As the academic year draws to a close at the MBA programs, the MBA student newspapers are taking time to reflect on the highlights of the past year and look forward to the programs’ future direction. This week we take a look at Harvard’s Harbus to gain a sense of how students are wrapping up their year and what has stood out in the past couple of weeks.
This week’s Harbus includes reflections from the Class of 2009, touching on what the graduating students loved about their experiences and what they wished that they had known in hindsight. In regards to what encapsulated the best of HBS, students were unanimous in their praise of their classmates and the HBS community. One student stated, “The best part of HBS is the people. I’ve met so many incredibly warm, sharp, and passionate people in my section and through many clubs and conferences.” Another student pointed to the Aldrich Classroom experience as being one of the best experiences, as “getting 90 brilliant people to have a serious conversation for 80 minutes is a unique privilege.” In looking back, one member of the Class of 2009 advised future classes to “go on as many treks as possible,” as “four is not enough.” When asked about personal highlights, students shared fond memories of a section building a large snowman on a whim on Baker Lawn and of friends and their passion for entrepreneurship. These students’ reflections illustrated that the HBS experience was truly a meaningful and memorable two years.
At the end of April, the Harbus Foundation held its annual grant ceremony to award monetary grants to selected nonprofit organizations in the area. Aiming to “effect social change in the areas of education, literacy, and journalism,” the Harbus Foundation works to “create meaningful local impact through a combination of funding and student outreach.” Over this past year, forty HBS students participated in identifying social enterprises for the Harbus Foundation to support. This year’s $10,000 grants went to the Boston Debate League, Building Educated Leaders for Life, Citizen Schools, More Than Words, Strong Women, Strong Girls, The Community Art Center, and X-Cel. Heidi Yip (MBA ’09), a member of the Board of Directors at The Harbus News Corporation, stated, “The funds will have a really profound impact on the organizations we have chosen, given that this has been an especially challenging fundraising year for most non-profits.” Thus, the Harbus Foundation continues its tradition of making a difference in the community through supporting the efforts of local social enterprises.
Happy reading!
