Innovative Entrepreneur, Acclaimed Author, and Visionary MBA Leader at Whitman 

Eden Strachan ‘26 MBA knows the power of a well-told story. Whether through journalism, film or entrepreneurship, she has spent her career amplifying voices and creating spaces where they have long been underrepresented. But to scale her impact, she knew she needed more than storytelling skills. She needed a strong business foundation.  

“As a small-business owner, I wanted a school that valued entrepreneurship. When I learned about all of the resources and courses Whitman had to support entrepreneurship, I knew this was the place that I wanted to be,” she says.  

Strachan’s entrepreneurial venture, Black Girls Don’t Get Love, started as a self-published book and has since grown into a multimedia brand. The coming-of-age story for girls of color recently secured a national publishing deal, and Strachan is developing it into a television series. To further the book’s mission, she founded Black Girls WILL Get Love, Inc., a nonprofit that has served more than 150 girls through initiatives such as mentorship programs, outdoor exploration events, and media training. The organization has secured over $70,000 in sponsorships and was recognized by the CNY Business Journal with a Rising Star award for its community impact.  

Even before her first semester at Whitman, Strachan was already gaining real-world business experience. She joined a team of Whitman students to compete in the National Black MBA Association Case Competition in Washington, D.C. “The preparation started in late summer, and it was a great opportunity to be exposed to MBA-level work even before classes started. I learned a lot throughout the experience and built very meaningful relationships with my teammates,” she says.  

Strachan, who received the National Black MBA Association Scholarship at Whitman, has found the program to be just as engaging as she expected. “The professors and staff at Whitman are extremely invested in the success of the students. They go above and beyond to make our experience here meaningful,” Strachan says.  

Her ability to connect storytelling with social impact has led to numerous accolades. In 2022, she delivered a TEDx talk, “Who Gets to be the Girl Next Door?”, which explored the lack of Black female representation in the media. That same year, she presented at the New York State Reading Association Conference on the challenges underrepresented students of color face in school. In 2023, she was named to the CNY Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty list.  

For Strachan, Whitman is more than just an education, it’s an environment where she can expand her impact. “Whitman has been a very positive experience because of the school’s culture, rigorous education and sense of community,” she says. “I am so proud to be a Whitman student. I highly recommend anyone considering an MBA to consider Whitman.”