HBS Leaders on HBS | Alumni on Leadership | Community Memories

Community Memories

A collection of poignant, humorous stories and reminiscences on the HBS experience from our community members, including alumni, staff, and MBA students.

1-22 of 22 listed alphabetically by storyteller's last name

MBA2010

Steve Alden Story VIDEO: RT: 05:52

Story regarding his learning about Harvard University and its various programs and his route through accounting to HBS. Growing up in Massachusetts, he heard throughout his youth about Harvard and so he faced a difficult decision when he was accepted there and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. With his commercial interests, he selected the latter's business program. As a senior, he found about the 2+2 Program, whereby students are reserved a slot at HBS and then spend two years gaining work experience. With the aid of HBS alumni, he crafted his application and was admitted. During the two years he worked as an accountant and earned his CPA. Quickly overcoming his concerns about fitting in with his classmates, the supportive milieu and community spirit of his section and the School will be the foundation for his energy and excitement over the next two years.

 

MBA2010

Courtney Bass Story VIDEO: RT: 07:58

Story regarding how her voyage to HBS was started by her mother and her long-term aim is to devote her HBS education to the service of bettering the lives of others. Her mother, Paula Sneed MBA 1977, always expected she would join the Harvard community, and she attained that goal by graduating from Harvard College in 2003. While pondering the next stage in her life, she determined that she desired to have an impact on the world on a grand scale, and the School's prominence in nurturing leaders was the deciding factor for her. She is gratified by the School's commitment to diversity and celebrating diversity, and she will go out into the world to work to open minds as hers has been at HBS. She believes that her mother and she are one of the first African American mother-daughter couples at HBS. Her mother's accomplishments as a business leader and ethical leader who has achieved "results and goodness at the same time" stand as a profound inspiration for her.

 

MBA2010

Khalilah Bey Story VIDEO: RT: 04:19

Story regarding her mother's focus on education, her family's pride in her achievements at HBS, and her vision of breaking down barriers for others. Her mother, a public school teacher, always underscored the magnitude of learning and taught the lesson of excellence. After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in engineering and working at Johnson and Johnson, she contemplated the next step in her career. At first, she did not include HBS on her list of business schools, but a visit to the campus and informal encounters with students persuaded her otherwise. Her family and community on the South Side of Chicago were full partners in her acceptance to the School. She will devote herself to providing an example of achievement to young African American and other minority women and to carrying on the "vision and legacy" of HBS.

 

MBA2010

Gabrielle Bill Story VIDEO: RT: 07:27

Story regarding her life-changing decision to apply to the MBA Program and her capitalizing on the tremendous range of opportunities offered at HBS. As a public relations consultant, she had reached a plateau in her career and concluded that business school would prepare her for innumerable options. Aboard a cruise ship, her family and she anxiously awaited the email with her admissions results and were ecstatic when they read the first word, "Congratulations." She attended the Analytics program to bolster her quantitative and mathematical skills and now she feels confident of her abilities. A session of the course, Learning at HBS, dealt candidly with racial and gender issues, and she feels that this has opened up communications within her section. She is proud to be a representative of the HBS brand.

 

MBA2010

Oliver Bladek Story VIDEO: RT: 08:58

Story regarding his initial attraction to the "HBS mystique" and how he has managed to deal with the demands and joys of the MBA Program. After a former professor and HBS graduate recommended the program to him, he decided he was not ready yet and worked as a consultant in Toronto. The application process enabled him to reflect on his long-term career goals. For him the people of HBS are the core of the School. The faculty act as facilitators and expect the students to discover the answers together. The ninety members of his section are also his teachers and co-pilots on this intense yet also delightful adventure and will be his partners in life's journey.

 

MBA2010

Tiera Brown Story VIDEO: RT: 04:44

Story regarding her fulfillment of her educational dreams to join the HBS community and her statement of encouragement to prospective students about applying to the MBA Program. With her family's love and support, she has always striven to achieve academic excellence. After graduating from Hampton University with summa cum laude honors, she channeled her energies into earning admission to HBS. At Prospective Student Day, any misgivings of whether the School would be a welcoming place were dispelled when a student offered their assistance. She was working as a volunteer tutor when she received the life-changing news of her acceptance. Having called on her inner fortitude to merit this opportunity, she urges anyone considering HBS to prevent any factor from discouraging them.

 

MBA2010

Sean Cameron Story VIDEO: RT: 08:46

Story regarding his admiration and appreciation of the mutual engagement of students and faculty in the educational process at HBS. As a floor trader, he shared his occupation's skepticism about the value of a business education. Accepting a friend's recommendation to visit the School, his incertitude was dispelled by the dynamic commitment of the class and professor to the case method. Serving as his section's education representative, he has participated in and furthered the students' proactive ownership of their MBA Program and witnessed his section's unstinting generosity to help each other. Propelled by the faculty's passionate devotion to teaching, his class and he will carry that inspiration into their second year and beyond.

