Fostering Connection: Inside Kellogg’s Pre-MBA ‘Culture Camp’

A CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

The first day of the camp was held at Northwestern’s “Hub,” and the second and third day were held at an offsite location.

Throughout the duration of the weekend, the camp incorporated a mix of alumni panel discussions, icebreakers, and cross-cultural exercises and games. There was even a ‘Hear My Story’ activity, where five students shared personal experience based on a theme related to connecting with their own culture and identity. “For students to put themselves out there like that with people that they didn’t know very well was both challenging and rewarding,” says Viard.

Students volunteered to teach other classes related to their culture, such as Bollywood dance, origami, and even improvisation. For Mehak Priya, from Punjab, India, this part of the weekend was the most impactful.

Priya came to Kellogg hoping to learn how to be a better leader and learn how to utilize technology to promote access to education in South Asia. Since it was her first time in the U.S., she joined Culture Camp to not only meet people from around the world, but also get to know domestic students in a small setting.

“It was a unique way for us to know what each person misses about their culture,” she says. “Just knowing that made me feel closer to my classmates.”

‘THERE ISN’T A SINGLE PERSON FROM THE CAMP THAT I DON’T KNOW’

Priya’s biggest takeaway from the experience was to “always assume positive intent.”

“People can be coming from very different backgrounds and experiences,” she says. “You need to keep an open mind and really get to know the person to be able to understand where they’re coming from and what they’re trying to say.”

She believes that this experience has set a template for how she wants to approach every relationship moving forward. “There isn’t a single person from the camp that I don’t know,” she continues.

“I think that’s partially because we took the time to celebrate each others’ differences, but also because we found a lot of commonalities that we never would have known if we didn’t take the chance to find out.”

Despite the program having a mix of introverts and extroverts in the group, Viard says that everyone showed up to the experience with energy, ready to connect. “I think everyone left with a surprising amount of connections than they would have expected,” she says. “A lot of the feedback we received was about wishing the experience was longer.”

Viard notes that to wrap up the camp students made commitments for how they intend to engage with each other in the future.

‘IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BEING DIVERSE, IT’S ABOUT BEING INCLUSIVE OF THAT DIVERSITY’

Culture Camp taught Mehak Priya the importance of evaluating potential cultural friction points prior to starting a project – whether that project be during her MBA or in her future career.

“When you know your potential friction points, you can decide how to navigate a situation,” she says. “Plus, when you assume positive intent and keep an open mind, you’ll be able to ensure that everyone on the team feels included. It’s not just about being diverse, it’s about being inclusive of that diversity.”

“Where there is friction and cultural differences, don’t shy away,” adds Prinz. “Dig in.”

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