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.

1-118 of 118 listed alphabetically by storyteller's last name

CLASS OF2009

Durdana Achakzai Story VIDEO: RT: 03:22

Story regarding her smooth transition into the flow of HBS through the Pre-MBA Program and her intentions of carrying forth the principles of business ethics and corporate social responsibilities into her role as a business leader. She commends Pre-MBA staff members, Maureen Walker and Joyce Majewski, for their dedication to ensuring the success of the experience and the international faculty for sharing their stories of acclimating themselves to life in the United States. The multiplicity of ideas and opinions expressed during class discussion serve as the basis for truly informed decision making. In her future capacities, she will construct her leadership on the foundational teachings of courses such as Leadership and Corporate Accountability.

 

CLASS OF1977

Burt Alimansky Story VIDEO: 13 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a PhD in English Literature attending HBS in the 1970s, which was a series of adventures in experiential learning. He recounts how the first day orientation introductions showed each successive student more impressive than the last. He dared to answer the Decision Theory final exam question not with "linear regressions" but with his intuition, and was commended. Professor Hatton secretly arranged with him to enact a disturbing situation in class, that demonstrated the case study in discussion, to see if students would defend a victim against an authority figure. He also mentions briefly his portrayal of a kangaroo.

 

CLASS OF1968

Sandy Apgar Story VIDEO: RT: 08:12

Story regarding how he defines the three elements of his transformational experience at HBS: the knowledge earned through the intellectual rigor of the program; the people who bring alive the educational process and with whom he shared the HBS journey; and the legacy of continuous learning. As executive editor of "MBA Magazine", he published an article on the issue of African Americans and the business community and he has dedicated himself to these issues throughout his career. For students seeking opportunities in the context of a financial crisis, he explains how he managed to transcend the severe economic downturn of the 1970s as a partner at McKinsey and Company.

 

CLASS OF1972

Paul Applegarth Story VIDEO: 5 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a Vietnam veteran attending HBS in the 1970s, recalling the incongruity, upon his return from the war, of taking malaria pills during an early winter snowstorm, and the aura of independence and activism on campus. His service as Education Representative of his section led to resolution of a rebellion in the course WAC (Written Analysis of Cases), and to friendships with faculty members including John McArthur, who eventually became Dean. An HBS education leaves one with confidence and the ability to "define your own path."

 

CLASS OF2009

Stephanie Balois Story VIDEO: RT: 06:34

Story regarding her bonding with classmates during her Pre-MBA Program, the power of the HBS learning model, her admiration of alumni dedication, and her plan to convey her passion for the School to the next generation of students. She formed fast and lasting friendships in the course of her Pre-MBA. The Priscilla Ball was one of the most exciting events of her HBS years to date. As an international student far from home, she feels that her section members are a second family. During the Leading in Business and Beyond Global Summit, she attended a session on the future of the MBA Program and was taken aback by the passionate concern of the alumni which she intends to emulate for succeeding classes of students.

 

CLASS OF2008

Nikolaos Bartzoulianos Story VIDEO: 8.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a Greek student attending HBS in the 2000s, impressed by the professor of his first class, who knew by memory the name and interests of every student enrolled. He appreciates the support system for students that includes fellow students, professors, and the Career Services office. He recounts a particularly engaging and playful case study discussion. For him, "HBS is not a business school . . . it's a life school."

 

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.

 

CLASS OF2009

Jacqueline Beato Story VIDEO: RT: 00:00

Story regarding her initial trepidations about fitting in at HBS and how the openness and friendliness of the students, the faculty, and staff dispelled her concerns quickly. The diversity of the School and the variety of viewpoints of her classmates expressed during and after class has incalculably enriched her learning experience. She praises Prof. Robert Pozen and Prof. Aldo Musacchio for their facility in conducting especially enlightening case discussions. She discusses the challenging responsibility of dedicating her HBS education and career to making an impact in the world and thus further enhance the public's perception of the School and its graduates.

 

CLASS OF2009

Roman Belotserkovskiy Story VIDEO: RT: 07:51

Story regarding the personal impact of his learning experience at HBS. On a visit to the campus, he was captivated by the case method and the energy on campus, which he discovered as a student derives from the dynamic people at HBS. Having studied Prof. Robert Kaplan's balanced scorecard management system, he was thrilled to speak with him personally. From his first year, he has taken away the valuable skills of listening and keeping an open mind.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF2008

Shilpa Bhandarkar Story VIDEO: RT: 06:21

Story regarding how the effectiveness of the case method exceeds that of a lecture-based educational approach because of students' contributing their viewpoints to the discussion and analysis. The commitment of HBS to training for leadership is "authentic" as the School expects students to grow into leaders and provides the support for them to do so.

 

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.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF1978

Adele Bozza Story VIDEO: RT: 05:48

Story regarding how she honors the memory of deceased classmates and celebrates the life of her husband, Joseph Grasser, MBA 1976. Her section truly consolidated its unity following a party before the last day of class when no one expected Prof. David Reibstein to present any cases. However, when he called on her, she had to pass as she was unprepared as was most of the class. Her classmates as a group supported her by revealing to the professor why they had not studied the case. To commemorate the achievements of her husband, whose dream was to create his own company, she has endowed the Joe Grasser Entrepreneurial Leadership Fund to empower and encourage new graduates to pursue their dreams and to follow their passions.

 

CLASS OF1972

Beverly Brandt Story VIDEO: 6.5 minutes

Story regarding her experience as a Southerner attending HBS in the 1970s. In a class of only 37 women, she was gratified to learn of women's natural advantage as managers--their socialization as collaborators--from a case taught by Professor Ted Levitt. The case study method of teaching engages collaborative "creative insight". This has given her a powerful problem-solving tool to understand and make decisions about anything--"the fine art of dissection."

