“I’m a quick eater — so there’s always a lot on my plate.”
For Grant Huddleston, that line reads less like a joke and more like a blueprint. During his time at Goizueta Business School, Huddleston has balanced a demanding academic schedule with a broad set of leadership roles, all while building programs designed to open doors for others.
A finance and economics major from Pittsburgh, Huddleston arrived at Emory with a clear interest in business. What he built during his time on campus, however, reflects something more expansive: a focus on access, community and long-term growth.
That mindset shows up most clearly in Goizueta on Wall Street, a student-led program Huddleston helped launch to prepare peers for careers in finance. What began as an idea has grown into a structured, 10-week technical training program paired with a library of more than 50 educational resources.
“On a Wednesday night at 7:30 last semester, Goizueta’s largest classroom was packed beyond capacity, every seat filled with students standing in the back,” Huddleston recalls. “In this moment behind the lectern, I realized the magnitude of what this program has become, and I felt something unmistakable: pride.”
The program is one of several initiatives Huddleston has helped build during his time at Emory. He is also a founder of the Goizueta Foundational Finance Program and Emory AI Coach, a platform that provides interview feedback powered by artificial intelligence that has already been used by more than 100 students.
His approach to leadership has been shaped not just by ambition, but by a philosophy grounded in consistency and personal growth.
“Business is a marathon, not a sprint,” he says. “Improvement doesn’t happen overnight but through consistency and time.”
That perspective was reinforced during his junior year studying abroad, where he developed a passion for running — an experience that reshaped how he approached both academics and career preparation.
“Don’t chase money or success, but chase growth in yourself,” he says. “Sometimes that means slowing down to enjoy the view.”
At Goizueta, Huddleston found an environment that encouraged both experimentation and initiative, particularly in emerging areas like artificial intelligence.
“Goizueta has welcomed AI with open arms,” he said, pointing to the school’s evolving curriculum and resources. “It is clear throughout the school that Goizueta is actively empowering its students, teachers and faculty to use and explore AI, not as a crutch but as a lever for knowledge, impact and change.”
That mindset helped bring Emory AI Coach from concept to reality. Huddleston pitched the idea to the BBA Career Management Center and it is now actively supporting students preparing for interviews.
Faculty and administrators say Huddleston’s impact extends beyond any single initiative.
In a nomination for Poets & Quants’ “Best & Brightest Undergraduate Business Majors of 2026,” Libby Egnor, associate dean, and Sarah Liest, assistant dean and executive director of the BBA Career Management Center, described Huddleston as “one of the most humble and authentic servant leaders to come through the Goizueta BBA program … motivated not by recognition or resume-building, but by a belief in serving something larger than himself and investing in others.”
They note that Huddleston’s leadership has been defined not only by what he has built, but by how he shows up, consistently stepping forward to support initiatives across the school and elevate the broader community.
After graduation, Huddleston will join Lazard as a health care investment banking analyst, building on a series of internships that took him from Atlanta to New York and San Francisco.
Looking further ahead, he hopes to continue exploring entrepreneurship and eventually serve on the board of a nonprofit or charitable organization, goals that reflect the same blend of ambition and community focus that have defined his time at Goizueta.
As he prepares to begin his career, Huddleston’s perspective on success remains grounded in the values that have shaped his journey. Reflecting on one of his favorite movies, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” he points to the themes that resonate most deeply.
“No man is a failure who has friends,” he says. “The movie shares so many values that have become core to my identity: faith, love and family, to name a few.”