Sanjana Chandak, OMBA’ 24, Trains for the 129th Boston Marathon

Sanjana Chandak (OMBA ’24)

From her OMBA experience, Sanjana can point to two definitive moments that inspired her to enter the Boston Marathon lottery. She recalls learning about individual and organization level risk appetite, and she reflects on this lesson, saying “I always thought of myself as a low risk taker. If you place bets on things, I would be the one who would want to be very conservative. But when the idea was presented, I was thinking about experiences, and I always value the ones where I take higher risks. […] I felt like my risk appetite was more than I was giving myself credit for, so that was an eye opener from that module.” She also points to a unique experience that she had during a class with Professor Jay Zagorsky; during the class time, he held a 20-minute, auction-style fundraiser, matching the donations of each student to help feed the homeless population in Boston. For Sanjana, this was a valuable lesson. “In less than 20 minutes, he showed us how to do fundraising in the right way, in the right spirit, in the ethical way,” she shares. Sanjana’s experiences in the OMBA program helped her embrace her high risk appetite and discover the power of fundraising, ultimately inspiring her to enter the Boston Marathon lottery with the purpose of supporting a charitable cause. 

Sanjana is also balancing her marathon training with her role as a Senior Vice President of Business Management and Controls at Bank of America, a company that has been an integral part of her marathon journey. Last year, she volunteered at the marathon with Bank of America, giving her an up-close view of the historic Boston tradition. While she had known about the Boston Marathon before, this experience allowed her to “see the city in a different lens,” which reintroduced her to the spirit of the city and the plethora of “Boston communities that come together on this one day.” She also thanks Bank of America for introducing her to Cradles to Crayons, the charity that she is running in support of. Cradles to Crayons is a non-profit organization that provides children in need with clothing, school supplies, and other essential items. Sanjana first discovered Cradles to Crayons while volunteering with Bank of America, and she was immediately struck by how efficiently the non-profit ran, allowing her to make a tangible impact on children’s lives during each day of volunteer work. For Sanjana, Cradles to Crayons is her motivation during each training session and, eventually, each mile of the Boston Marathon. “It is about the fundraising that would help the kids to get to a spot where they feel comfortable and confident going to their schools,” she explains. “I want kids to feel confident and I think going back and forth with that why actually did help me through my toughest runs.” 

Sanjana Chandak (OMBA ’24) and her son volunteer for Cradles to Crayons