40 Under 40: Kate Hornberger ’11MBA

Hornberger is an innovative product marketing manager for Google Cloud and an advocate for women in technology and business. Based in New York City, she is responsible for driving the Google Cloud market, developing customer-use case stories, building an engaged customer base, and actively working with a direct sales team on scalable enterprise and start-up marketing programs. She runs a Google women’s panel and recently presented “How Technology Will Democratize Finance.”

Arcadia gave me the opportunity to travel abroad for the first time. Our M.B.A. cohort traveled to France and China over the course of two years to compare a more developed country with an underdeveloped country and to observe the opportunities and challenges of conducting business. The experience opened my eyes, pushed me outside of my comfort zone, and ignited a fire inside of me. For the first time in my life, I was excited to be in school, to learn, and to explore something new.

My greatest achievement is that I can honestly say I’ve always followed my heart and never gave up on my goals no matter how big or small they were.

Don’t compare yourself to others—especially on social media. There is no roadmap for life. Follow your own passions, move at your own pace, and enjoy the journey.

Five years ago, I would have never guessed I’d be living in New York City or working at Google. While I believe in setting short-term and long-term goals, I still try to leave room for life to simply happen. In five years, I hope to be exploring a new career path so that I can continue to learn and grow, and planning a trip to place that I have not yet visited.