As a child in Atlanta, GA, Briana Neal dreamed of attending prestigious colleges, a vision she shared as valedictorian at her 5th-grade graduation. “My mom, as the only one of seven siblings to go and complete college, always spoke about how having an education and being a life-long learner would open opportunities for me to better myself, but more importantly, to position myself to open opportunities and doors for others,” she recalled. Briana was driven to pursue higher education despite the financial barriers presented by the selective colleges she dreamed of attending.

She first learned about QuestBridge while researching scholarships and through her high school’s college advisory team. As an only child of a single parent from a low-income background, she was determined that the hard work put forth, including a 1.5-hour one-way school commute and her enrollment at a top private high school, would open the door to a top college. “QuestBridge made that dream [of attending a top-tier university] a reality,” she reflected. “It supported me by providing waivers for me to take the ACT, free college application submissions, and a common application that made telling my story that much more seamless.”

When she received the news that she had been admitted to the University of Chicago with a full four-year scholarship through the National College Match, Briana was overwhelmed with emotion. “I felt as though everything had truly come together and worked out how it was always written to be for me,” she said. It was a moment that validated the years of hard work, the long drives to and from school, and the sacrifices made by her family. 

Her time at UChicago was marked by her participation in organizations like the QuestBridge Scholars Network (QSN) and The Organization of Black Students, as well as her ability to take advantage of the university’s resources to travel and explore careers. In the spring of her first year, Briana participated in a Career Advancement Trek in Dubai, focused on the consulting industry. This trip set the stage for her early career and eventual journey toward an MBA. Briana graduated from UChicago in 2020 with a B.A. in Economics. Following graduation, she started her consulting career, joining Bain & Company, a management consulting firm. 

Two years later, she applied to the QuestBridge Graduate School Match: MBA and ultimately decided to attend The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. For her, the decision felt like an obvious next step: “In a career like consulting, pursuing an MBA after a few years of working is a natural transition,” Briana explained. 

The MBA Match provided Briana with the support she needed: “Applying through QuestBridge gave me a secondary path for receiving a full-ride to pursue my MBA,” she noted, emphasizing how the program recognized the unique financial obligations she carried as a student from a low-income background, which often go unnoticed in traditional application processes. “Although I may be making similar paychecks as my peers applying for an MBA, my financial obligations to family and others may look different in reality than on paperwork,” she shared. 

Briana’s MBA journey at Wharton has been filled with impactful experiences that have shaped her personally and professionally. She highlighted Wharton's incredible network of professors and the “diverse set of friends and colleagues I’ve been blessed to build relationships with who encourage me every day to expand my ‘world of possibility’ for what I can achieve and leave as a legacy in this lifetime.” 

After completing her MBA, Briana will return to Bain & Company as a Consultant, continuing with work she loves: “Having started my career in consulting,” she said, “I’ve come to love consumer-facing initiatives. I hope to explore more avenues in brand strategy and marketing that allow me to influence and improve the everyday, lived experience of consumers, fans, and community members.” Eventually, she hopes to leverage the skills she’s gained in her career, volunteer work, and nonprofit board experience to one day form her own nonprofit focused on providing high school students from low-income, underrepresented neighborhoods with mentorship, educational support, and career resources. 

Reflecting on her journey from Atlanta to UChicago and then to Wharton, Briana shared the most important lesson she has learned: the value of remaining true to oneself. “I have often taken for granted the many times in which simply remaining true to who I am and what I was passionate about not only benefited the deep connections I was able to develop and maintain, but also the impact I was able to drive in being a change agent in each of these spaces,” she said.

To fellow QuestBridge Alumni considering an MBA, Briana’s advice is clear: “Do it! If you know that MBA is the route you want to take, why not continue to take advantage of the amazing resources and network that QuestBridge has to offer?”