This is the first of four profiles of the inaugural Spieker Scholars.
Mariah McCoy, BS 28, one of the first four Berkeley Haas undergraduate students named Spieker Scholars in the Spieker Undergraduate Business Program, proudly considers herself a Student Always.
A two-time published author, she was selected as a Spieker Scholar for excelling academically in high school, demonstrating exceptional leadership skills through co-curriculars, and committing to creating a positive social impact in her community. Spieker Scholars receive enrichment opportunities and financial support.
We recently interviewed her about her career exploration at Haas, her love of travel, and her views on the advancement of women athletes in professional sports.
Haas News: Where did you grow up?
Mariah McCoy: I grew up 30 minutes from here within the Bay Area. I’ve always been near the city of Berkeley, and both of my parents are UC Berkeley alumni, but I never really had the time to discover the campus and all of the hidden gems that are here. As a Berkeley student now, I’ve had the opportunity to explore. I have enjoyed taking in the sights with my roommate through hiking and discovering the eateries on and off campus.
What does it mean to you to be one of the first Spieker Scholars?
A Spieker Scholar exemplifies the four Defining Leadership Principles. These principles mean a lot to me. One of the reasons I came to Cal was because I witnessed the unique culture here at Haas, and I desired to exhibit the Leadership Principles in everything I do, especially my favorite one: Students Always. I’ve always wanted to be a lifelong learner, so modeling that for others, learning in and outside the classroom, and talking with people from different walks of life is something that I want to continue to showcase as a Spieker Scholar.
Why were you interested in studying business?
Business has always been an interesting subject for me. Marketing, along with finance and consulting, are all useful skills in any industry. But specifically sports management was another one of the passions that I had coming into Cal. Therefore, I want to find ways to use business as a catalyst to move the needle in women’s sports and bridge the gap in equality between the attention and support given to men’s sports versus women’s sports. Now I am discovering the different layers of business and learning about new fields, which could provide avenues for me to land firmly in my dream career.
“I want to find ways to use business as a catalyst to move the needle in women’s sports and bridge the gap in equality between the attention and support given to men’s sports versus women’s sports.”
– Mariah McCoy
Are you an athlete?
No, but in high school, I was provided with a platform to utilize my voice as a podcast host, announcer, and sports journalist to bring notoriety to the student-athletes at our high school. As a founding member of a startup organization called Block CP, I honed my communication skills, and my interests were piqued about the contributions I could make within the sports industry.
Do you want to parlay that love of sports into a career that combines sports and business?
Steve Etter (Haas finance lecturer and Greyrock Capital Group founding partner) has been one of my mentors during my time at Haas. With his guidance, I have expanded my interests beyond sports business, which involves exploring the plethora of opportunities available in other fields such as private equity. The Golden State Valkyries president and general manager came to Haas during the 2024 fall semester and spoke to us during a Dean’s Speaker Series event. The information shared captured my interest in possibly pursuing sports management as a career. As a member of the Haas Undergraduate Black Business Association (HUBBA), I also discovered the field of consulting, and my teammate and I won first place in our case competition. As a result, I am planning to combine my different passions for sports and consulting into a potential career while taking the time to explore other aspects of business.
What has your undergraduate experience been like so far at Haas?
I really love the undergraduate program. I’ve connected with so many people in the Spieker Program, students from all around the world and various cities in the Bay Area. Just speaking with them, learning from them, has been a highlight. I was able to connect with friends at Base Camp in Lake Tahoe. We all went to the beach, did a talent show where we were able to showcase our dancing skills and some lip-syncing, and we had a lot of time to self-reflect and decide what our goals were for our four years together. It was a chance to move beyond surface-level conversations to dive deeply into the reasons we all chose to come to Haas.
What’s your favorite memory of something you’ve done at Haas together?
My favorite memory so far is Cal Game Day before the University of Miami football game. My friends and I went to College Game Day and camped out overnight. From around midnight to 9 a.m., we were out on the Glade waiting for Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard, and Nick Saban to begin their broadcast. During the game, we were just really excited about that opportunity to see our team achieve a sizable lead over a Heisman-nominated quarterback and the rest of the U. That was a great experience.
Do you have a favorite course right now?
UGBA 10X, “Foundations of Business,” is my favorite course that I have taken at Cal because my classmates and I were learning from four different Haas professors, and I was introduced to different aspects of business. We learned about the psychological side of business, how to work effectively in teams, and about the history of business thought by reading passages from Aristotle, Adam Smith, and other philosophers and thinkers. We also learned about business practice from guest speakers. We asked them questions about their fields and about sustainability, and we learned more about AI. The diversity of perspectives in that class really made me enjoy it.
Do you want to talk about the traveling you’ve done recently and how that’s changed your perspective?
I have traveled to three continents and five countries which include Australia in 2022, Japan in 2023, and France, Spain, and Italy during 2024. Meeting people from different walks of life, being able to talk to locals, made me realize that everyone around the globe seems to be more similar than we are different. There seems to be a lot of polarization now, but traveling and seeing the day-to-day-life of people in different areas of the world is an experience I would recommend to anyone. These experiences pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Being in Japan, where I’m not fluent in Japanese, drove me to be patient and study the language and learn the culture. I also brought some of the Bay culture over to Japan as well.
What was your favorite place that you visited?
My favorite place was Australia, specifically Sydney. I had the opportunity to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I initially thought I was scared of heights, so I was hesitant and almost decided not to go. But my friends pushed me to try the experience and I overcame my fear. I was on top of a body of water standing on a see-through floor. All I could see were waves rushing beneath me. Just trusting myself and the people around me—that’s an experience that has stuck with me. This moment reminds me, as a Haas student, to continue to try new things and push myself outside of my comfort zone.
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