I’ve met Nicki Sanders, Mather House junior and incoming Vice President of Harvard Student Agencies, in a few brief interactions on campus before arranging our interview. We’ve exchanged shopping tips at a fraternity formal and bumped into one another along Mt. Auburn Street; despite the brevity of these encounters, I remember these quick meetings for a standout reason. Nicki, while hardly knowing me, greeted me on each occasion with a huge grin and a bubbly “Hey! How are you?”, an unexpectedly kind, genuine pause rarely seen on a campus where sidewalk acknowledgement can be hard to come by.
Nicki describes herself as enthusiastic, sassy and ambitious, three characteristics I can’t dispute during our conversation. As we sit down to discuss her work for this column, that first quality is visible in every gesture; her hands paint her words in the air as she speaks, and her smile invites me to giggle along with her quips about her hometown (“I call it ‘Horse Town, USA’”) and on the stresses of securing a summer internship (“this year it’s really fine if you don’t get one, but next year it’s over”).
With all of that boisterous, infectious energy, it’s her particular brand of ambition that most catches my attention. In every turn of our discussion–from her interest in business to her hopes for her future after Harvard–she is unabashedly confident but also appreciative of her individual opportunities. She’s determined to succeed, and approaches the road to her vision of success with genuine passion and an interest in utilizing her opportunities to benefit others. She’s professional but entirely personable, California sunshine exuded through a hardworking, energetic student.
At any given moment, where are you most likely to be found on campus?
“Definitely here [Harvard Student Agencies]! I spend a lot of time here, as do all the HSA managers. I’m currently contracted for twenty hours a week, I really do love to go above and beyond. Any time I’m not in class, I’m here or running to one of the shops, but still doing HSA-related things.”
What inspired your interest in working in business, and Harvard Student Agencies in particular?
“From the moment I heard about it [during] my freshman spring, I knew it was something I really wanted to do. I think once I got to Harvard, and I took Ec10 (laughs), I decided I really wanted to go into business. [HSA] seemed like the best place to get involved and get some hands-on experience.
I was a sales associate at The Harvard Shop my freshman summer, and I applied sophomore fall to be a manager. Ever since then, I’ve been in love with HSA. I spend all of my time here (laughs), and I’m very happy!”
Why study Economics and Psychology? How do these two areas come together for you?
“I didn’t think I was going to study Ec at all, and then I shopped Ec10. Greg Mankiw killed it that first [lecture], but you know what happens after that. (laughs) But even after that, I was still really interested in Ec. One of the main things that really made me more interested in microeconomics, and also psychology, was [reading] Freakonomics over my freshman J-Term. I loved the book, loved everything about it and that style of thinking.
Ec studies the way people think and act through a financial lens, and then psychology is the science behind it. I’m really interested in trying to understand why people do what they do, and focusing on our actions and interactions. I think that’s something that’s applicable to business, because I think you need to have a grasp on people and understand their motives–especially in retail, like the Harvard Shop. You want to know what your customers are into, what things are going to work for the different people you have partnerships with, so [psychology] naturally lends itself to a business-minded career.”
Tell me a little bit about your role as Personnel and Operations Manager of The Harvard Shop.
“As Personnel and Operations Manager, I oversee all personnel aspects and daily operational aspects in all three of our physical locations. As Personnel Manager, if you want to be a sales associate, I’m the one who’s going to interview you. I’m the one overseeing orientations, training programs, implementing customer service models and employee incentive structures, that sort of thing. I oversee payroll. I have an assistant that helps make the schedule. I’m HR for The Harvard Shop.
Operations is being the go-to person if anything goes wrong, and making sure everything is up to par in all of our stores. I do a walk-through of all the stores every single day, to make sure the stock looks good, all the lights are on, everything’s functioning. Also, I’m the person who contacts all of the tour groups we have partnerships with.
Literally anything you can think of that makes sure a store is functioning, that’s what I’m in charge of.”
How will these responsibilities change when you become Vice President? What made you decide to expand your role at HSA?
“[It’s] a very different role, which is something I’m really excited about. Vice President is definitely more of the business experience you think about when you think about business school and the more ‘high-minded’ stuff whereas Personnel and Operations Manager is very operation-heavy, very efficient. This is more about thinking of ways to expand the company and thinking of what we can really do to make HSA a better place, in terms of revenue and employees and managers and ways in which we can service the Harvard community better.
Obviously I really care about HSA and that’s why I decided to take on a bigger role, as well as getting some hands-on experience, having such autonomy over all these different components and being able to implement an idea should I come up with it. I can’t wait to see what this next year brings!”
What would you say sets The Harvard Shop apart from other Harvard apparel retailers?
