Transitioning from a big fish in a small pond to a regular-size fish in a large pond — that’s how Trae Jordan, W’21, GCP’22, describes coming to Wharton as an undergraduate. At one of the earliest installments in the Alumni Insights Dinner series, Jordan shared his journey from growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, to working for Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Launched by Wharton’s Undergraduate Division, the series introduces first-year students in the Wharton 1010: Business & You course to a range of career pathways as they explore undergraduate concentrations. Intentionally designed to advance the Division’s Explore and Apply framework, the series leverages alumni perspectives to help students connect early exploration of industries with real-world insight, while fostering meaningful relationships between students and graduates.
Having graduated just a few years ago, Jordan was easily able to put himself in the shoes of the students at the event. “Everyone obviously is supersmart and very ambitious, and you’re now surrounded by a lot of other incredibly bright and ambitious students,” he says of arriving at campus fresh out of high school. “Sometimes you feel like you don’t measure up or like you’re not able to stand out the way that you used to.”
Jordan also offered a unique perspective as someone who leveraged his business economics and public policy Wharton concentration and Weitzman degree to create a career in community development. He urged students to consider alternative paths, such as an internship in the public sector.
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By Joanna Blaz for Wharton Magazine
Posted: September 4, 2026