 

CLASS OF1973

Geraldine Brown Story VIDEO: RT: 08:45

Story regarding how she prevailed over her reluctance to contribute her ideas in class and has continuously applied the principles of her HBS education in her many roles in the world. When she began the MBA Program, there were not many African American students or women students. When Prof. Wickham Skinner returned a paper with the comment that her analysis represents the caliber of ideas he wanted to hear in class discussion, she immersed herself totally in the case method and advanced greatly thereby. She has capitalized on the concepts from her Human Behavior and Organizations course throughout her career as a lawyer and consultant. The School's presentation of business history has furnished her with many points for innovative entrepreneurial departures and the School's preparation for change has inspired her to seek out leadership responsibilities.

 

CLASS OF1973

Ronald Brown Story VIDEO: RT: 04:22

Story regarding how he gained a lifelong education and companion from his HBS experience. He vividly describes two case discussions. In an exploration of the issue of whether management is a profession, he argued in the negative since there are no comparable certification requirements and oversight mechanisms as in the law and medicine. At the conclusion of the second case, the professor introduced the protagonist, E.J. Weaver, who had not been identified as a woman. A student revealed his sexism and she most effectively his refuted comments. He explains the origin of his student nickname, "Aesop", as his facility with alliteration in illustrating business principles. His original reason for attending HBS was to follow Geraldine Reed, MBA 1973, to the School, and they have shared their lives ever since.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF1983

Steve Brownell Story VIDEO: RT: 07:03

Story regarding how his HBS experience melded the intellectual stimulation with the enjoyment of student activities into the enduring benefits of superior business skills and a life companion. The demanding intensity of the case method and the rich interchange of perspectives among students and faculty furnished a problem-solving model which he implements in his own firm. He admires the faculty's display of a lively sense of humor and cites one example related to the case of a mystery student. His most important take-away from HBS is his wife and business partner, Jana Kirlin Brownell, MBA 1983.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF1948

Tom Cannon Story VIDEO: RT: 06:50

Story regarding how he and other HBS graduates pioneered the implementation of the case method at the undergraduate level beyond Harvard. He was recruited to introduce teaching cases at the University of Kansas Business School and experimented with the HBS educational methodology in his courses. He utilized case method lessons throughout his career in management consulting and does so today as a volunteer assisting small business owners.

 

CLASS OF1988

Byron Carlock Story VIDEO: RT: 03:44

Story regarding how HBS introduced him as a young person from Arkansas to a new world. He has often invoked "Earl's Pearls", the wise words of Prof. Earl Sasser, as tools to meet business and personal demands. The analytical and decision making skills inculcated by the case method have been the "best products" of his education. As all HBS graduates, he has taken to heart the urgings of Dean McArthur and Dean Clark to serve one's community and to make a difference as a bold and courageous leader.

 

CLASS OF2009

Omowale Casselle Story VIDEO: RT: 06:49

Story regarding the major components of his HBS experience. He decided to attend HBS as a means of answering God's call to service after visiting on Prospective Students' Day. As a child, school was an escape from the violence in his community. He is focusing on venture capital as a tool to help others. His Analytics professor and a student trek enabled him to realize that everyone can work to make the world better in their own way and that HBS students as future leaders will fulfill the duties of privilege.

 

CLASS OF2008

Prashanth Chandrasekar Story VIDEO: RT: 08:18

Story regarding his expectations of HBS and how the supportive network of the faculty and his classmates exceeded them; the demanding intensity of the case method, classroom discussion, and courses, such as Prof. Richard Vietor's Business, Government, and the International Economy, which pushed him to excel; the School's emphasis on thinking about the future and long-term career goals; the innumerable opportunities to forge lasting friendships, such as the South Africa trek; and the challenge of fulfilling the responsibility of making a difference in the world by means of his HBS education.

 

CLASS OF2009

Joanne Chang Story VIDEO: 7 minutes

Story regarding her experience attending HBS in the 2000s as a first-generation immigrant from South Korea and the first person in her family to go to college. She discusses the Healthcare Initiative at HBS, the Biomedical Enterprise Program (a joint program between M.I.T. and Harvard University), and the impact of these unique collective programs on her decision to attend HBS. She appreciates the international perspective at HBS, as reflected in a section flag ceremony representing the students' international diversity. She recalls Professor DeLong challenging students not to avoid confronting "messy situations", such as the conflicts between financial and ethical concerns that often arise in healthcare-related case studies.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF2008

She-Rae Chen Story VIDEO: RT: 09:08

Story regarding how her experience at HBS has been one of experimentation and exploration. She pushed herself to take classes with no immediate appeal for her. With the idea of starting her own company, she participated in the Business Plan Competition. Through activities such as the student show, she has formed close friendships, one of her lifelong "take-aways" from HBS.

 

CLASS OF2009

Adam Chepenik Story VIDEO: 5 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a domestic businessman attending HBS in the 2000s, who develops an international and broad perspective through case study discussions with diverse people, including military veterans. Even participation in incidental sporting events, such as learning the Indian sport Kabaddi from a British classmate, promotes international understanding.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF1983

Fred Cordova Story VIDEO: RT: 06:29

Story regarding how he discovered his personal strengths through the Socratic spirit of the case method and living and learning with exceptionally gifted classmates and faculty. He inverted his initial emotions of self-doubt by capitalizing fully on the collaborative educational environment at HBS, and in all of his endeavors, he has implemented a version of the HBS cooperative knowledge model. The overwhelming drive to study even pervaded his first-year honeymoon. Through Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld's course on self-assessment, he identified his unique skill set which he has employed in his efforts to make a difference in the world.

