Erika Pugh

Erika was born and raised in central PA where she began studying dance at the age of 4. At age 17, she received a full scholarship to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia. Ultimately deciding to pursue a college education, Erika graduated from the Penn State Schreyer Honors College in 2019 with degrees in Finance and Russian Language. During her time there, she was actively involved in the Penn State ballet club, studied abroad in Russia and France, and interned at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in their Investment Banking Division. Upon graduation, she began her career as an Investment Analyst at BDT Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm and merchant bank. Currently Erika works on the Investment Team at Heyday, a tech startup that acquires and incubates marketplace-native brands through partnerships and e-commerce entrepreneurs. Overall, she feels her experiences from dance have prepared her well for a fast-paced career, and is so excited to be apart of the Second Act team and help mentees achieve both their personal and professional goals.