting up his website. Growing up helping my abacus teacher grow her nonprofit back home, I understand that founders’ visions are often restrained by a lack of time and money. AI, along with people trying to make a difference, makes impact more possible.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I’ve seen the effects of food scarcity on communities, especially during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve also seen the real impact that community members can make by coming together to help those in need. While leading my high school’s food pantry every year, we struggled to secure and distribute food to those in need—challenges that persist today. That experience made me even more grateful to continue this work during my junior year at Stern. As a Consulting Director for 180 Degrees Consulting, I led a team to support a NYC-based food pantry. One of the most meaningful moments was gathering the entire organization at the client’s Bronx site to volunteer and pack groceries for distribution. Being part of this team again showed me the power of being at Stern, where the people I worked alongside truly care about the impact they can make on their communities. The project was later named 180’s “Best Project Americas,” but my teammates and their work to reduce hunger in NYC is what will leave a lasting impact.
Which classmate do you most admire? Tiffany Wang (Stern B.S. ‘24) consistently inspires me with her wit, confidence, and unique ability to remain cool under pressure from any challenge. She has been both a mentor figure to me and someone I wish I could work with more often. Part of what makes her confidence so admirable is that she most often uses it to benefit others. There is a reason that every one of her friends trusts her as their sounding board and looks to her advice when tackling challenges—she never asks for anything in return and believes in the power of helping others. Our mutual friends and I agree that Tiffany does not view helping others as diminishing her own success, but rather as beneficial for all.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents have not only provided me with the means but also the cheerleading to be where I am today. They have supported me through every detour, starting with turning our couch into an airplane simulator, all of which were experiences that shaped who I am. I wonder if their willingness for my sister and me to explore stems from their inability to do so in their youth. If so, I believe that if I can use their support to pursue my own goals, I will be making them proud.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
Own a hotel to bring people together and help them make lasting memories.
Giving back to the educational system. I was lucky to have mentors in high school who continue to give back 15+ years later—I want to play my part.
What made Martin such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?
“A standout since day one, I managed Martin on the NYU Stern Street Team from his first year through senior year, observing him as a contributor, leader, and colleague. The Street Team is a highly selective group charged with connecting with prospective families—a job requiring high-level professionalism and judgment. Martin quickly became the model for striking up conversations and telling a compelling story.
Whether volunteering for early Saturday shifts or greeting everyone in the halls, Martin’s drive and openness were constant. He served as President and Learning and Development Director, coaching classmates on public speaking and storytelling. A skilled moderator for Open Houses and a two-time speaker at Orientation Convocation, Martin welcomed over 2,250 guests to Stern. As a leader, he was organized, proactive, and positive, setting the bar for excellence from slide decks to delegation.
Martin also excelled as an Orientation Leader. One year, after “sneaking out” to prepare for his stage appearance, his entrance was met with a roar of cheers from the first-year class he’d only known for days. This is the effect Martin has: peers treat him as an ally and cheerleader rather than a rival. He makes sure his success boosts others, making himself available for countless coffee chats and mentorship. I can’t recommend Martin enough; he was a standout at Stern and will be a standout wherever he goes.”
Anne Brown
Associate Director, Marketing & Communications
NYU Stern Undergraduate College
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