At Brown University, within a traditional curriculum and conservative set of concentrations, it can be easy to follow the well-trodden paths mapped out by generations before us. Students flock into pre-professional fields with their eyes set on the path of becoming a doctor, financier, or lawyer before they set foot on campus. Yet every so often, a student steps off the sidewalk entirely, carving a trail of their own making. Hannah Sievers is one of those trailblazers.
Hannah Sievers is a Brown University student studying Economics and Entrepreneurship. With a background in math and the creative arts, her curiosity has carried her across industries. She’s worked in the NFT sector, venture capital, social media management, and sports marketing, all before graduation. At Brown, she’s active in sports management as a social media content creator for the Men’s Basketball and Football teams. Now, she is teaching a class, “Understanding Emerging Roles in Entertainment” encouraging students to break into the media industry. Beyond campus, she’s known for her TikTok account that covers college life and pop culture, which has grown to a community of over 8,000 followers.
At its core, this interview is about the courage it takes to bet on yourself. Hannah’s story embodies what it means to trust your instincts in the face of uncertainty. We discuss what it means to choose curiosity over comfort and self-definition over expectation. Her path through business, venture capital, and entertainment hasn’t followed a linear script; it’s been guided by a willingness to take risks, ask questions, and carve out space for herself.
In many ways, Hannah represents a growing generation of students who are redefining what “professional success” looks like. Her reflections on imposter syndrome, mentorship, and self-advocacy open an honest conversation about how ambition often feels uncomfortable, especially for women and students of color navigating male or white-dominated industries. Yet Hannah’s story proves that discomfort isn’t a sign to turn back. It’s a signal you’re growing into the kind of person who can create rather than simply conform.
Getting Started in Business and Entrepreneurship
Q: Can you tell me a bit about how you first got interested in business and entrepreneurship and your background?
Hannah Sievers: Before Brown, I was really into math and I had done a lot of math and science classes. I thought I wanted to do biomedical engineering or some sort of finance job because that’s what my parents both do. But when I got to Brown, I realized that I really enjoyed more creative arts and music and sports. And so I quickly transitioned into Economics and Entrepreneurship because I had that math background, which would be a way for me to position myself going into some sort of potential entertainment. And if not, my fallback plan was always to go into some sort of finance because that’s what I know.
Q: How do you think the classes or clubs or organizations you’ve been involved with at Brown have nurtured your interest in business and entertainment, and maybe even allowed you to be creative?
Hannah Sievers: Freshman year,I took a music class and joined an acapella group. I also just surrounded myself with a lot of people who I feel like had that creative side, especially in music. And that was really fun and it made me realize that I wanted to dive deeper and see if this could be a career for me.
And so I ended up taking ENGN090 first semester freshman year. One of the speakers, Dorsey James, was a manager or I think he owned his own record label. I really liked hearing from him. I was really inspired. I thought, ooh, I want to do something like that someday. And so I feel like that was the catalyst for me in realizing that I could potentially do this as a career. Because he went to Brown. I don’t think he studied economics, but he studied something completely different. And I was like, that sounds really interesting. That was one thing. And acapella was a different way for me to get into the arts and get the creative juices flowing.
Q: Since you’ve jumped between a few different niches within the industry, how did you decide where you wanted to go next?
Hannah Sievers: I took opportunities as they came. I think the harder part for me now is saying no. I think social media is a great space to be in right now because a lot of companies are behind in social media, and so they’re looking for people that are our age that are going to be able to market to Gen Z– the next biggest consumers. So, like all these companies are outdated and need help with social media because that’s the best way to market right now. Once I was able to show that I could grow accounts, it was really easy for me to get the next opportunity.
Creating Opportunities and Working Your Way Up
Q: How do you turn an informational interview or coffee chat into a work opportunity?
Hannah Sievers: Initially, I think the way a lot of mine have been working out super well is because I have an actual conversation. The goal is to build a relationship with the professional so that I can keep strengthening the connection. I send newsletters to all the people that I connect with when I have updates about my life, projects, and career. I also have recently been having them come to my class, or I’m starting a podcast where I’m literally calling it “the Informational Interview” and I’m going to be interviewing these people from different industries just to learn more and to expose their knowledge to college students.
But as far as finding people, I look for– for example, if I’m interested in venture capital, I go a step further, like what part of venture capital? And then I look for people in that role at the firm that I’m interested in and then I also check if there are any mutual connections or check if they went to Brown. Brown is honestly the biggest way that I’ve gotten a lot of these connections. I talk about my experience and ask if they could give me advice.
This summer, I was writing a paper on sports investment opportunities. So, I use that as a way to reach out to people that I already wanted to reach out to just by asking them, Can I interview you about this? The biggest thing is continuing that conversation beyond just the first conversation and keeping them up to date on your progress or asking them any questions that you have. Because all these people are really eager to help, especially when you’re in college.
Q: What do you think industry professionals value most in your experience and skillset?