 

MBA2010

Shaohui Chen Story VIDEO: RT: 05:57

Story regarding his view of the Pre-MBA Program as an invaluable mini-MBA Program and his summation of the steps of preparing, studying, and discussing a case. Participating in the Pre-MBA Program acclimated him to life at HBS and in the United States in numerous ways, especially introducing him to the curriculum, methods, and faculty of the MBA Program. He analyzes the stages in the life cycle of a case: researching and investigating on your own; reviewing your findings with your learning team and exchanging feedback and ideas; presenting your interpretations in class and attempting to influence and convince your classmates; comprehending the professor's take-aways and absorbing the lessons of the case.

 

MBA2010

Kunal Chowdhry Story VIDEO: RT: 06:27

Story regarding his appreciation of the support and care provided by the School for him to fulfill his roles as father, husband, and student. Just as he was completing his MBA application, his wife gave birth to their daughter. He was very happy to be accepted but he was concerned about balancing his family and academic responsibilities. Despite feelings of anxiety about returning to school after a number of years working and expectations of student competitiveness, he has been gratified by the generous services available to students and their families. At Partners' Case Night, his wife shared studying and discussing a case with him, which gave her insight into the intensity of the student workload. He is confident that the School understands his considering his family as his top priority and an essential part of him as a student.

 

MBA2010

Yinan Du Story VIDEO: RT: 07:08

Story regarding his first impressions of HBS through the Harvard University reputation, his adjustment to and total engagement with the case method, and his entrepreneurial pursuits. Growing up China, he became acquainted with the Harvard name and observed the respect accorded to those who attend the University. The transition from the lecture style of instruction to the case method was challenging until he fully understood the model of students learning from each other with the professor as guide and leader. He finds the additional types of teaching modes at HBS to be complementary to the case method, such as the Best Reflected Self exercise in his Leadership and Organizational Behavior course. His original goal of coming to HBS was to develop his entrepreneurial acumen and so he has availed himself of the School's numerous resources, the faculty's guidance, and his classmates' knowledge and expertise.

 

MBA2010

Amit Garg Story VIDEO: RT: 07:16

Story regarding his trajectory from a small town in Brazil to one of the biggest high tech companies in the world to his introduction to HBS. His parents immigrated from India to Brazil, and their stress on education impelled to seek challenges beyond his circumstances. He was faced with the choice of either medical school or an irresistible offer from Google and took the latter path to pursue his vision of merging engineering and medicine to make his impact in the world. Previous to HBS, he had gained little experience in accounting or finance. In his first class, Prof. Warren McFarlan welcomed the students to the School with a story of one of his classmate who built a multi-billion dollar business. The professor thought it appropriate to open the first case of the year with the person in the seat of this successful entrepreneur, which was the very seat he occupied.

 

MBA2010

Brooke Jenkins Story VIDEO: RT: 04:06

Story regarding how her academic development and personal growth has been fostered by the members of her section and the faculty and staff of the MBA Program. At first, she was uncertain about the overall character of the campus but she at once understood that everyone is intent on furthering her success. She has enjoyed sharing the cultures and ideas of her classmates and contributing her own experiences and knowledge with them. Honing her interpersonal skills has been just one dimension of her HBS education.

 

MBA2010

Yiwen Jin Story VIDEO: RT: 06:16

Story regarding her transformational self-discovery during her Pre-MBA Program experience. The safe, risk-free, and congenial atmosphere of the program empowered her to bolster her self-confidence and to transition into the cultural milieu of the United States. Overcoming her initial nervousness, her first contribution to classroom discussion was brief but liberating. She is very proud of her election to the position of section international representative. The section flag ceremony was one of the highlights of her section's activities. As a result of the program, she views herself as a completely new person.

 

MBA2010

Nana Kankam Story VIDEO: RT: 04:10

Story regarding her pride in her capacity as a student at HBS of representing her parents' achievements and ensuring that all students' voices are heard. Her mother and father immigrated from Ghana to the United States, and she sees her being an HBS student as "the fruit of their hard work." In the year when Barack Obama is elected president of the United States, her family's accomplishments show the possibilities of this country. Aiming to attain the highest echelons in the new media field, she will invest all she has learned from her classmates from around the globe about how they use new technologies to achieve that goal. One of her great pleasures at HBS is to observe the diversity of the School and to amplify the ideas and concerns of minority and women students.

