MBA Students Share What They’re Thankful For

As Thanksgiving approaches, Yale School of Management asked MBA and EMBA student leaders what they are thankful for. “We know we are grateful for their tireless work behind the scenes to coordinate events, club meetings, and other outreach activities,” the school says in a Thanksgiving blog post, “all of which help make Yale SOM a special place.”

Nicholas Herold, MBA Class of 2021 and Purple Cohort representative, says he is thankful for a chance to pause and reflect on what he is really thankful for after a year with a lot of uncertainty. “First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my family, who put a lot of faith in me over the past years.,” Herold says. “Their support helped me not only better endure tough times but also make great times much more enjoyable and memorable. In addition, I am thankful for the friends that I made and the mentors who supported me on my path. I highly appreciate their trust and advice that helped me make the right choices at the right time. Finally, I am incredibly thankful for being a part of the SOM community. The breadth and depth of experience of SOMers surprises me every time in and outside the classroom, and I am very thankful to learn with and from this community of globally minded and exceptionally talented people.”

Lina Kacyem, another member of the Class of 2021 and 2Y Blue Cohort representative, is thankful for “my favorite person in the entire world,” her grandmother, who contracted Covid-19 but recovered. “My parents knew how much it would be devastating to me (there’s literally no one I love more than her), and they hid it from me for a while. I don’t know what I would have been or done if I had lost her halfway across the world, and unable to say my last goodbye because of travel restrictions. Fortunately, God had a different plan and I am given another chance to hear her voice (even if it is to lecture me about my poor American eating habits lol).

“I aspire to have grandma’s heart, resilience, and freedom. I am grateful she is still here to love me, teach me and pray for me. Being grateful for her has taught me to be grateful for EVERYTHING that SOM and Yale at large has offered me: lifelong friendships, amazing professors, breakthroughs, opportunities, and even things like being able to take COVID tests as often as I want/need (what a privilege we have!).”

Thousands of dollars to go to winners of Duke, Michigan case competitions

Two elite U.S. business schools have launched case writing competitions focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. At Duke University Fuqua School of Business, U.S.-based college students and recent alumni who founded or lead growing businesses are invited to showcase their companies to investors who are committed to investing in Black-founded and Black-led businesses, and to compete for up to $25,000 through a new Duke-North Carolina Central University program.

“pitch: A Competition for Black Student-Founders” takes place virtually on April 8-9, 2021. The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and the School of Business at North Carolina Central University are co-promoters of “pitch,” in partnership with the Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative and Resilient Ventures.

Meanwhile, the University of Michigan Ross School of Business has launched a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Global Case Writing Competition in partnership with the William Davidson Institute at U-M. The competition is also a product of the DEI curriculum work that is an extension of the Ross Commitment to Action.

The Ross contest is divided into two tracks, each of which will award prize money of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place, and $2,500 for third place, and an honorable mention, as deemed by the competition judges. The top three winners for each track also will be honored with the publication of their cases by WDI Publishing or the Sanger Leadership Center at Ross.

On December 1, Michigan Ross will host a 2020 DEI Case Competition, developed by Ross part-time MBA students and launched in partnership with Google, EY, McKinsey, and Campbell’s. This action-based experience “gives students the chance to explore the important role a successful diversity strategy plays in meeting a company’s overall business goals,” according to a school news release.

Wharton first-year launches foundation that brings unused meds to needy communities

After learning about the billions of dollars worth of medications that go unused each year, Wharton first year Sourish Jasti co-founded The Altrui Foundation, which transfers unused medications from manufacturers to charitable organizations so they do not become wasted.

In just four months, The Altrui Foundation has distributed $15 million worth of unused medication to underserved communities worldwide.

The foundation also has a sector called Altrui Education, which helps mentor high school students applying to college with the hopes of breaking the systemic barriers that contribute to the cyclic nature of poverty, violence, and addiction.

From intern to CEO: WashU Olin MBA named first woman to head Purina branch

In the summer of 1993, in the midst of work on her MBA at WashU Olin, Nina Leigh Krueger scored a brand management internship with Nestlé Purina PetCare. After graduation, she landed a full-time job there — and she’s never looked back.

Earlier this month, Krueger was named the first female CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare for the Americas after rising through the ranks of the company during her 27-year career. She assumes the post January 1.

“I truly am honored by this opportunity,” Krueger said in a statement released by the company. “I look forward to working with our Purina team to accelerate our strong momentum and to build on our more than 90-year history of making science-based dog and cat foods, treats and cat litter that pet owners trust.”

EMLYON business school releases €608K in emergency aid for students faced with difficulties due to Covid-19

Last April, the Foundation of EMLYON, with the support of its alumni network, released an exceptional emergency aid for a total of €408K, to help out 467 students in precarious situations. Now, as the situation is long-lasting with ever-heavier economic and social consequences, an additional €200K will be allocated by the school to the students hardest hit.

Since the pandemic started, an emergency commission was set up to examine student cases, assess their family and financial situations with a view to allocate a short term financial aid to improve their living conditions during this period of time. As part of this financial support approach, EMLYON also initiated a partnership with Toutes Mes Aides (“All the help I can get”), a platform listing the whole range of assistance and aid students may claim, those coming from emlyon , but also those the government, the region or the city may provide.

EMLYON, founded in 1872, has 8,600 students across six campuses, including in Paris and Shanghai.

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