“Well, I love the Harvard Shop! (laughs) It’s the best place to get Harvard apparel in Harvard Square for any customer, students, tourists, anyone. For students, we are students selling to students. We have student designers who know what’s current and what things students are interested in, so when we launch new lines we have the student in mind. We can relate with them because everyone working here is a student.
We do offer the lowest prices for most of our items in Harvard Square and we do give the biggest discounts because we’re not some huge corporation. We’re really trying to give back to students in the community, which I think is a really phenomenal aspect of The Harvard Shop.”
What sets you apart as a leader? How has serving in your position helped to develop your skills as a leader?
“I think something that distinguishes me definitely in the office is my enthusiasm about everything. Every promotion or idea that we have, I get so into. I go all in, I’m all about changing the Facebook profile picture, putting one hundred percent into everything, and just being really excited about the things that we’re doing. Having that sort of enthusiasm, especially leading as the Personnel and Operations Manager, is extremely important because it transfers to all of your sales associates, and you can always bring that positive vibe and energy to a situation regardless of how good or bad it is. It’s helped me and my sales associates when we’re having a troubling time in the stores, or when the management team is struggling to come up with something new. Being resilient and never giving up on what we want to do is extremely important to what we do at HSA.”
Would you say that HSA is a good avenue for women at Harvard interested in pursuing a leadership role in business?
“I think this is definitely the place for women to [seek leadership roles.] Something that I like about our leadership team this year is that includes minorities and a female (in addition to me obviously being a minority), and I think that creates a different tone. It’s not like the ‘normal’ type of business people you see, and that’s great and refreshing. It adds a cultural aspect to the company as well, and it’s very important to have women in the leadership roles. Let’s be honest, women, we think about those little details. We’re just as smart as these boys, and having that person there to recruit more female leaders is super crucial.
Here at HSA, we’re about evenly split, so that’s something you may not find at other business organizations, which is really nice. One of the great things about HSA too, is […] that it will take you and make you into this really refined and polished person. I can now go into a room and there can be twenty businessmen and no businesswomen, but I can go in there and know that I own it because I have the skills and experience. Regardless of what gender I am, I know I’m just as qualified as other people, so I think that’s a really cool thing HSA can give you.
I’ve also noticed that I’m very much a girly-girl, and it does bring a nice flair, in my opinion, to the office. I’m the one who’s always putting on lipstick and always wearing dresses. This is a place where you can do that–you can be yourself and take pride in the fact that you’re a girl and you like those things, and people are still going to take you seriously. It’s not a place that expects you to come and not be yourself, or hide who you are because you’re trying to fit in.”
What is your favorite thing about managing The Harvard Shop?
“Getting interviewed! (laughs) For my current position, I really love working with all of my employees. Some of them were already my friends because I started out as an sales employee, then through hiring and training others I’ve become their friend. I love getting to work with all of these Harvard students who come from all different backgrounds, but all enjoy working in a retail store. It’s that team aspect that makes me so happy and warm inside, and I love getting to create that.”
The most challenging thing?
“(Long pause). You have to be a lot more responsible than you probably want to be in college. There’ll be times when I’m out (laughs) and I’ll get a text from a sales associate saying they can’t make their shift tomorrow, and then I’ll have to go from being Wild Nicki to being very composed and business-professional, even though I’m at the Spee (laughs). Even though that’s a challenge, it’s also a cool thing in itself. It’s kind of a talent to be able to switch between a ‘business mode’ and a ‘fun mode’. It makes you a better multitasker (laughs).”
Where do you see yourself after Havard?
“I would love to go to HBS, that’s the dream. Every time I walk by HBS my heart glows a little. It’s just so beautiful. A really cool thing about HSA is that we love connecting people with postgrad employment opportunities–just last week, I went to Business School Night and learned so much.
Beyond education, my ultimate goal is to work for some sort of consumer goods industry, something like Pepsi, or even a makeup company like Loreál. My big, big dream down the line is to found a non-profit organization. I kind of have my whole life planned out (laughs).”
What is special to you about Harvard?
“I’m really grateful to go here because I never thought that I would be where I am now; I never thought I would know everything I know about Economics or be Vice President of this company. I think Harvard is a place that can take you and make you something that is great, and push you to challenge yourself and want more for yourself. Before I came here, I went to a normal public school where just going to college was great. But after being at Harvard, I don’t want to be just good or great, I want to be exceptional, and be the best that I can be. Being around all of these people, as well as being at HSA so much, has made me realize that I want to do something really, really amazing with my life. I think that’s something that’s really unique to the Harvard experience, that I wouldn’t have found anywhere else–especially not at Yale. (laughs)”