Meet Oxford Saïd’s MBA Class Of 2023

Ground work in the Said Business School garden

A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE

Perhaps marquee attraction is the Oxford Union. Picture the best-of-the-best in politics, science, academics, and business mixing it up with each other – and students as well. This debating society – celebrating its 200th anniversary this year – has hosted luminaries like Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Ronald Reagan, and Mother Teresa. That doesn’t count popular culture figures like Michael Jackson, Elton John, Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman. As Saïd graduates, the Class of 2023 become lifetime members of the Oxford Union Society.

This past year, Zorawer Singh was able to meet Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai at the Oxford Union. In turn, Andres Lara Oriani spent time with futurist Ray Kurzweil among 30 people in a small room. “For an hour-and-a-half, I got to pick Kurzweil’s brain, discussing the most important tech trends and how he sees the future with a hopeful lens. It was a moment I will never forget, and a prime example of the kind of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities Oxford offers.”

And then there is the university itself. Imagine Gothic spires, Neoclassical columns and domes, and Baroque grandeur. Picture cobblestone roads, wide courtyards, winding bicycling paths, and tranquil rivers splintering the campus. The Saïd Business School itself is described as Post-Modern – a mish-mash of various architectural styles with a premium placed on function. In essence, Oxford reflects a sense of timelessness, a reminder of the privilege of education and the responsibility for turning learning into action

“Oxford feels as if you were living inside a fairy tale,” adds Diego Rojas Arancibia. “The city is full of old and beautiful churches, libraries, and buildings. At least once a day, I stop to take a picture and every time I post on my social networks, my friends tell me that it seems as if I lived in Hogwarts. I think that there is indeed a bit of magic in Oxford.”

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