At the end of this week, our MBA class of 2020 will graduate.
What a strange year they’ve had. In January, they arrived on campus full of enthusiasm and ready for an intense year of challenges, growth and opportunities.
The Start
They had two months of the program they expected, time to cover Module One and get a strong foundation in the MBA toolkit, as well as to begin their Startup Projects and Leadership Stream. Then COVID hit.
Suddenly, they went from spending long days on campus as a group of 90, to the opposite challenge of confinement. New skill sets were required, zoom learning was mastered, and they began preparing for an online career search. But the self-named Mighty90 participants met the challenges head on. They adapted and found ways to make the most of the situation. They made us proud.
The Middle
The return to campus in June was a welcome release. In a new world of social distancing they continued to demonstrate their resilience and threw themselves into the Innovation Lab. The pace has continued right up until the last minute and the completion of their International Consulting Projects.
And simultaneously, they have managed their job search. The frustrations of applications that don’t work out, the relief of job offers received and the celebrations as contracts get signed.
The End
Today is the first day of December, the year is coming to an end.
On Friday, the MBA class of 2020 will graduate. It won’t be the traditional graduation ceremony, the need to keep everyone safe in this COVID year remains, but it will be an on-campus celebration. There will be all of the traditional speeches and the conferring of the diplomas. By splitting the class into groups, taking advantage of campus and virtual facilities, we aim to provide a graduation ceremony with all the pomp and glory that they deserve.
Please join me, the rest of the MBA Office, Faculty and IMD staff in congratulating them all for completing this journey and celebrate with us on Friday. There will be an MBA instagram takeover by one of the graduates, content on LinkedIn and a video at the end of the day.