 

CLASS OF1987

Edmundo Costa Story VIDEO: 11 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1980s, especially the discipline of brevity instilled by Professor Pearson that impacts him today as a leader of high technology businesses in the Silicon Valley. He also talks about the value of the international perspective, gained at HBS, when he conducts multi-national business negotiations.

 

CLASS OF1952

Cliff Crosby Story VIDEO: 8 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1950s, where he enjoyed football and benefitted from the case study method. He also talks about his varied career where he turned failure into opportunity.

 

CLASS OF1988

Philip Hart Cullom Story VIDEO: RT: 03:32

Story regarding the major impact of the case method on his service in the U.S. Navy. Prof. Jack Gabarro's teaching style of interweaving case discussions with personal stories had an especially profound influence on his way of thinking. As he has called upon the lessons and methodologies learned through case analyses throughout his career, he initiated a program to sponsor one line officer to attend HBS every year.

 

CLASS OF1967

Rafique Dawood Story VIDEO: 5.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1960s, a discussion of his delay in arrival because of war in Pakistan, main lessons learned, endurance of friendships made, caliber of teaching, and the welcome and commitment HBS accords its alumni. He recounts with satisfaction the schooling and return to Pakistan of his children, to take part in running the family business.

 

CLASS OF1983

Janie Decelles Story VIDEO: RT: 08:59

Story regarding how she enjoyed all aspects of her HBS experience and still benefits from her HBS ties. She formed an inter-sectional study group whose strategy was to pool their observations and preparations for the same classes. Prof. Henry Reiling's personality and aphorisms, such as "Don't run out of cash", profoundly shaped the course of her career and life. A rare setting for first-year and second-year students to mingle was the HBS Student Show, in which she played the role of a Baker 20 Lady in a James Bond spoof, and she reprises part of her performance. From Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld's Self-Assessment and Career Development course, she gained insights that were invaluable as she embarked on her professional journey. She urges the students of today and tomorrow to profit from all of the rich opportunities at HBS.

 

CLASS OF1958

Stanley Diamond Story VIDEO: RT: 09:17

Story regarding the life lessons he learned while at HBS. After a warning about failing to meet academic standards in his first year, he improved his performance with the aid of his study group. He retells Prof. Thomas Raymond's "dishpan assumption" parable and discusses the responsibility of living up to the reputation of HBS MBAs. Living with two roommates of different religions taught him cultural and religious sensitivity and respect.

 

CLASS OF1988

Arnold Dicke Story VIDEO: RT: 06:18

Story regarding his fond recollections of the intensive learning environment and lifelong friendships of his Advanced Management Program. As an actuary, he quickly completed the mathematical portions of a case but he admired the insightful summation of information which enabled other students to zero in on the crux of the matter and thus he gained a deeper understanding of his own capabilities. At the executive seminars he organized, Prof. Robert S. Kaplan was a big hit, especially his pin factory story. As a symbol of the indelible impressions of his AMP experience, he remembered the names and faces of all the classmates at his reunion, even those whom he had not seen for twenty years.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF1977

Len Edgerly Story VIDEO: 9 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a former newspaper reporter attending HBS in the 1970s. Every day was a struggle, but he grew from an epiphany about values that occurred in John Shank's Control course, professors taking the utmost concern about what happens in the classroom, and learning to risk speaking his mind. His MBA has been invaluable to him, but he had far more pleasure getting his poetry degree at Bennington.

 

CLASS OF1963

Charles D. Ellis Story

Story regarding the influence that Professor Charles Williams had on Mr. Elllis' publishing career - - through his experience writing a term paper and having it published with Professor Charles Williams' help.

 

CLASS OF1957

Mead Ferguson Story VIDEO: 13 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a rancher attending HBS in the 1950s, the flexibility of thinking engendered by the case study method of teaching and the operation of study groups, developments in business reflected by changes in the cattle industry, and a comparison of the HBS he knew with today's school.

 

CLASS OF1957

Bob Fetter Story VIDEO: beginning 6 minutes, second half 13 minutes, total time 19 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1950s, including the "black period" that all HBS students endure. He discusses how attending the new Creative Marketing Strategy course impacted his life in terms of understanding the psychology of group effort and discovering a way to make a career in the railroad industry. He discusses the "ministry of encouragement" that section mates provide each other throughout a lifetime.

 

CLASS OF1998

Randy Fine Story VIDEO: RT: 04:15

Story regarding his proceeding directly from Harvard College to HBS and the entirely new world he found across the Charles River. His classmates challenged him as a young student with little business training, but this spurred him to catch up. He found the case method better suited to his learning style than the paper writing and textbook approach. His HBS education has opened up entrepreneurial opportunities for him and he is grateful to HBS for taking a chance on a young person from Kentucky.

 

CLASS OF2009

Luke Fuszard Story VIDEO: RT: 03:50

Story regarding how international scope of HBS infuses the learning process. On his first day, he was impressed by the array of flags representing the countries of the student body. He especially values the unique forum at HBS for students from across the world to exchange ideas. This sharing of perspectives will shape his conception of leadership in a global society.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF2008

Ciara Gary Story VIDEO: RT: 08:20

Story regarding her happiness that her family was so involved in her HBS experience and their pride in her achievements and confidence that she will continue her success into the next chapters of her life and career. She describes the sense of achievement and enjoyment she derived from her leadership role in the African American Student Union and its work, such as the H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference and Sankofa presentation. She discusses how the School effectively blends course work and extracurricular activities, such as her trek to Pakistan and her performances with the singing group, the She-E-Os, and empowers students to reach their full potential.