Hannah Sievers: A lot of conversations that I’ve had with recruiters or in informational interviews, they say what’s cool about what I’ve done is the fact that I’ve made opportunities for myself. When I was talking to someone in sports marketing recruiting, they’re saying a lot of people at places like NYU can go and do sports business as a major because those classes do exist there, but they don’t actually teach you. Since it’s in school, it doesn’t necessarily teach you all of the inner workings or the actual skillset that you need. They’re saying the best people or the best things that they look out for in an interview or in a resume are not necessarily that you’ve done exactly what the job is. Instead, they want to see that you’re really adaptable and that you can work in a fast-paced environment and that you make opportunities for yourself. I think that makes you stand out. Also, that you’re not just doing all the things that sound good, but that you are doing things that you’re actually passionate about because if you care that deeply about something, then you’re going to work a lot harder.
Q: Have you gotten support from your more seasoned colleagues? And if you have, how did you get that support?
Hannah Sievers: Definitely. When they realized that I had an interest in topics they were looking into, they put me in contact with some of the companies that they’ve already invested in. I think having those names behind me also made it really easy for me to connect with people over the summer on LinkedIn or wherever. Also, everyone in the firm is– they don’t even have entry-level positions at their firm– it’s just partners. So, because of that dynamic, I did have to seek out a lot of things myself. But it was great because that forced me to seek out opportunities alone, I would take initiative to ask, Can I listen in on this or can you give me feedback? I feel like always asking for more and always asking questions ended up helping me because they realized I was very open to learning and serious about the experience. Then, they felt like they could share more with me and that I was willing to put in a lot of effort and grow.
Tackling Imposter Syndrome and Building Confidence
Q: How do you think you’ve combated imposter syndrome?
Hannah Sievers: I haven’t.
Q: Why do you think that is? Does it come from working in a male-dominated or white-majority industry?
Hannah Sievers: I think my initial imposter syndrome is not even from that because I think if I get the opportunity, I feel like someone sees something in me, and I feel like, yeah, I do deserve to be here. So it wasn’t even that. It was more like I keep comparing myself to peers that I feel are going to be making more money than me or they are doing things that I know my parents would have wished that I had done or could have supported me more in. I start thinking, did I make a wrong choice?
But, when I’m there, yeah, I do end up being the only one or one of just a few either female or black employees or both. And I think that has always been something that I’ve dealt with. In high school, I took a lot of math classes and skipped levels, and I ended up being one of the only black students in my grade and maybe the only in my classes. So, it’s something that I’m unfortunately used to, so I don’t think that I feel out of place. But sometimes you can feel the little microaggressions or people doubting your ability to do things. But then I just keep working hard and try to prove myself.
Q: Well, the reason why I asked you to do this interview in the first place is because I feel like you’re pioneering a new pathway for students at Brown. Even though we’re a university, we occupy more of a liberal arts curriculum and focus more on pre-professional careers. So, I find it very inspiring that you’ve focused on yourself and your own aspirations and have not gotten swept up into the more popular trajectories at Brown. Do you feel the same? What are you most proud of in your journey so far?
Hannah Sievers: I think I’m most proud of having the conversations, doing those informational interviews. That’s something that honestly comes from my parents. They have always been like, well, if you want to do something, you should find a mentor and you should talk to people that are doing what you want to do. I had always been really afraid to do that because I’m pretty shy and I thought they wouldn’t want to talk to me. I think that’s where a lot of imposter syndrome came from. I thought you had to already know what you wanted to do and that you had to be pretty knowledgeable to have these conversations. But, I think something I’ve realized is that people love to talk about themselves, and they also just want to help you out. Getting over that mental barrier was a huge thing for me. I never would have imagined how many things could happen from just having one or two conversations. It made me way more confident, and then I just kept going and having those conversations. I also advertise stuff on TikTok and people have been reaching out to me that way, and I think just creating the community that I’ve created is probably the biggest thing that I’m proud of.
Q: Amazing. And what is your biggest piece of advice for someone who might not know what they want to do or if they want to follow their passion down a non-traditional path?
Hannah Sievers: I mean, I think my biggest advice is to just do it. Genuinely put yourself out there and try to do the things that you’ve been dreaming of doing. Last year, in an informational interview, someone told me that if you want to go into venture, what you need to do is start having opinions. Having those opinions is going to help because that’s what you’re going to do in the role. Try to build up your skill set before you even get a role. Make the role for yourself and get good at honing in on the skills that you will need.
And then the other thing is to find a mentor. If you can talk to someone, even just one step ahead of you, they’re going to be able to give you good advice. And you’re going to be able to reach that goal a lot faster, because they’ve already done it before. Create a network of people who are willing to help and support you. I would not have been able to get where I am without the advice and help from other people.
Takeaway
I left this interview with an overwhelming feeling that the only thing holding me back is myself. Hannah’s discussion of that “mental block” she had to jump over to start seeing progress in her passions and career resonated with me because I feel like I’m still stuck behind that barrier. It’s comforting to know that other people, successful people, feel the same way. Yet, I found it more comforting–or even encouraging– to know that oftentimes that feeling is magnified in our minds and not reflective of reality. I think that’s true of a lot of things we let hold us back. Let this interview push you to take a leap of faith.
If something in this interview resonated with you and you’d like to hear more from Hannah, you can contact her at hannah_sievers@brown.edu or on TikTok @hannahsievers. Otherwise, we recommend you check out more of our advice pieces here.