Harvard Business School's MBA Class of 2025 Celebrates Class Day
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BOSTON—On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, all 929 members of the Harvard Business School (HBS) MBA Class of 2025 gathered at Baker Lawn under clear skies to celebrate Class Day. Taking place the day before Commencement, Class Day is an annual event organized by graduating students to celebrate the achievements, contributions and community of the graduating MBA class. Along with family, friends, and guests, graduates honored faculty teaching award recipients and listened to speeches from classmates and one of this year’s Alumni Achievement Award winners. This year’s Class Day featured remarks from alumni keynote speaker John Rice (MBA 1992), founder and CEO of Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT); student speaker Chris Hood (MBA 2025); class day co-chairs Jordan Thomas (MBA 2025) and Sarah Zia (MBA 2025); and student association co-presidents Hayden Tanabe (MBA 2025) and Taylor Walden (MBA 2025). The event began with warm remarks from Thomas and Zia who welcomed graduates, families, and their guests to the event. Reflecting on her journey, Zia spoke of shared memories, meaningful traditions, and the sense of community that defined the Class of 2025's time at HBS. Tanabe and Walden reflected on the collective experiences during their time at HBS. “These two years together were never just about academics or career goals,” Tanabe said. “They were about learning how to lead, how to listen, and how to lift each other up.” Both speakers celebrated milestones—large and small—and expressed gratitude to the faculty, staff, and peers for the guidance and support provided that helped shape their experience. Thomas and Zia then presented Faculty Teaching Awards to Professor Rawi Abdelal and Senior Lecturer Edward Berk from the first year Required Curriculum, and Professors Meg Rithmire and Andy Wu from the second year Elective Curriculum, for their excellence and dedication to teaching, and for the positive impact they had both in and out of the classroom. A veteran, father, and first-generation college graduate, student speaker Chris Hood began his remarks by expressing gratitude to the many individuals who make the HBS experience a positive one—from IT staff and facilities teams to dining services and faculty. He recalled the experience of finding out his daughter was diagnosed with cancer during his first year at HBS and the unexpected strength and community he found through his sectionmates, section C’s, support and compassion. “You carried me through the darkest days of my life,” he said. “And today, my daughter is not only cancer free but has many more aunts and uncles than she had the day she was born. I’ll never forget what you did for us.” Hood then turned to a series of reflections drawn from his journal, three “prayers” that framed his hopes for his future as well as that of his classmates. In the first prayer, he urged his classmates to embrace habitual reflection—noting that focusing too hard on a career can easily lead to unintentionally avoiding our personal lives. “Pause often to introspect and ask yourself, are you still evolving into the person you want to become?” he said. In his second reflection, he invited his classmates to lead a life of humility, cautioning against the dangers of ego and how it can undermine great leadership. Finally, he encouraged his classmates to live their life to the fullest—take risks, treasure joy, and act courageously. “Fill in the margins of your days with vibrance and energy,” he said. “Let the stories they tell of us overflow with escapades and hilarity. Let them laugh through tears saying, ‘that one sure knew how to live.’” Drawing on Mary Oliver’s question, “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” Rice spoke about the power of identifying one’s “genius gifts”—the strengths that allow individuals to lead with authenticity and impact—and maximizing them. He shared his own journey, from having a high-profile corporate career at the NBA to moonlighting as a social entrepreneur while building MLT. After a period of self-analysis and feedback from close friends, he discovered his own genius gift: the ability to see and enhance the potential in others. That clarity led him to the decision of stepping away from his corporate role and solely focusing on MLT full time. Rice also emphasized the importance of disciplined focus and warned against being overly ambitious. “Winning on the most competitive stages almost always comes down to how well you adhere to the most fundamental team sports coaching principle,” he said. “Do what you do best, and don’t try to do too much.” He ended his remarks by encouraging graduate to lead with clarity and courage—building lives where their genius gifts are fully realized and their impact is long lasting. Class Day concluded with remarks from Thomas, who thanked classmates for the incredible two years at HBS. “It has been an absolutely privilege to learn alongside each and every one of you. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish. Congratulations, Class of 2025. We did it!" |
Mark Cautela
mcautela+hbs.edu
617-495-5143
About Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School, located on a 40-acre campus in Boston, was founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University. It is among the world's most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership. For more than a century, the School's faculty has combined a passion for teaching with rigorous research conducted alongside practitioners at world-leading organizations to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Through a dynamic ecosystem of research, learning, and entrepreneurship that includes MBA, Doctoral, Executive Education, and Online programs, as well as numerous initiatives, centers, institutes, and labs, Harvard Business School fosters bold new ideas and collaborative learning networks that shape the future of business.