 

CLASS OF1982

Grandon Gill Story VIDEO: 10.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1980s, colored by his previous experience, working on a naval nuclear submarine. He explains how HBS changed his name. His unlikely road to being chosen a Baker Scholar is told, in terms of his interest in just having fun and taking pleasure in disagreeing with any statement given in class. As a professor, he believes that Harvard should not keep its secrets but become an educational "evangelist" to other colleges.

 

CLASS OF1982

Philippe Goetschel Story VIDEO: 7.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a Swiss legal and economics graduate attending HBS in the 1980s, mainly how the capabilities of the single Atari 800 computer at HBS piqued his interest during a quiet winter break and led to his career in the computer software industry. Story includes a comparison of the European and HBS methods of teaching business, and the characteristics that define an HBS graduate.

 

CLASS OF1973

Louis Hughes Story VIDEO: RT: 04:19

Story regarding how the HBS environment transformed him from a young man from a small town in Ohio into a leader with a global vision and how his student friendships and HBS knowledge have sustained and energized him throughout the thirty-five years since graduation. The superior caliber of his classmates and the faculty stimulated his intellect growth. The instructional tactics of Prof. Theodore Levitt fostered the priority of case preparation and still vibrantly resonate today with the HBS process of breaking down and rebuilding students. The case method imparts the expertise in dissecting and resolving even the most complex corporate problems and daunting societal issues. He is compelled to recommend the School to prospective students as a way of sharing the potential for a total transformation.

 

CLASS OF1997

Jamal Hussein Story VIDEO: 12 minutes

Story regarding his experience as an international CPA attending HBS in the 1990s, including the preparation HBS gave him for dealing with competition and stress in his work, and how he contributes to the betterment of his homeland, Somalia.

 

CLASS OF2009

Gregory James Story VIDEO: 10 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 2000s. "This is a special place and . . . a special environment" where students and professors support each other and are comfortable challenging each other's ideas. During an examination period, Professor Lakhani eases student stress by a lesson in proper proportion. Sections become families, and an international student body continuously learns from exchange of personal experiences.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF1958

Bruce Johnson Story VIDEO: RT: 08:31

Story regarding his progression from HBS graduate to business school teacher. After managerial experiences in the Navy, he was drawn to attend HBS by his uncle who was a faculty member, and he was amazed at the exceptional quality of his classmates. As a business teacher, he emphasized the importance of decision making skills and defending one's positions, which he had learned at HBS. At reunions, he relishes the opportunity to meet with recent graduates and current students.

 

CLASS OF2008

Constance Jones Story VIDEO: 9 minutes

Story regarding her experience attending HBS in the 2000s, including opportunities for international travel, especially a personally meaningful trip to Jerusalem. She discusses organizing a Black History Month presentation for her section, and the personally revelatory method of learning in the Authentic Leadership Development course.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF2009

Aman Khaira Story VIDEO: RT: 08:01

Story regarding his realization of the power of the case method when he experienced a transformational moment during a classroom discussion. While studying the lives and careers of HBS graduates from two decades earlier, many of his classmates were moved to voice their own fears and apprehensions that elicited an understanding of a personal situation in his past. Through the case method, he has absorbed communications skills to advance and expedite discussions and meetings. He has been astonished by the faculty's overwhelming personal attention, which has been exemplified by Prof. Jan Rivkin's assistance with securing summer jobs for his entire section during the current financial crisis and the entire Harvard system's immediate response.

 

CLASS OF1973

Masao Konomi Story VIDEO: RT: 07:16

Story regarding how he was attracted to HBS because of his design to attain English fluency through the verbal tussle of the case method. As part of an exchange program, he led a group students from France on a tour of Japan and he took umbrage at their reaction to his capacity to debate in French. The intensity of case discussions acted as an English immersion process, including a dispute about the viscosity of ketchup. He surmounted the impediments to acclimating himself to a new language and culture and he assures international students that they too can accomplish this.

 

CLASS OF2009

Lisa Kostova Story VIDEO: RT: 07:49

Story regarding her perfect fit with the community spirit of HBS and the educational process of the case method. On a visit to the School, she was captivated by the intellectual engagement and excitement of the case discussion that synchronized with her learning style. In contrast to the educational method of presenting and applying discrete ideas and subjects, HBS courses complement each other as concepts analyzed in one class are synthesized with theories taught in others. At the end of each course, a student would impersonate the professor, and this mutual fun and respect are indicative of the faculty's sincere appreciation of their relationship with their students. One the great lessons of the HBS education is the realization that there is no single answer to business or life issues and that the key is to ask the right questions to reach an effective solution.

 

CLASS OF1983

Section C Singers Story VIDEO: RT: 01:41

Story regarding how the Section C Singers exhibited their section pride by performing skits during their run at HBS. For the HBS Centennial, they retrieved a musical number based on the song, "Do Wah Diddy", from the HBS Archives in their inimitable style of expressing their section harmony and gratitude to the School.

 

CLASS OF2008

Anny Kwok Story VIDEO: RT: 09:52

Story regarding how learning with such a diverse group of accomplished people has been at the heart of her HBS years. Prof. George's leadership class supplied a safe space for candidly sharing ideas. The faculty have continually responded to students' needs, and MBA Career Services has provided invaluable coaching and support. She will use her transformational experience to make a positive difference in the world.

 

CLASS OF1984

Jim Langford Story VIDEO: RT: 08:45

Story regarding his grueling yet exciting first week at HBS. He stresses the case method's collaborative learning process and highlights the lighter side with the story of his mooning a professor on Halloween. He talks about applying to HBS and the "transformational moment" of reading his welcoming letter.

