Blog
Blog
MBA Voices
MBA Voices
Shekeyla Caldwell Sandore (MBA 2021) has turned her real-life experience of having a unique name into a children’s book, A Name Like Mine. We asked Sandore about her inspiration behind the book, why it’s important to pronounce someone’s name correctly, and how we can all be more inclusive and respectful. [...]
“Good morning!” welcomed Lillian Lincoln Lambert (MBA 1969) in her address to the African American Student Union’s (AASU) 48th Annual H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference on February 27, 2021. The conference was the central day in Elevate: Uplifting Black Leadership for an Equitable Future, the three-day virtual event that included the Black New Venture Competition and Black Tech Masters Series.
Lambert went on to recall Fitzhugh’s mentorship during her undergraduate years at Howard University; he encouraged her to apply, attend, and remain at Harvard Business School (HBS) as the first Black woman student (and co-founder of AASU). Those lonely, rigorous two years, she said, were worth it to see the many Black graduates who followed her and her five Black classmates. [...]
The fourth year of Harvard Business School’s Short Intensive Programs (SIPs) came during a month of national upheaval and under the ever-darkening cloud of the global pandemic. So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that one course, held the week following the January 6 Capitol insurrection, had the entire class openly in tears. But there we were, Zoom screen after Zoom screen of emotional, vulnerable participants reacting to the deeply personal reflections of Bozoma (Boz) Saint John, the CMO of Netflix, in Professors Frances Frei and Francesca Gino’s SIP, Anatomy of a Badass.
The class was one of 13 SIPs offered during winter break. Now in their fourth year, SIPs are no-credit, no-fee elective courses, offering MBA students an opportunity to engage deeply in a single subject with professors, practitioners, and experts in the field. With all classes running virtually, and one in a hybrid classroom, we observed four: Anatomy of a Badass, Startup Bootcamp, Climate Finance, and The Business of Space. [...]
Harvard Business School (HBS) case protagonist Esperanza Perez jogs along the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas, weighing the pros and cons of an MBA. Questions and fears swarm in her mind—concerns of alienating family members who don’t understand the value of a business degree, of being able to support her family and community, of leaving a lucrative job, and of not fitting in. [...]
The views and opinions expressed in the MBA Voices blog are those of the authors.
Any political views shared by students are their own; HBS does not endorse a
particular party or candidate.