In Reflection

I’m going to have a weekend of transition, that’s for sure.  I’ll be in the company of family, nestled in a hotel room in Las Vegas, as I decide where I’ll spend my summer.  I reckon it’s fitting; after all, mom and pop know best.  It’s sort of weird, though: I’ll only be there for the weekend, then it’s off to Puerto Rico with my classmates for Spring Break.

Every time I think about the events that will unfold, I get this mental image of an NFL ref moseying on over to the instant replay booth and donning his headphones, away from the maddening crowds and oversized athletes.  It’s a decision that I’ll almost make in a vacuum.  Weird.

But as I was packing my bag this morning for a marathon study session, I began reflecting on the reasons why I came to business school — and this isn’t a plug for Ross, specifically, more like a general affirmation.

I wanted to get a more intimate feel for how non-profits operate.  Check.
I wanted to explore some of the issues facing developing economies from multiple angles.  Check.
I wanted to learn how I could apply my background to myriad business issues. Check.
I wanted to go to the Rose Bowl. uhhhh….
I wanted to get a different — MUCH different — perspective on how my faith aligns with my passion for solving global issues. Oh BIG check.
I wanted to develop a base of friends and colleagues that would get together in 1,5, 10, 15+ years, attend each other’s weddings, and sit back and watch our lives transpire. In progress, but I’m a lot more optimistic about it now than I was a few weeks ago.
And, I wanted to leave Ross in better shape than it was before I got here.  I hope so.

The fact that I’ve nearly fulfilled everything I hoped for in five months — MONTHS! — makes my jaw drop.  In some ways, I didn’t even intend to fulfill something, but the very nature of this business school thing simply incubates whatever ideas and passions we may have.  It’s humbling, yet it proves that once we leave this b-school bubble, we owe this world quite a lot.  And I don’t want to let the world down.