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Finding Love at Business School

The connections that you make in business school are powerful. Networking is often one of the main reasons why people even pursue MBAs in the first place. What about when it comes to finding a romantic connection at B-School?

That was exactly what Laura Arrazola Lievano and Daniel Reshef found in each other when they met at IE Business School in 2018, during orientation for the MBA program. After a few months at IE, Lievano and Reshef were both accepted to the Master of Advanced Management program at Yale School of Management (SOM), where they graduated from in 2019. In a spotlight interview with Yale School of Management, Lievano and Reshef share their story of love, triumph, and growth and how Yale SOM fit into it all.

SUPPORT IN TRYING TIMES

Since Lievano and Reshef come from different backgrounds, Yale SOM played an important role in helping them form a strong bond through shared experiences. The couple’s bond was put to the test in 2019, when Lievano ended up bed-ridden at Yale New Haven Hospital with a sickness.

“During my time at the hospital and the days that passed, Daniel never left my side,” Lievano says. “As I was in a lot of pain and mostly bedridden, Daniel also took it upon himself to help me and my roommates move all of our belongings into our new apartment. This experience really showed me how much I could rely on him as a partner to support me when I needed him the most.”

BOTH SHARED AND INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES

Shared experiences play an important role in relationships but having the space to explore on your own is critical as well. Lievano and Reshef say that at Yale they made an effort to explore their own interests and make their own friends, while also taking the time to experience life together as a couple.

“We made a point of having lunch together at Charley’s Place almost every day, joining my friends on some days and his friends on others,” Lievano says. “We also came to every single Closing Bell and mingled with our fellow MBA and MAM peers, both together and separately.”

“Taking part in the Yale SOM experience as a couple helped us get to know each other better,” Reshef says. “Although our choice of courses, clubs, and extracurriculars could not have been more different—Strategy/Finance, Hockey, and Student Government for me, and Social Impact/Share Value, Photography and Voices for Laura—learning about each other’s interests enabled us to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for one and other.”

Having a spectrum of seasons also played a small, yet important role in deepening the special bond between the two.

“During the coldest months, we spent a lot of time cooking, playing games, talking, and getting to really know each other on a deeper level,” Lievano says. “During the warmer months, we ventured out to explore the Yale campus and New Haven in general and took weekend trips to explore the Northeast. All in all, our year at Yale deepened our connection and solidified our relationship. It prepared us for the challenges that would follow us after graduation and lead us to where we are today: married, starting our family, and living in Israel. And for that, we are eternally grateful to the halls of SOM and the people that became a part of our journey.”

Sources: Yale SOM, Yale SOM

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