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Karla Popovic is a people person.
 
A senior on the Cal women's tennis team, she'll graduate this spring with a degree in business administration and wants to pursue a career in finance. But instead of wanting to work solely with numbers, she wants to deal directly with clients, in asset management or private equity.
 
"You'd be doing a meaningful job because you help people expand their wealth and help it grow," Popovic said. "It's pretty satisfying."
 
Her post-Cal career just won't involve tennis.
 
Certainly, Popovic has made her mark on tennis courts over the past four years. The native of Zabok, Croatia, was a key contributor to the 2015-16 squad that captured the ITA National Team Indoor championship and reached the NCAA Tournament semifinals. Her best individual season came in 2016-17, as she earned singles All-America honors and All-Pac-12 first-team recognition. With the Bears again aiming for the postseason this year, Popovic displayed her strong doubles play when she paired with Olivia Hauger to reach the final of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in the fall.
 
Off the court, Popovic consistently has been one of the Bears' top students and has earned Pac-12 Academic honors. In addition to her studies in Haas, she is also a graduate student instructor for Professor Daniel Mulhern's UGBA 155 – understanding of the theory and practice of leadership.
 
Popovic lists Mulhern along with Professor Dmitry Livdan among her mentors and credits Livdan's introduction to finance course for confirming her interest in the field. She is likewise thankful for the guidance of Jean Lozano, a former All-American for the Bears now working as Senior Director, Demand Generation at Amplitude Analytics.
 
"She's been really helpful in setting me up to talk to her friends in the business world," Popovic said. "It's great how people like to give back."
 
Mulhern sees success in Popovic's future, in part due to the teamwork and leader-by-example skills she learned in tennis.
 
"That's one of the things about team sports in general and doubles players especially – this inclination of 'going beyond yourself,' which is one of our defining principles at Haas," Mulhern said. "It's great to have that kind of spirit. I've seen that a couple times from her, in her willingness to jump in and help other people – or if she can't do something because of her sports schedule – in her gratitude to others covering for her."
 
Popovic wants to start her business career this summer, meaning pro tennis is not in her future.
 
Like many players, Popovic competed in professional tournaments before attending college; she's now crossed that goal off her list. Even while playing, she was looking to attend a U.S. college with a strong undergraduate business program and a strong tennis team. She's enjoyed the best of both worlds at Cal.
 
"After graduating from Cal, there are a lot of doors open, and I always encourage players on our team to figure out what they want to do first," said head coach Amanda Augustus, herself a Cal alumna. "They're very well equipped for lots of different career options."
 
"Tennis has been a huge part of my life, and it always will be," Popovic said. "But there are just some other things I want to do that are on a different career path."