 

CLASS OF1982

Pete Levy Story VIDEO: 3.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1980s. He notes that he reduced his worry about ending up in the bottom ten percent of class that is not readmitted the second year, by listening for silly comments made in class discussion. The ability to articulate an idea under pressure and the friendships he made are the lasting gifts from Harvard.

 

CLASS OF2009

Gina Liao Story VIDEO: RT: 07:49

Story regarding her pleasant surprise at the warm and supportive environment of the Pre-MBA Program and the caring and personal attention from the faculty and staff. The program supplied the academic preparation for the academic system of the MBA Program. The international students found numerous affinities among themselves that flourished into harmonious unity. She extends her heartfelt gratitude to program staff members for their concern for her well-being. The most memorable moment of her first year was the frank and candid discussion of a case on child labor in Southeast Asia in Prof. Sandra Sucher's Leadership and Corporate Accountability course.

 

CLASS OF1963

Gary MacDougal Story VIDEO: RT: 09:38

Story regarding how he was brought out of his shell at HBS and how this transformation cascaded into his personal achievements. At first shy with his classmates and in the classroom, Prof. Theodore Levitt drew him out of his reserve. After he exceeded his own expectations when called on in class, it dawned on him that he could measure up to the bar of HBS excellence and he surpassed it by earning academic honors. Once he concluded his first career as a chief executive officer, he commenced a second career in government service during which he focused on welfare reform. To current and prospective students, he recommends always planning for the next chapter in their lives.

 

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 OF1953

Allen McCombs Story VIDEO: RT: 05:54

Story regarding his lasting memories as a Californian of cold Cambridge winters at HBS and, after returning to the West Coast, how he applied his HBS education to his newspaper business. He utilized the analytical skills he attained through the case method to his investigative reporting. He recounts meeting his wife of 55 years and playing a prank with his classmates on his professor with the class seating chart.

 

CLASS OF2008

Andres Meza Story VIDEO: RT: 11:08

Story regarding how his section jelled as a team when they organized their charity auction. On his student treks, he was moved by the need to balance and combine business and culture. He shows a picture of his younger self to represent how he has changed through his time at HBS.

 

CLASS OF2009

Demaris Mills Story VIDEO: RT: 07:45

Story regarding the joint decision of Jon Sallade and DeMaris Mills to come to HBS, she as an MBA student and he as a staff member, her concerns about how they would fit in as married people, how her section has bonded with him, and how he is a support for her. She speaks of the importance felt by students that their loved ones share the intensity of the HBS experience, particularly case discussion.

 

CLASS OF2008

Johnita Mizelle Story VIDEO: 6 minutes

Story regarding her experience attending HBS in the 2000s, encompassing leadership opportunities (serving as chair of the Financial Club Conference, and CFO of the Entrepreneurship Club) and what she learned from teaching and mentoring Harvard College sophomores with Wall Street aspirations. Being the first person in her family to attend Harvard is a meaningful achievement.

 

CLASS OF1957

David Morehead Story VIDEO: 9 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1950s, including how an Army friend (later classmate) persuaded him to apply, enrichment of his retail background that enabled him to work in manufacturing and to become an entrepreneur, and how a working wife financially supported this "Doriot disciple" through graduate school.

 

CLASS OF2009

Ekhi Muniategui Story VIDEO: RT: 03:55

Story regarding his sense of privilege to be at HBS and his equal sense of obligation to repay this honor by making the world a better place. The amazing range of learning scenarios both inside and outside the classroom has empowered him to explore career and personal paths he had not previously considered. After meeting with corporate and world leaders and exchanging information about various professions and business experiences, he has reconsidered his desire to develop a consulting career. During his summer internship at a steel plant in Allentown, Pennsylvania, he became friends with individuals who were not aware of HBS, which placed an entirely new perspective on his education. Now he envisions applying his HBS years to bringing about substantive change.

 

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 OF1983

Emmanuel Nnatuanya Story VIDEO: RT: 04:37

Story regarding how he discovered within himself the profound potentialities for personal power and the drive for excellence through the International Senior Management Program. The case method exerted demands on his intellect and endurance that strengthened him greatly. The HBS imprimatur has furnished the advantage that has secured him professional opportunities. His inquisitive mind has at times stretched standard limits such as when he won the award for the longest question in class. His HBS experience has reinforced his belief that with determination and commitment, any problem can be surmounted.

 

CLASS OF2009

Bernardo Novick Story VIDEO: RT: 07:26

Story regarding his endorsement of the Pre-MBA Program to prospective students and his recommendation to all students to manage their time wisely and to regard their HBS years as a cornerstone of their lives and not just a career stepping-stone. The Pre-MBA environment was the setting for developing tight bonds that have carried on into the MBA Program and was a productive introduction to the case method. The India Immersion program was a unique platform for learning deeply about a country and its people. With the multitude of options at HBS, he exhorts students to steer their HBS course prudently and efficiently.

 

CLASS OF1978

Bob Nusbaum Story VIDEO: RT: 08:59

Story regarding the intimate and permanent bonding of "Champagne" Section I and the supportive and boisterous character of its members. On the first day of class, the students were disgruntled by the brusque teaching style of Prof. Christine Urban. At the next session, as a group they remained silent until she registered her comprehension of their action by laughing. At the mid-way point of the first year, they launched a raucous celebration with champagne which a dean popped with the threat of disciplinary action. The bubbly flowed on graduation day when the section from A to Z shared a bottle and they have continued to uncork their HBS pride by capturing the prize for the best reunion turnout since 1983: a case of champagne.

