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.

1-17 of 17 listed alphabetically by storyteller's last name

CLASS OF2001

Daniella Ballou-Aares Story VIDEO: RT: 08:50

Story regarding how her Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship in Liberia transformed her thinking about her role as a citizen of the world. She worked on a HBS project to obtain medicines for the AIDS epidemic in Malawi. She co-founded a consulting firm to work on humanitarian issues. She speaks about the HBS community's responsibility to lead such efforts and to have a global impact.

 

CLASS OF2007

Annie Bertrand Story VIDEO: RT: 04:18

Story regarding how her trek to India led to her to found with classmates a nonprofit organization, the Indian School Fund. They raised the resources to build a school and they designed a successful educational system that incorporates entrepreneurship into the curriculum.

 

CLASS OF1997

Kal Bittianda Story VIDEO: RT: 05:57

Story regarding how his section bonded after the tragic death of a classmate. He describes co-writing a case study with Prof. Hugo Uyterhoeven. During the 1990s dot com boom, a group of his section mates formed F Corps to share entrepreneurial ideas, which came to fruition in many collaborations.

 

STAFF

Rebecca Dornin Story VIDEO: 6 minutes

Story regarding her experience taking part in the Pen Pal program, where one corresponds with elementary school students, through the HBS Human Resources department.

 

CLASS OF1982

Bob Halperin Story VIDEO: 9 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1980s. He speaks of his leadership role in founding the HBS Social Enterprise Fellowship Program, which eventually merged with other programs to become the Social Enterprise Initiative. He proudly recounts the steps taken to make this "fragile" program permanent.

 

CLASS OF2005

Monisha Kapila Story VIDEO: RT: 03:03

Story regarding her experiences in the HBS Leadership Fellows program at Accion International in the microfinancing industry in Latin America and on the hindrances to MBAs working in the nonprofit sector. She encourages students to build their careers on their passions and urges the faculty to seek innovative ways of developing students into leaders.

 

CLASS OF2009

Netta Kivilis Story VIDEO: 9 minutes

Story regarding her experience attending HBS in the 2000s, a discussion of Career Treks organized by students, and the impressive helpfulness and responsiveness of HBS alumni (some, very powerful and busy people) to participate in treks and give career advice. She and other students from Israel were inspired to organize a trek there.

 

CLASS OF1983

Bob Maginn Story VIDEO: RT: 04:27

Story regarding his long-term association with HBS and his abiding loyalty to and affection for the School. After writing cases with Prof. Joseph San Miguel, he entered the MBA Program and, even with his familiarity with the case method, was struck by its unique pedagogical dynamics and effectiveness in refining his communication skills. Completing the cycle of student through budding entrepreneur to established business leader, he returned to Prof. Quinn Mills's course on CEOs as a guest speaker with his wife, Ling Chai, MBA 1998. Pondering the changes in the School over the past twenty-five years, he is excited by the diversity and international character of the student body and their dedication to social enterprise and engagement in making the world a better place.

 

CLASS OF2009

Lauren Mehler Story VIDEO: RT: 09:41

Story regarding her flourishing in the challenging atmosphere of HBS and the School's nurturing of her vision of transforming the business model of agriculture and the food industry to improve people's health and the state of the environment. At her interview, the recruiter contested her intention to uproot the old methods of the food industry and make it into a more socially and environmentally responsible and still profitable enterprise, and this provocativeness cemented her desire to study at the School. The fertile and rapid evolution of the social enterprise movement and the complete dedication of the School to these principles have inspired her to actualize her dreams for the future.

 

CLASS OF2007

Andy Murphy Story VIDEO: RT: 08:55

Story regarding his applying to HBS while in the Peace Corps in Ghana and how he and his wife from Ghana adjusted on their arrival at the School. He describes his career plan linking business and the environment, his joint program at the Kennedy School, and his HBS Leadership Fellows position at the World Wildlife Fund.

 

CLASS OF2003

Euvin Naidoo Story VIDEO: RT: 07:34

Story regarding his excitement at being accepted to HBS. He discusses co-writing a case study on Nelson Mandela with Prof. Rosabeth Kanter. As the Social Enterprise Club president, he met John Whitehead, who inspired him to lead a nonprofit organization. He recalls a saying of Dean Kim Clark's mother, "remember who you are," to the effect that we are members of a global community.

 

CLASS OF1982

David Peck Story VIDEO: 7 minutes

Story regarding his experience as an engineer of international employ attending HBS in the 1980s. Dissuaded by an HBS administrator from applying a second time after initial rejection, he was surprised to be accepted, surprised to pass his initial exams, and surprised to realize he was of the caliber of his fellow students. HBS instilled him with confidence and powers of observation that enabled him to further his career "trying to make a difference" overseas; "a very interesting 25 years" experiencing culture, work and war in Saudi Arabia. Never owning a cellular telephone or having a business card sets him apart from his peers.

 

CLASS OF2008

Hunter Pierson Story VIDEO: 7.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a teacher and a native of New Orleans attending HBS in the 2000s, studying public education in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as a participant of the New Orleans Service Immersion program. The "exhilirating, exhausting days" interviewing school principals (including a HBS alumnus), led to deep friendships, personal growth, and an independent research project to develop a case study about the New Orleans Public Education System.

 

CLASS OF2003

Maria Rivas Story VIDEO: RT: 03:55

Story regarding how the tragedy of September 11th compelled her to accelerate her plans to return to Nicaragua to change her country and how she realized that if you want to make a difference, you need to start at once. Through the Leadership Fellowship Program, she started an investment development agency, became involved in tourism development, and was appointed Minister of Tourism. She recommends to the Social Enterprise program to strengthen their network and convene participants more often.

 

CLASS OF1995

Albert Rodriguez Story VIDEO: RT: 06:01

Story regarding how his section played a prank on a new professor. He encourages students to demand deeper community involvement and social responsibility from firms and recommends that HBS broaden its international and global outreach.

 

CLASS OF1981

Chris Stix Story VIDEO: RT: 01:56

Story regarding his efforts with classmate Nathaniel Foote to launch nonprofit summer internships at HBS. Foote succeeded after Stix graduated. He describes the lifelong friendships he formed with students on his summer internship.

 

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.