There are many ways to start 2021. We have decided to do so with hope. I have been staring at the screen for the past 15 minutes trying to figure out how to start this letter—not that I needed any more screen-time—to convey in a few words how happy and grateful I am to be…
Felipe Cerón (MBA ’22) writes about how HBS students defied the odds showcasing two performances to close 2020 on a positive note. 2020 was a different year from what people expected it to be. And that is the biggest understatement I have written this year. 2020 changed lives, tested lives, took lives and left an…
Each year, over a hundred HBS MBA students participate in an immersion program to build on their skills to become an early-stage entrepreneur by starting a venture. Yvonne Ferrier (MBA ’22) talked with five founders-to-be about their venture ideas and aspirations. 2020 was a year described as a pause, standstill or hibernation time, but, in…
Meghana brings to you a message of hope wrapped in a casserole of tasteful gloom. Dear Monday, I wish you get wrecked and I never have to see you again. There you have it friends, I said it. Someone needed to. Mondays suck. Mondays bring tired eyes, foggy brains and fumbling hands hitting the snooze…
Ibe Imo writes on Melcolm Ruffin’s (MBA ’20) journey to becoming a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. In New York City, December 3, 2020, Melcolm Ruffin (MBA ’20), age 29, became a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Ruffin’s career is another rendition of Black masculinity in American sports and entertainment. Realizing his hoop dreams would…
In his column for the Harbus, Professor Trevor Fetter shares his thoughts on the issues facing HBS students. Last month, I wrote about the primary colors of the career spectrum (advisor, investor, operator) and the strategic considerations that go along with them. Judging from recent meetings I have had with students, summer and post-MBA jobs…
Seema Taparia, the matchmaker featured on Netflix’s hit dating show, shares details about her first successful project through her two RC ghostwriters. The term arranged marriage, in case an Indian friend has mentioned it to you, is a tautology. There is marriage, and there is love marriage. The latter, of course, is a sham. A…
20 years later, an MBA Class of 2000 graduate and former Harbus Opinion Page Editor finds more to say. Just over 20 years ago, during my two years at HBS, I was the Opinion Page Editor of the Harbus. Your current Editor-in-Chief, Upoma Dutta, during what I assume is a particularly busy school time that…
Justin Crist Lee (MBA ’21) expands the scope of an education in business. We are told we live in unprecedented times. Today in our nation, we face an impending economic crisis, paired with ongoing concerns surrounding the future of our democracy. While each of these alone would seem a daunting challenge to tackle, these twin…
Ibe Imo, an HBS Online participant, writes on La’Toya Princess Jackson, an I-lab Venture Program participant, and her life journey that leads her to launch an original ballet production; with resilience and defiance, she confronts norms and reimagines possibilities to create spaces for Black boys and girls. La’Toya Jackson (Princess) was born in Fort Worth,…
Sanjay Dasari (MBA ’22) shares his experience starting WayCool Foods, one of India’s largest and fastest-growing agri-tech social enterprises, reducing food wastage and supporting Indian farmers. Tell us more about your background and what inspired you to be an entrepreneur. I was born in Ohio, USA, but I grew up primarily in India, traveling back…
Three ECs share the story of the virtual events platform born at HBS. Tell us more about your background and what inspired you to be an entrepreneur. All three of us came to HBS to start a company—to build something from scratch. We had worked in early-stage companies before, where we experienced the joy of…
Felipe Cerón (MBA ’22) writes on how Covid-19 has transformed day-to-day campus life and how the HBS community is trying to adapt. What on Earth happened in the last few weeks? Cases and traces going wild, people quarantining all over, and consequently, administration taking more restrictive measures. Goodbye to hybrid classes; it was nice meeting…
As HBS hunkers down for winter vacation during a global pandemic, members of the community share why and how they plan to spend their holidays on campus. Most years, the winter holidays are a time for HBS students to unwind from a hectic first semester with many choosing to spend time with family or travel…
I have procrastinated a lot before writing the Editor’s Note for this issue because it also happens to be my last one. I tried, albeit without much success, to find the perfect set of words to describe what an exceptionally rewarding experience it has been to be your Editor-in-Chief at the Harbus this past year….