 

CLASS OF1992

Joe O'Brien Story VIDEO: 13 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1990s, including the strong friendships he made at school, and the understanding of human behavior integral to conducting business, which he learned from the case study method. He also gives an account of influential professors and courses.

 

CLASS OF1992

Jane O'Riordan Story VIDEO: 7 minutes

Story regarding her experience attending HBS in the 1990s, including discussion of the student game, Airtime Bingo, which was played in class during case study analysis.

 

CLASS OF1972

William H. Ohm Story

Story regarding his learning experience in Written Analysis of Cases - - as a former engineering student, he carefully analyzed all the issues in a case about the New Yorker magazine, and thought his brilliant analysis would result in an "A", but was very surprised by a lower grade, and comments asking about other issues that he thought were "outside the case". This was when he realized that the scope of business includes consideration of many and varied issues.

 

CLASS OF2009

Marc Oman Story VIDEO: RT: 09:30

Story regarding his reaction to the contrasts in educational methods from his upbringing in France and his confidence in the strength of his connections to the School. Although he harbored concerns about the efficacy of the case method, his direct participation terminated any doubts and he discusses one of his favorite cases. He illustrates the entrepreneurial spirit of the students and the School. One highlight of his first year was assisting with the planning of the European Immersion trip. He details the differences between the first and second years of the MBA Program. Perusing his grandfather's student records reinforced his sense of membership in the HBS community which he is certain will remain vibrant throughout his life.

 

CLASS OF2008

Avni Patel Story VIDEO: RT: 08:11

Story regarding how through classroom exchange, she was struck by the importance of listening to the ideas of others. The faculty's concern for the students has impressed her deeply. Her section bought a Christmas gift for a custodial staff member to show their appreciation of her work. Prof. Tom Piper's teaching has inspired her to be a better leader.

 

CLASS OF2009

Efe Pazarceviren Story VIDEO: RT: 06:48

Story regarding the academic and social benefits he derived from participation in the Pre-MBA Program. As the program dates conflicted with his wedding plans, he at once modified his schedule, and so the program improved his problem-solving skills even before it started. In this risk-free environment, his classmates and he had a platform from which to grasp the fundamentals of the case method and to develop study and classroom discussion strategies. He formed relationships and initiated networks that will persist through his HBS years and beyond. The rapid pace of the Pre-MBA Program simulated the intensity of the MBA Program and honed his time management skills. Through the program, he has already forged his bonds with the HBS community.

 

CLASS OF1983

Sergio Perez Story VIDEO: RT: 07:51

Story regarding how he felt predestined to go to HBS and how his graduation helped to fulfill his mother's educational dreams for him. In response to a case in Prof. Ray Goldberg's Agribusiness course about Mexico, he proposed a revolutionary economic and social structuring with which the professor agreed. After learning that he was from the Coachella Valley in California, Prof. Manfred Kets de Vries sent him a case to review about negotiations between the United Farm Workers and a local grower. He realized that the story involved many of his own family members. When he was a child growing up in Mexico, his mother gave him a second-hand Harvard sweatshirt that he wore till it fell apart. Returning to HBS for his reunion seems like a fulfillment of his destiny and to realize his mother's hopes for him.

 

CLASS OF2008

Nima Pourshasb Story VIDEO: RT: 06:04

Story regarding his astonishment at the energy of the case method discussions. The sharing of ideas, mutual assistance, and social activities created close bonds in his section. The intensity of the HBS experience will make the pace of the real world seem slow. He has discovered a great deal about himself through the HBS experience.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF2006

Sanjay Razdan Story VIDEO: RT: 05:47

Story regarding how his life-changing educational experience in the Advanced Management Program was crowned by the joyous occasion of the birth of his first child. He enumerates the steps in the process of directly applying business principles from AMP courses in his company and the consequential benefits. Prof. David Yoffie's single slide of how to research, understand, and meet the needs of your customers stands out as the most indelible memory of his program. His defining moment was the realization of the power of HBS as a center of knowledge creation and his participation as both sharer and contributor.

 

CLASS OF1977

Jack Reed Story VIDEO: 6 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1970s, the transformation of a New Jersey native, working in real estate who had little need of Harvard, into a writer and a Californian. The caliber of teaching is reflected by two professors who received standing ovations from the students.

 

CLASS OF1998

Carolee Reiling Story VIDEO: RT: 04:28

Story regarding her applying to HBS, her experiences as a visually impaired student, and her approach to time management. On a whim, she decided to fill out an HBS application, which she did in pencil. She is blind in one eye and she appreciated the caring support from the School and her classmates. A second-year student's advice of taking afternoon naps to manage her academic and social lives let her down one day in her Accounting course, but she succeeded with her sense of humor and determination.

 

CLASS OF1993

David Robb Story VIDEO: RT: 01:30

Story regarding Dean Kim Clark's advice for him and his classmates at the of end of his first-year Technology and Operations Management class. In respect to how others will view them as HBS MBAs, Dean Clark said, "Remember two words: humility and respect." These words have served as guideposts for him throughout his life.

 

CLASS OF2009

Esther Rodriguez-Fernandez Story VIDEO: RT: 04:13

Story regarding how the Pre-MBA Program provided her with an invaluable head start before being immersed in the HBS experience. At her MBA interview, she met a number of fellow Spaniards who wholeheartedly endorsed the program as an avenue to creating her first HBS family. She availed herself of the profusion of services to prepare herself academically and to arrange the everyday details of residence in a new country. Faculty members explicated the mechanics and nuances of the case method in classroom scenarios without the stress of close observation of her performance, and this introduction has been priceless to her. Her classmates and she have coalesced into a supportive group on which they can rely throughout their MBA years.

