For Mackenzie Coultoff (W ’25), music is more than a passion; it’s her pulse. She shows up for our conversation in a leather jacket and gold hoops, her easygoing smile as effortless as her style. There’s a quiet confidence about her—the kind that comes from juggling a dozen roles without ever seeming rushed. “I just really love what I do,” she says with a shrug, as if being president of Penn Records, Co–Chair of Wharton Cohorts, and a jazz musician on the side is no big deal.
Mackenzie has built her Penn experience around artistic expression and connection. From helping student bands find their sound to teaching children how to play ukulele, she brings music wherever she goes. Grounded, composed, and always a little rock–and–roll.
Name: Mackenzie Coultoff
Hometown: Gainesville, Florida
Field of study: Major in business analytics, marketing, operations management, and minor in jazz music.
Activities: Wharton Cohorts, Penn Records, TA for MUSC/URBS 0180
What's the first thing that comes to mind when I ask you to tell me about yourself?
Music and leadership are the common threads in everything I do. I love music, and I’m a musician myself, but I also enjoy teaching and mentoring. It’s fun, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it.
Where does your love for music come from?
So it started with my dad—he's not a professional musician, but he's an amazing singer and pianist. We had this old Casio keyboard from the 80s at home, and I wanted to do that! In third grade, I started piano lessons and stuck with it. In high school, I did orchestra, but honestly, I was there more for the people. Music has always been a huge part of my life. Now I'm president of Penn Records, I teach music to kids, and I'm a TA for this music course—it's everywhere for me.
I love creating spaces where people can make and enjoy music. Whether it's helping student bands perform or teaching kids how to play ukulele, music is just me. I tell people I wouldn't be who I am today without music. It's not just something I do, it's part of my whole identity.
How have you gotten involved with music at Penn, specifically Penn Records?
Penn Records is a club where I've held leadership positions. I'm President now, but I was on the board for years. The point is to make live music more accessible to Penn students. In college towns like Orlando, live music and house party culture are big and fun. We give Penn bands a platform to perform—there are 10 to 20 student bands who might not have another place to perform.
This year, we've quadrupled our shows. We have two shows in one weekend, and one we actually make some profit, which means we can buy equipment—we don't get money from the University at the moment. I love it so much.
How have you escaped the preprofessional culture?
Something meaningful for me is volunteering at Lee Elementary. It's been meaningful to put Penn's preprofessional culture in perspective. I'm not a fan of that culture. It's a good escape. I love interacting with the kids. It reminds me why I love music; I enjoy seeing their minds work. We did a music exploration class and had a Wicked day, where we watched a scene from the movie and taught them to play it on ukulele.
How have you taken part in activism on campus, and how is that meaningful to you?
Providing something meaningful to the Penn community is my activism and social justice work. I worked at Penn Live Arts since my freshman year. They gave me free rein to develop a project addressing gun violence called Toll the Bell. The idea is to use art and sound as a catalyst for social change. Bells historically bring people together for moments of reflection. Some countries use sirens for moments of silence.
Every year on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, 50 to 60 churches, mosques, and temples make noise simultaneously for five minutes—representing that someone passes away from gun violence every five minutes.
What advice would you give to incoming students?
It’s never that serious. You’re here to learn and build relationships, not just to network for jobs. Don’t take everything so seriously or focus only on professional goals.
No matter what the administration does, Wharton is inherently preprofessional as long as companies keep recruiting here. They can add as many mental health resources as possible, but if you don’t intentionally make time for non–professional things, that space just won’t exist.
The whole point of college is to develop as a person. Are you really developing if you’re just doing finance all the time? If that’s what you want, good for you, but make time for yourself. Have some interests. Approaching things at Penn with a ‘why not?’ attitude instead of ‘why should I?’ opens up so many more opportunities. Make unstructured time, get out of your comfort zone, and try something new; otherwise, you’ll miss out on what college really has to offer.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I’ve spent a lot of time talking about why I think preprofessionalism can be harmful, but I am working in finance after graduation—not investment banking—just as an analyst. Still, I’d love to do something with music, social change, or work with people in the future. I don’t have a set plan for 10 years; I’m spontaneous, so we’ll just see what happens.
Also, I plan to travel a lot! More advice for freshmen: Take advantage of the travel opportunities Penn offers. I never left the country before college, and now I’ve been to places like Germany, Poland, Spain, and Sri Lanka, all through programs or funding I found here. Those experiences changed how I see the world and myself. Traveling reminded me that Penn is a gateway, not the destination. There’s so much more out there if you actually look for it.
Lightning round:
Favorite band? Radiohead
Soundtrack to describe your life? “Vienna” by Billy Joel in high school, now maybe “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.
Ideal first date in Philadelphia? Walking along Schyukill in the fall and counting how many dogs we can pet
Favorite class? The one I TA’d for, “Music in Urban Spaces”
Go–to spot on campus? The grass in front of College Green, or the tables in front of Houston Hall, for people watching
There are two types of people at Penn… Those who study in group study rooms and those who watch them; also, people who want to be seen and those who actually are
And you are? The person who watches them
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Do you know that one senior who brings a smile to everyone’s face or always has the craziest stories? It is time to give them the recognition they deserve. Ego of the Week seeks to showcase seniors not for their grades or any other academic construct, but for who they are as a person and the joy they bring to the people around them! Nominate your favorite Penn seniors for Ego of the Week!