 

MBA2010

Umair Khan Story VIDEO: RT: 02:45

Story regarding how he ascribes his motivation to attend HBS to his goal of acting as a representative of and role model for his communities. He shares his success with his Pakistani American and Muslim American communities. He welcomes his classmates' openness to and engagement in learning about other cultures. After Ramadan, he was gratified by the reception to his presentation about the relationship of Islam and business and views the response as indicative of the School's commitment to diversity and cultural learning.

 

MBA2010

Tamara Obradov Story VIDEO: RT: 00:54

Story regarding how as a child her family lost everything and were forced to flee because of the Yugoslav War. They had to start all over in an unknown environment. She states that she will always be able to rely on her HBS education.

 

MBA2010

Mohinder Rajput Story VIDEO: RT: 09:46

Story regarding how he was inspired to apply to HBS by the graduates who have excelled in his country of India and how he converts the burdens of responsibilities as an HBS student into the energy to develop into a world leader. Major figures in the commercial and political spheres of India, such as Naina Lal Kidwai MBA 1982, have established a record of achievement to which he aspires. Prof. Jan Hammond furnished a lesson on leadership which he will never forget. During his introduction on the first day of class, he spoke of the basic premise of the Stoic School of Philosophy that everything happens for a reason. He applied this principle to their section by voicing his confidence that they will help teach each other for the next two years and this struck a chord with his classmates and earned their applause.

 

MBA2010

Gordon Ross Story VIDEO: RT: 05:22

Story regarding his skepticism about the concept of HBS as a transformational experience and his rapid realization that just the first stage of the program had already substantially changed him. He was very happy to be accepted to the School but he had early doubts concerning the likelihood that he would become a different person at HBS. Now he believes that it is not a question of "whether I've changed but how haven't I changed." He ascribes this process to the amazing array of academic, social, and professional opportunities at the School. During "thunderbolt moments," he is struck with the degree of impact on him, such as the twenty-four hours from watching the presidential election to discussing with Jack Welch in class a case in which he is the protagonist. To anyone pondering applying to HBS, he urges them to go forward.

 

MBA2010

Mia Saini Story VIDEO: RT: 03:41

Story regarding her plan to become a business broadcast journalist and her strategy for achieving that objective with an HBS education. After gaining experience in front of the camera covering the business beat, she acquired an inside perspective on the investing industry at Goldman Sachs. While at the financial website, Street.com, it dawned on her that business journalism requires a comprehensive understanding of business and that HBS could equip her with that. She profits from the case method by pretending to be a reporter while participating in classroom discussions. As a vehicle for combining her educational and career aims, she started HBS TV to supply business reporting for the Harvard community and hosts her own investing advisory show.

 

MBA2010

Wilfred Segovia Story VIDEO: RT: 08:13

Story regarding his resolution to come to HBS following a campus visit and his itemization of the School's facilitation of his goals to make a difference on his return to Asia. While he was definite about obtaining a business education, he was doubtful of his potential academic success at HBS because of the case method. His friend, Karen Ong MBA 2008, urged him to see the School for himself, and when he witnessed the debate over a case, he gravitated to that quintessential nature of the HBS educational process, and through his meetings with students and faculty members, he felt an affinity with the School's sense of community and shared sense of commitment to tackling today's major issues and questions. The inspirational examples and encouragement of his classmates and professors will galvanize him into actualizing his entrepreneurial dreams.

 

MBA2010

Jen Tydlaska Story VIDEO: RT: 02:29

Story regarding the factors that drew her to the MBA Program and how she has been taking advantage of the incredible array of opportunities at HBS. She was attracted by the School's commitment to the empowerment and development of women leaders and the wonderful work of the Women's Student Association and she intends to carry on this crucial mission into her career. The Social Enterprise program speaks directly to her personal determination to lead a ethical life and to contribute to the betterment of society. She connected at once with the palpable passion on the HBS campus. Her student friendships will blossom into lifelong relationships and an expansive support network.

 

MBA2010

Sofia Valdivia Story VIDEO: RT: 06:12

Story regarding her sharing academic and cultural learning and idealistic goals with her classmates. Originally from Peru, she earned an engineering degree at Stanford University and worked in supply chain operations until she determined that she needed a "broader perspective" and applied to HBS. Expanding on the joy of cultural exchange at the School, she is organizing a student trek to Peru with a classmate. At first she was skeptical about the effectiveness of the case method. Having observed the faculty's preparation of case materials and engaged in case discussions, she admires the invaluable interplay of multiple viewpoints and the mutual learning of the case method. She intends to employ her HBS education in the service of improving the lives and opportunities of the people of Latin America.