Last weekend was Welcome Weekend for the Class of 2011, and for me it was a number of 'last times.'
Last time as a Mini-Cohort leader, last time I will welcome a new class onto campus as a student, and the most sad ... last time the Follies 2009 team got to perform together. I have not decided how I feel about finishing MBA yet. Part of me is excited to be done, and I feel like I have reached the next stage of my life. So, it is good that grad school is ending.
The other part of me knows that life will never quite be like this again. I wish I could just do VAC and GA and Follies and Rugby and Whartones for a living ... but, nothing stops the progression of time.
It is hard to let go and watch the 1st years take charge of everything, you have to fight the urge to micromanage them, and let them find their own way. I know that the new Technical Directors of Follies will do a great job, and I have given them everything I know and all the tools they need.
But now, it is time for a new generation. I did not go out partying with the admits, partly because I was tired, but mostly because they should not be spending time meeting me, they need to focus on the 1st years and their new classmates as they begin this exciting time.
I have been contemplating what I will take away from this experience, and I think my proposed Wharton graduation speech portrays it best. (40 people participated in an election type process, and a good friend of mine, Lou Marchetti, will be honoring us at graduation with his remarks)
But, for my blog audience, here are my thoughts...
Good Afternoon. Mr. Yuunus, President Gutmann, Dean Robertson, Vice Dean Jain, Distinguished Faculty and Guests, and most importantly … the MBA class of 2009:
The Wharton Experience is different for everyone. I am sure if I asked every person sitting here to tell me the one moment from the last 2 years that defines your Wharton experience, you would give me answers almost as diverse as the people.
However, I will attempt to give one answer. And there are many strong possibilities.
Is the Wharton experience?
- Your first friend from Welcome weekend, who came with you through this journey, and will be in your life forever
- A contemplative email from Anjani Jain, the math exam, and the first time you were cold-called
- MBA Café at 3pm, or Koo Plaza on a sunny day in April
- Your learning team meeting to finish the first Marketing 621 case
- MGEC 621, Jeremy Seigel’s Class, Problems in Financial Reporting, Negotiations with Prof. Diamond?
- Whartones Concert, Dance Studio, the Comedy Show, or WICS?
- The Charity Fashion Show, Philly Fight Night, Rebuilding Together, or the Social Impact Club?
- The Conferences (Consulting, Marketing, Finance to name a few)
- The 80s party, Foam Party, Argentinean Asado, the Russian Revelry Night?
- India Club, Israel Club, AAmbaa, Whambaa, Europa?
- Thursday Night Follies, Whalasa After-Parties, Beack Week, Wharton 54 … or is it PUB?
We have had so many incredible times in the last 2 years, it is impossible to list them all, but the sad fact is that somewhere, deep down … we know that this is not reality… that the joy, energy and exploration of our MBA cannot continue indefinitely.
This has been a year of intense change for the world, and this graduation feels a little bit like crawling from under a warm blanket, to the harsh cold of a financial crisis.
I think that leads us to a more important question: What if the Wharton experience is not any of the events I mentioned, but instead the shared value system that we create and embrace, and carry forward with us.
I believe the true Wharton Experience involves 3 things:
First, I think we all have gained a great humility in teamwork and human interaction. I have been exposed to so many incredible and talented people in this class, that I am constantly dazzled. From our learning teams to committees, we cannot assume that we have all the answers … we have learned to respect and rely on each other. This trust and humility allows us to get done more as a group then we possibly could alone, and it will serve us well as we go forward.
Second, we must take our sense of co-production, to use a Wharton buzz-word, and make it larger. The self-driven energy that conceived and executed all those things I mentioned earlier came from us. We create our environment through will alone, and we must remember that we each have the power to affect change. Call it whatever you want: entrepreneurship, co-production, self-motivation … but we must use this same energy to create value and be a force for positive change in our lives.
Third, and perhaps most important, we have built and shaped a vibrant and diverse community of shared experience. Each one of us, for years to come, will recall our friends and colleagues in this class and we will always be able to reach out across the globe, whether it be through email, phone, or perhaps Facebook. We must not let this community die, and as we go about our careers, we must use this resource to help people and to achieve good.
It should be our goal to share this Wharton experience with the world, and to make the world our Wharton community. The principles that we have lived here truly can make the world a better place, and we are the carriers of this message. As you go forward in your chosen career, work for yourself, but never forget our duty to each other, and to humanity.
My friends, it has been a privilege to learn with you, and congratulations.
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