From the WLI’s long list of alumnae mentors, I had the great opportunity to speak with Gena Lai, a down-to-Earth Yale graduate who now works in Yale’s Office of Development as the Senior Director of Gift Investment and Administration. However, she did not start off working there. After a winding but fulfilling career, Gena very much enjoys her current job for its intellectual fulfillment. This is what Gena wishes for every student here--to have a fulfilling career, not just monetarily, but also intellectually. 

 When she attended Yale as an undergraduate, she was a Biology major, planning to follow in her parents’ footsteps by becoming a doctor. However, after taking pre-med classes, especially the labs, Gena realized these classes were not as satisfying for her as she had hoped. Gena realized that she loved her writing and English classes more than the pre-med requirements, and she changed her major to English. However, instead of pursuing a career in English, she was inspired by Professor David Swensen to pursue a career in finance. Immediately after graduating, she was hired by Yale Investments, where she gained experience in this field. For a change of pace, Gena became a teacher for about two years. However, Gena wanted to be a professional problem solver–not the one handing out problems to the younger generation–so she only taught for about two years. She wanted to find something that still used the skills she had gained from her prior experiences, while also trying something new. Gena found this as a law student at Fordham University. 

At Fordham, she gained practical legal experience that enabled her to practice at a large corporate law firm in New York City after her graduation. However, she wanted to use her legal experience to help people–just like she was looking for when leaving her job as a teacher. So, Gena left her corporate firm to work at the Security Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. She did this with the help of the Yale professor who first inspired her to work in finance with his advocacy for fairness in the market place, Professor Swensen. Gena worked there for many years, where she felt intellectually stimulated. However, when a change in management forced her to consider what her career priorities were, Gena decided to pursue a new career. Struggling to find a new place to work, Gena reached out again to Professor Swenson, hoping that he could advise her. He led Gena to where she is today, in Yale’s Office of Development. 

Though Gena’s career has followed a winding path, she believes that the journey has been worth it. It can be difficult to find work that is both lucrative and interesting, but it is possible. Gena believes that no time is wasted if you learn something from every experience. From every position Gena held, she learned something from it, whether it was a professional skill or a reflection on her values. As a former student and current employee of Yale, Gena has talked to many students. She wants these students to understand that there are many different measures of success. Many Yale students believe that if they do not land an investment banking or consulting job immediately out of college, they will never become successful. In reality, there are numerous paths to success, even if the journey has a different starting place than expected Gena emphasizes that being at Yale affords us extensive opportunities. Even if our first professional choices do not pan out, other options will, and they could be even better than the first. 

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If you want to have the privilege of talking to Gena yourself, you can find her on WLI’s alumnae mentor directory! Gena is one of more than 250 alumnae who have registered as mentors for Yale undergraduate women as part of a collaborative initiative between WLI and Yale Women. Access the directory on the “Mentorship Initiative” tab of WLI’s website to connect with any of our incredible mentors!