Shaked Hoffman arrived in New York with a question he’d been carrying for years: how do you build something that creates real, lasting value? One intensive year later, he’s closer to answering it.
Before arriving, Shaked had already moved across a lot of ground. At Reichman University in Israel, he studied Business Administration and Entrepreneurship while working in tech and innovation, including on programs run with Google. Stints with startups and venture capital funds followed, then an internship at L’Oréal that pulled him into branding and consumer strategy.
New York was a deliberate choice for Shaked. He wanted an experience that combined a strong education with real international exposure and career access. IENYC’s focus on sustainability alongside business strategy was the deciding factor.
“Today, companies are expected to think beyond profits, and I wanted to study something more forward-thinking than a traditional business degree.”
The format sealed it: one intensive year in SoHo, an international cohort, and a front-row seat to the city’s startup and investment world. No compromise between career and education. Both, at once.
One of the most important skills Shaked built at IENYC is translating data into strategy — not just financial analysis, but sustainability and long-term thinking that creates value for companies and investors alike.
With more than 90% of students from outside the US, every group project is a live version of what a global work environment looks like.
“It taught me how to adapt quickly, collaborate better, and lead international teams.” That instinct has fed directly into his final project, where he’s been developing a startup concept from the ground up. Being in a city full of founders doing the same changes how the work feels.
What Shaked didn’t expect was how open people would be once he started showing up. “You can meet someone at a café, a networking event or even at a bar, and suddenly you’re talking about business ideas, careers or future goals. There’s a unique energy to this city that pushes people to grow.”
That accessibility extends to founders and investors. Attending events across the city put him in rooms with people who were willing to go deep.
“I’ve had conversations with founders, investors and professionals who were open to sharing advice and experiences even though we’d just met. It taught me that in New York, relationships and opportunities are built by showing up, starting conversations and being willing to take initiatives.”
Since the program began, Shaked has been plugging into startup and venture capital events, each one sharpening his idea of where he wants to land and what it actually takes to get there.
Building a career in the US as an international student is its own challenge. Beyond contacts and events, the cohort has been part of it too. The school’s ability to connect with professionals and companies in New York, combined with the academic experience, made the transition into building a career in the US significantly easier.
Relocating, completing a master’s, and building a professional network in a single year is a lot to take on. For Shaked, the pressure has been clarifying.
“I’ve learned that I’m much more adaptable than I thought. I learned how to handle uncertainty, stay focused under pressure and keep moving forward even when things are challenging. I think New York teaches you resilience very quickly.”
What comes next is entrepreneurship, venture capital and global business. The MS in Business for Sustainability and Social Impact at IENYC, he says, gave him the network, exposure and confidence to go after it.
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Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Ashleigh now calls Madrid, Spain home, where she has built a career shaped by curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of languages. Her work grows out of a passion for learning, storytelling, and meaningful cross-cultural connection, with language as the thread that ties it all together.
Her academic journey took her from studying Spanish and French and Secondary Education at the University of Southern Mississippi to graduate studies in Spain, where she completed a Master’s in Spanish at the University of Salamanca and a Master’s in Translation and Interpretation at the University of Alcalá. Along the way, she has worked across classrooms, research projects, and creative spaces, contributing to academic, multilingual, and editorial initiatives that connect language, knowledge, and culture.
