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Alumna Spotlight: Molly Baskin '14

For Molly Baskin ’14, memories of Chatham Hall often feature two things: meals at Yardley Dining Hall and legendary faculty member Cathy “La” LaDuke.
“Mealtime was always so fun at Chatham,” she remembered. “I loved when everyone would pull up chairs and sit and laugh together. I feel like we always had the best conversations in Yardley.”

La, known for enjoying a meal and great conversations in Yardley, had a hand in making Baskin feel like part of the Chatham Hall family.

“I was usually one of the last students to leave campus before breaks or holidays, and La would always invite me to hang out and have cookies while most of campus was gone. We would also do frequent Starbucks runs on the weekends. Her taste in music was always a crowd-pleaser in the car.”

Being part of a tight-knit community meant a lot to Baskin and was the perfect environment in which to learn more about independence and self-reliance. With meaningful relationships among community members, it was an ideal atmosphere for learning how to support others – something Baskin took with her to Elon University where she double majored in business administration and marketing, with many classes focusing on data analytics.

“My first job out of school was for a tech startup that offered a data analytics platform catering to associations and non-profits. I held a couple of different positions while I was there, working with engineers internally and externally with clients. Several years later I made the decision to make a career change and go into a different industry,” she said.

“I found that Mastercard had great offerings, and the people that I met in each interview made me want to work there more and more. I think I interviewed for five or six different positions, with seventeen interviews total, before landing the role I have now. I think one thing to learn from that is you can always try again until you see the result you are looking for. And don’t be discouraged by the answer ‘no’!”

During her journey, Baskin learned a lot about believing in herself while also learning from others.

“Always take a seat at the table when given the opportunity, even if you feel like you don’t ‘deserve’ to be there,” she advised. “Don’t be the one to discredit yourself. And remember that it is important to find mentors to help lead and support you during your career journey. They do not have to be at your company, or on your team, but find people where you can learn from their experiences to help grow and pave your own. It is also ok to have multiple mentors, they can all bring different perspectives.”

Today, in addition to being a senior specialist, product management at Mastercard, Baskin has also found a nonprofit with which to volunteer to help preserve horse accessible land in her local area of Greenwich, CT. A keen equestrian while at Chatham Hall, she continues this love of riding as often as she can.
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800 Chatham Hall Circle  •  Chatham, VA 24531
+1 434.432.2941  •  admissions@chathamhall.org
Day and boarding school for girls grades 9-12 in the Episcopal tradition.

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