Julie Salzinger ’17

Some students do what they love and leave it at that. Others make a mission of sharing their passion with others. Julie Salzinger, Co-Founder of the Mentorship & Microfinance (M&M) program at Harvard, belongs to the second group.

A glance at Julie’s list of extracurricular activities demonstrates that she is an outstanding member of the Harvard business community: she is External Initiatives Chair of Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business, a Publishing Manager on the Crimson Business Board,  and Director of Alumnae Relations of Delta Gamma at Harvard. As a Romance Languages and Literatures concentrator, some may be surprised by this Lowell sophomore’s extracurricular dedication to business. However, Julie sees these roles as a way to develop interests beyond her immediate studies.

“I think one of the things I really liked about Harvard was that, despite the fact that I concentrate in the Humanities, [there are] a lot of opportunities to explore other things. Business is a dynamic and multifaceted field, so I’ve enjoyed the hands-on introduction these organizations have given me,” Julie explains. “I’ve also appreciated both the opportunity to make brilliant and highly motivated friends, while working on projects that are considered ‘alternative’ within business.”

One of those “alternative” ideas came to Julie and her blockmate Mary Grace Darmody during her “WIBternship”–a series of mandatory panels and workshops for women joining HUWIB–last year. “While we were in the WIBternship, we were thinking it’d be really cool if WIB took its mission to an area outside of the organization’s traditional reach,” Julie says.

To expand on HUWIB’s mission to “empower future female leaders by uniting them through business education and experience.”, Julie and Mary Grace decided to create a hands-on curriculum that educates high school students about microfinance, social entrepreneurship, and women’s role in the global economy. Today, this highly successful program is  known as Mentorship & Microfinance (M&M).

The amazing thing about Mentorship & Microfinance is not simply its mission to educate high school women–it also empowers them to become confident leaders in business. Over the course of eight classes, M&M participants design social entrepreneurship projects, learn about concepts such as risk and due diligence, and even start their own Kiva investment portfolios. Last year, M&M reached students from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Somerville High School, and Cambridge Community Charter School. This year, it has expanded to include participants from Boston Latin School, The International School of Boston, Prospect Hill Academy, The Woodward School, and The Winsor School.

This semester, M&M is taking full advantage of student business leaders on Harvard’s campus; guest appearances will be made by Lean In Harvard’s President, Mirta Stantic, and the founders of a campus startup called slide.life. Students will also have the opportunity to interact one-on-one with the leadership of Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business through mentorship pairings.

Organizing and managing an entire program from scratch was no simple feat. “It’s a big job,” Julie admits, “and it’s within a big organization. It’s hard to get a program running. But, if you put in the time and love what you’re doing, you definitely can. Lejla Custo and Eileen Macron, our new Business Education leaders, have made incredible progress in the past few months.”  

Despite challenges in recruiting students this winter–consecutive blizzards canceled two recruiting events–Julie’s work over the past three semesters had an obvious reward: “Seeing [M&M] go from just an idea on a piece of paper last year to being in someone else’s hands has been really exciting for me.” M&M has also offered Julie the chance to grow as a leader and friend; “working so closely with Mary Grace on this project has really added depth to our friendship,” she says.

Another positive aspect of Julie’s work is the relationship she forms with M&M students because, as Julie describes it, M&M affords these girls a unique chance to apply their personal experiences to real world projects. “One of last year’s participants was uniquely willing to open up to us, despite the fact we had just met. She told the story of a family friend who had, as a teen mom, recently arrived from the Dominican Republic. She didn’t have a lot, but made a point to give back. She, and the student’s family, constantly made sending clothes and food to the Dominican Republic a priority. This student had a lot to bring to the table when we were discussing social entrepreneurship ideas.”

M&M students work on a project in this semester’s session, led by Eileen Macron (’17). 

Inspiring the next generation of businesswomen hasn’t happened without someone to look up to; Julie cites fellow student and Polity-Pro founder Jackie Lender as her on-campus role model. “She never ceases to amaze me; she has her own company, which fits her passion for social action, within an effective business model.”

Currently, M&M has just begun classes for its third semester at Harvard. Participating students will have a chance to attend YWIB, a Young Women in Business Summit hosted by Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business on April 19.  Alongside them, “other students who have been nominated by their high schools will have the chance to participate. They will practice public speaking and leadership skills, craft their own resumes, and participate in workshops run by Harvard students and professors.”

Julie hopes that women at Harvard will support M&M by volunteering at YWIB or mentoring students this spring, and donating to their GoFundMe. She also asks that students spread the word to women at other colleges who may be interested in starting M&M chapters on their campuses. In the future, Julie envisions M&M as a nationwide program with college ambassadors reaching high school students in other university communities. Given all the good Julie has done for local students by creating this program, it won’t be long before that goal is a reality.