Highlights Of My 'Kelley On Location' Trip To Chicago

In September, I had the opportunity to take a class called “Topics in Business Analysis – Kelley on Location”. In short by IU’s description, “Kelley on Location is designed to strengthen student capabilities to recognize opportunities, analyze challenges through a variety of lenses, and a greater understanding of the interaction between business and the arts.”

I’ve been looking forward to this experience since being admitted to the program! While the MBA program is primarily online, Kelley School of Business has opportunities to meet classmates and network in person, and “Kelley on Location” is one of them. This quarter’s took place in Chicago, IL. This experience was amazing (especially since I’ve never been to Chicago) and my vlog lightly goes over only a fraction of what the experience consisted of. Some of my biggest highlights include:

Hearing and learning from speakers from varying industry backgrounds from Proctor and Gamble to successful start-ups
Practicing Improv w/ Suzanne Fodor
Networking with Kelley classmates and alumni (Hi Lauren Ray, Sabrina Sayoc, Hannah Koenig, and more!) at the Willis Tower and meeting Kelley’s amazing professors (Hi Professor O’Boyle if you read this!)
Exploring all around Chicago to appreciate the architecture, and arts, see real improv, and listen to live jazz music! (Many of these topics were so passionately discussed with us by Kelley alumni and faculty before we adventured out!)
Supporting a Kelley Alumni’s delicious burger joint called Firefly Burger (A must try if you’re in Chicago)

One theme I loved about this class was thinking about our own values, reflecting on where we want to be in our careers, and how we want to “enrich” our lives. Often, many of us pursue grad school and become busy with the ‘goal’ in mind and lose sight of what’s around us – it’s so critical to stop, reflect, and think about how we manage our time. Overall, fantastic experience and I cannot wait until my next immersive class experience with Kelley School of Business.

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