Although attending Harvard was not Tina Hay’s greatest aspiration, attending the university opened countless amounts of opportunities in her career life. Growing up, Tina saw herself as an entrepreneur—she has always been passionate about creating new things. Towards the end of her high school career, she already had her mind set on starting her own business. Although she did not know exactly what type of business it would be, she knew that her passion and curiosity combined could create something great. Soon after beginning college, she developed a business called, City Tripping, which recommended places to eat or shop. She managed this business while at Harvard until she moved on to other opportunities, including her business Cardblanc and now Napkin Finance.
Tina never imagined she would attend Harvard and only applied based on advice of her tutor. Although she was concerned that her background in film had not prepared her for Harvard Business School, Tina finally made the decision to attend. Although she comes from a traditional Persian family where children stay home while attending school, Tina’s family motivated her to get her education at Harvard as it was an opportunity not to be missed.
When asked about the feedback from her community about her decision to go to Harvard, Tina said, “A few people said things to me jokingly, like, ‘Oh why don't you find a guy and take him there [Boston] and get married?’ But I think because it was Harvard, it was a clear and easy choice, and while there were naysayers, most of my community was supportive of my decision. Even if there was backlash, I chose not to hear it, and I truly think that most people were proud of me.”
In addition, Tina shared some insight regarding her experience as a Persian woman at Harvard. She recalled that she never felt like an outcast since there were so many other international students. Although she was cultivating a life in a male dominated industry, she did not see this as a disadvantage—she simply understood that she had a different approach (or advantage) in the field. While her life moved to Boston, she often traveled back to Los Angeles to see friends and family. Looking back on her time at Harvard, she shared that if she can go back to that time period, she would have liked to be more involved in campus life. With all the resources the school offers, she now believes that she could have taken better advantage of them and gained much more from the entire experience. Reflecting back on her Harvard experience to understand why she was not as involved as she might have been, however, she has realized that her choices at the time were influenced by her Persian identity. In her mind, it was already set in stone that she would return to Los Angeles and continue her life there in the company of her long-time friends and family.