 

CLASS OF1972

Alan Rogers Story VIDEO: 6.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience as an Air Force commander attending HBS in the 1970s, after serving in the Vietnam War. The discipline of thinking and exchanging ideas with others instilled by the case study method opened his eyes "to a world of opportunities." Diverse classmates and talented professors contributed to the preparation he received at HBS in how to approach life and work.

 

CLASS OF2008

Carlos Roman Story VIDEO: 3.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 2000s, where he reflects on the power of business to transform lives and raise the standard of living in developing countries. He talks about the effectiveness of the case study method in teaching entrepreneurs to wield such power in a responsible manner.

 

CLASS OF1998

Mary Teichert Rotelli Story VIDEO: RT: 06:51

Story regarding the educational and personal highlights of her HBS experience. She describes her defining academic moment when she opened a class discussion of a case which she had prepared thoroughly with her study group. She recommends making the MBA curriculum more flexible to facilitate completing the program for women with families. On an HBS High Tech Fellowship, she worked with Prof. Myra Hart and Prof. Lynda Applegate to research and write cases on the transformations wrought by the new Internet economy and the future of business.

 

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.

 

STAFF

Jon Sallade Story VIDEO: RT: 07:45

Story regarding the joint decision of Jon Sallade and DeMaris Mills to come to HBS, she as an MBA student and he as a staff member, her concerns about how they would fit in as married people, how her section has bonded with him, and how he is a support for her. She speaks of the importance felt by students that their loved ones share the intensity of the HBS experience, particularly case discussion.

 

CLASS OF1983

Alexandre Samii Story VIDEO: RT: 09:03

Story regarding how he came to HBS in order to bridge his field of civil engineering and business and to prepare for a renaissance life combining the arts and sciences as a path to creating innovative knowledge. He recalls the shock of being introduced to the case method in Prof. John Quelch's Marketing class and his bumpy yet rewarding road from the scientific mode to the HBS model of learning. Attributing his personal achievements to the "broadness of spirit" of HBS, he sketches the broad strokes of his career from McKinsey and Company through his teaching at the University of Louvain and honors from the Belgian government. His encouragement to everyone striving to achieve their personal goals is never to give up.

 

CLASS OF2008

Laura Seejattan Story VIDEO: RT: 03:52

Story regarding how Prof. Youngme Moon has been a mentor to her and how her course, Consumer Marketing, and her dynamic and engaging teaching style have inspired her to be a better marketer and person. She returned after a year off and became best friends with her classmate Keisha Adams, whom she admires for adhering to her personal convictions.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF2009

Lena Sene Story VIDEO: 10.5 minutes

Story regarding her experience attending HBS in the 2000s, the realization of a childhood dream. HBS has exceeded her expectations in terms of her fellow students, the caliber of the faculty, and the "richness" of the case study method.

 

CLASS OF2008

Maryia Shaton Story VIDEO: RT: 04:38

Story regarding the diversity of the HBS study body and their perspectives and experiences. She describes the power of the case method with a story about a heated panel discussion in her Venture Capital and Private Equity course. She is ready to assume leadership roles with the skills she has gained through the creative educational methods of HBS.

 

CLASS OF1977

Dan Shypula Story VIDEO: 8.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1970s, beginning with the dismay of arriving a week late, very behind in his studies and a stranger to his classmates. He relays the nervous humorousness of his first presentation of ideas in class, and another instance when he impressed the professor by accident. He characterizes HBS as serious in endeavor but lighthearted in manner. First-year "humility training" opens one to eventual personal growth.

 

CLASS OF1982

Pedro Simko Story VIDEO: 7 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1980s, as a student with no work experience, learning through sheer panic at the beginning of the term. He discusses the case study method of teaching as the introduction to a career he loves, consumer products. He exhorts today's students, when deciding upon a career, to "choose with your heart."

 

CLASS OF2008

Emmanuel Simon Story VIDEO: 12.5 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a former aerospace engineer attending HBS in the 2000s, from his path to applying to HBS, to deferred acceptance with conditions. He recalls a case study discussion where the teacher abdicated leadership to a student, and his long struggle to the perfect summer internship.

 

CLASS OF1982

James Sinclair Story VIDEO: 5 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 1980s, after working on farms in Latin America. He discusses how being "put in a pressure cooker" is excellent preparation for working in business. He notes that the case study method defines the common ground he has with all HBS graduates: developing a way of thinking; and the emergence of Brazil as a business economy, which is reflected in the establishment of an HBS alumni club in Brazil, and in the number of case studies which emanate from there today.

 

CLASS OF2009

Tiffany Singleton Story VIDEO: RT: 09:17

Story regarding her excitement with the avenues HBS has provided to prepare her for a career in nonprofit management as her way of making a difference in the world and her anticipation of graduation as a joyful moment to share with her family. A fellow graduate of Dillard University and an HBS MBA recommended the program to her. Composing her application essays evoked profound ruminations on possible career courses and signalled the School's commitment to leadership development. In her interview, she spoke passionately of her pride in her alma mater and New Orleans, as both rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina. She was ecstatic at her acceptance, especially since her family could partake in the proud occasion. Currently she heads the student-led New Orleans Immersion initiative to aid in the recovery of the city, and in alignment with such work, she has designed her second-year curriculum to pave the way for a leadership role in the nonprofit sector.

