Nydia Cárdenas is a second year MBA student at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow their companies, create jobs and transform cities. Prior to Ross, Nydia was a senior analyst at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) focusing on the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.  While at ICIC, she interviewed hundreds of small business owners from across the country who inspired her with their energy and creativity. At Ross, Nydia is part of the Center for Positive Organizations’ +LAB through which she is learning tools to help business owners build resilient organizations in which individuals and collectives can thrive. During her MBA summer, Nydia pursued her passion for working with small businesses by participating in the inaugural class of MBAs Across America. Along with three classmates, she drove 6,000 miles stopping in cities like Bozeman, Denver, Detroit and Nashville. Nydia is from Fort Worth, Texas and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.