Poornima Hanumara, an HBS partner, reports on how some members of the HBS community celebrated a very unusual Diwali at HBS. It was an unexpected and pleasant 70 degrees in November, and we had the good fortune of having a space to gather safely during times of Covid-19. This was the perfect setting for Diwali—the…
Noelia Lombardo Gava (MBA ’22) reports on the EC seminar that focuses on career challenges and opportunities of female protagonists. As we dive into the third edition of this section, it is important to reflect on the amount of single stories we have about female leadership. Single stories told by women all over the world…
In his column for the Harbus, Professor Trevor Fetter shares his thoughts on the issues facing HBS students. It is a scary season, and not just because I am writing this on Halloween. The markets are volatile, the election is next week, and we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. You are…
Tomer Y. Avni (MS/MBA ’22) takes us on a fictional journey along the Mediterranean Sea. As soon as the bus started moving forward, Kfir fell into a deep sleep. Although his M16 was strapped to his body, his hands cradled it cautiously. The seat next to him was empty, so he could have relaxed, stretched…
RCs share a brutally honest critique of the RC Fall Term that no one asked for. Since it is evaluation season and all of us will be getting a one-sentence note summarizing how much we have contributed on the perpetual video conference call that is the Fall term, we thought it was only fair to…
Aruna Ramkrishnan and Amrit Jalan (MBA ’22) reflect on the parallels between thermodynamic transformations and tough real-world Energy/Sustainability problems. Years ago, as budding chemical engineers, we learned about the concept of “transition energy.” It explains how changes in complex systems do not occur spontaneously even though the benefits may be obvious. Rather, these systems often…
RC and EC students share about having their partners and families at HBS. Life at HBS looks different for every student as the campus is filled with people hailing from an array of countries, industries, and backgrounds. The lives students led before coming to HBS can play a major role in what they will…
Ibe Imo, an HBS Online participant, reports on the remarkable work of Baraa Luhaid to help promote women empowerment in Saudi Arabia through her cycling abayas. Baraa Luhaid, who is only 28 and who participated in the Harvard Business School Online program “Accounting and Finance” this year, has spent six years looking for good trouble….
Two RCs are trying to bridge the gender gap in venture capital, one episode at a time. Rashveena Rajaram and Anvita Dekhane (MBAs ’22) are the co-hosts of the podcast Women in Venture Capital and new venture fellows for Pear VC. They first met during the Venture Deals Summer 2020 course by Kauffman Fellows and…
MBA students have been pulling HBS towards the future, but our ecosystem needs a boost — and the time is now. The mission of Harvard Business School is to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Of course, the type of difference—whether positive or negative—has continued to be left strategically vague, with a…
Felipe Cerón (MBA ’22) reports on what HBS students are doing to stay in shape and surf through Covid-19 rather than being crushed by it. Sports is one vital part of our wellbeing that has been hit hard by Covid-19. We love sports—it keeps us sane and in shape, helps develop our team skills, and…
Hans Husmann (MBA ’22) shares his way of taking the transformational journey at HBS, one mental image at time. Pursuing your MBA at HBS will be a transformative experience. From the moments of epiphany during a great class visit to the explicit message during the Dean’s welcome, the school is not short on emphasizing this…
Mike Kelly (MBA ’22) talks with Brian Hollins, founder of The Takeoff Institute, about his efforts to equip Black undergraduate students with the mentorship, skills, and confidence necessary to succeed in the professional world. Racial disparities in education and employment have always existed in the United States. In the mid-late 1960s–the height of the civil…
Rena Ogura (MBA ’22) shares her experience co-founding a company at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and her commitment to driving diversity and inclusion in the wine industry. Tell us more about your background and what inspired you to be an entrepreneur. When I left my family and friends in Japan to pursue an…
Choices and Chances That Will Determine Our Future I am writing this Editor’s note with the realization that the world might look very different by the time you read this month’s issue. The U.S. election results might be announced by then, and more countries and cities might be heading into pandemic lockdowns. The future indeed…