 

CLASS OF1993

Mina Sooch Story VIDEO: RT: 06:03

Story regarding her pride and excitement to have her family with her on graduation day. She recounts how her father came from India to start his career, her being the first in her family to attend HBS, and how she has introduced her children to the School at reunions. She recalls her most demanding professor and class, Dean Kim Clark's Technology and Operations Management, and the analytical and evaluative skills she learned, and a frigid skiing adventure in Montreal.

 

CLASS OF2009

Allan Staker Story VIDEO: 8 minutes

Story regarding his experience attending HBS in the 2000s, mainly the process of his late earnest application, and the collaborative learning engendered by the case study method. His expectations of the MBA program have been exceeded.

 

CLASS OF1977

Abhay Talsania Story VIDEO: 6 minutes

Story regarding his experience as an economics graduate from India attending HBS in the 1970s, who moved from "being well-off in a poor country to being poor in a well-off country as a student." He compares the theoretical education of India to the case study method of Harvard, and recounts cultural offerings in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that introduced him to the American way of life. Harvard students tended to be conservative in their politics. He discusses the paradox of studying capitalist finance at the business school while attending a Marxist Economics course at the main campus. He characterizes his HBS experience as "profound."

 

CLASS OF2008

Gilbert Tang Story VIDEO: RT: 08:14

Story regarding his encapsulation of his MBA experience in two phrases: "Dream big" and "Think in billions." He intends to share his HBS education with the world by benefitting as many people as possible, such as through the nonprofit organization, Diagnostics For All. He and his partners made HBS history by winning both the MIT 100K Entrepreneurship Competition and the HBS Social Enterprise Business Plan Contest, which exemplifies the School's philosophy of sharing with one's community and the world at large. His parents, Rosemary and Peter Tang, express their great pride in their son, and his best friend, Dr. Steve Singh congratulates him on behalf of his friends and colleagues.

 

CLASS OF1972

Marnie Tattersall Story VIDEO: 4.5 minutes

Story regarding her experience attending HBS in the 1970s. Initially intimidated to speak up in a classroom of men with impressive family names, she gains fortitude to succeed in business. Her hope to work on Wall Street is transformed by a student consulting project for CBS Records, into a career in the entertainment industry.

 

CLASS OF2009

Aduke Thelwell Story VIDEO: RT: 04:16

Story regarding the two major surprises of her first year. By putting herself in the professor's role, she has drawn from the case method the lessons of asking the right questions and framing a dialogue effectively in the context of decision making, which she has put into effect in her work with the Board Fellows Program. She describes how she has utilized an exercise in her Leadership and Organizational Behavior course about career-life balance to manage her feelings of stress.

 

CLASS OF2009

Jimmy Tran Story VIDEO: RT: 05:38

Story regarding his sincere appreciation of the solicitude and wisdom of the faculty. The HBS tradition is to welcome family members warmly to the campus and classroom and to cheer on the student's contributions to the case discussion. On the occasion of his wife's appearance in class, Prof. Narakesari Narayandas did not call on him when he raised his hand and then apologized for not giving him the chance to add his remarks in front of his wife. He will always carry with him Prof. Ray Goldberg's phrase, "being a change maker," into all of his undertakings. Prof. Stephen Kaufman's brief email thanking him for sharing his insights in his class deeply moved him and stands as an example of the faculty's attentiveness to the needs of each student.

 

CLASS OF2007

David Tudehope Story VIDEO: RT: 05:49

Story regarding how he reached the half-time break in his career and the Advanced Management Program served as a spring training for recharging his entrepreneurial skill set. The broad range of cases exposed him to the issues and perspectives of other business sectors, nations, and regions and thus has enabled him to study his own field and country from a new angle. With a group of students from around the globe, he assembled a rowing team that defeated the Kennedy School of Government but more importantly renewed his fondness for teamwork and collaboration. In terms of the AMP mission, he exhorts the School to continue to innovate and to evolve as the world changes.

 

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.

 

CLASS OF1982

George L. Van Amson Story VIDEO: 6 minutes

Story regarding his experience as a native New Yorker attending HBS in the 1980s, in terms of having to soften his natural acrimony toward Boston, and laying an important foundation for his life. He notes that the high caliber of students is reflected in a heated financial debate he had with a classmate who later became CFO and CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He also states that Harvard needs to increase its enrollment of African-Americans and that friendships made at HBS reverberate throughout a lifetime.

 

CLASS OF1978

Gary Yarus Story VIDEO: RT: 04:48

Story regarding how his first year academic difficulties resulted in a mid-term report card of insufficient grades and how a frank meeting with Dean Lawrence Fouraker represented the critical crossroads on his journey to success at HBS and beyond. With virtually no pre-HBS business background, he was deeply affected by emotions of inadequacy and struggled in his first courses. Following all mid-term grades of "in danger of failing" with one exception, Dean Lawrence Fouraker summoned him to a candid examination of his academic performance and advised him to play to his strengths. This strategy carried him through graduation and, in tandem with the analytical expertise he acquired at HBS, he has prospered through a fruitful investment management career.

 

CLASS OF2009

Ziquan Zhang Story VIDEO: RT: 03:51

Story regarding his motivation for coming to HBS from China as the desire to contribute his business acumen to his country's development. Organizing the Asia Business Conference supplied him with the platform for cross-cultural leadership. To relate how inspirational the HBS community is for him, he tells how two Class of 1961 Section C members presented flags and sang a song of their own composition to wish success on his Section C.

 

CLASS OF2009

Judy Zhu Story VIDEO: 6 minutes

Story regarding her experience attending HBS in the 2000s and her appreciation of the case study method of teaching --where there are "no right answers", student opinion is swayed by powerful debate, and student argument is strengthened by personalizing another's situation.