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Last week I spent Spring Break in NYC with 6 other students. We spent 2 days sitting down with some incredibly influential and inspiring people. The first, and easily one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met, was Rachel Cohen.

I mean, not many people have been hailed on Martha Stewart’s blog as “enthusiastic, charming and very organized.”

Although her resume is impressive, it’s not her past work experience that makes Rachel so incredible in my eyes. Sure, she’s pretty, young, and ambitious. Lots of women (especially in New York) are.  The thing that really astounded me about Rachel was her kindness and her surprising outlook on life.

What really stuck with me from the one hour I got to sit down with Rachel is that you can go anywhere in life if you work hard, be nice and watch for opportunities to present themselves in your life.

Rachel has a “Buck Stops Here” attitude. She shared multiple stories that demonstrate her incredible ability to take ownership of a problems when it could have been easy for her to flow her hands in the air and say, “This isn’t in my job description, someone else can take care of it.”

Your success in business doesn’t come from a ruthless and competitive mentality. Real success comes from helping others, going the extra mile, and taking ownership.

In a nutshell, work hard and be nice. Success will follow.