It’s May at Harvard, ostensibly the end of a long Boston winter with the season’s last snowfall still large in the rearview mirror. Warmth and sunshine have arrived at last, just in time for final exams, international travel for FIELD Global Immersion, and Commencement. Students seemingly inevitably find that time here slips away so quickly—from the opening cold call in a room full of strangers, to champagne toasts among the closest of friends after the last class together as a section, to reminiscing among soon-to-be graduates on the cusp of reentering the working world. As first-year students prepare for summer internships and second-year students prepare for their next adventures, The Harbus editorial staff has been reflecting on how far the newspaper has come this year and what lies on the horizon.
The Harbus has focused on amplifying the voices HBS students on topics of critical importance to future business leaders, ranging from ethics to policy and politics. We’ve sought to foster discussion and debate regarding the responsibilities of managers to actively challenge perverse behaviors in the workplace, including harassment, inequality, and prejudice.
Our staff has promoted pertinent, original content, such as “What Women Want?” in solidarity with the #MeToo movement and “Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the African American Student Union at HBS” in recognition of tremendous progress as well as the work that remains in promoting diversity and inclusion in the classroom and the workplace. Through editorials like “Lessons from Spring Break” and “No More Lost Einsteins,” we have echoed the sentiment that our classmates at HBS have the motivation and the means to raise the moral bar for the broader business community.
As we move into the summer and our second year at HBS, we are enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead at The Harbus. On one hand, we look forward to expanding curation of content relevant both within HBS and beyond its walls, highlighting the opinions and preferences of up-and-coming managers and placing a spotlight on cutting-edge research conducted by university faculty. On the other, we are stepping up engagement with the alumni community, seeking out advice as they look back at their time at HBS, articles from experts in their fields, and interviews with leaders and luminaries who sat in our seats not so long ago.
Building on the warm reception from founders, classmates, and the community regarding our new “Startup Corner” column, which features entrepreneurs among the HBS student body and recently profiled Tolana and Venuefly, we have pulled together a lineup of impressive startups that we plan to showcase. Lastly, to complement delivery of the content that you want, we are actively investing in our technology capabilities to bring you a more modern, user-friendly, multimedia experience. Stay tuned!
Sumit Malik (MBA ’19) is an investor, writer, and entrepreneur. Professionally, his background is in venture capital and private equity at Warburg Pincus, strategy as a board member of Santander Asset Management Chile, and investment banking at Goldman Sachs. Personally, he writes for academic and popular publications and performs music and poi (light- or fire-spinning). He previously received an A.B., summa cum laude, from Harvard College and an S.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Follow him on Twitter @sumitxmalik.
Pria Bakhshi (HBS ’19) is originally from India via London, England (along with a few other places) and graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2011. Pria is an RC, Section G, and is a Student Advisor to the HBS Business & Environment Initiative. Prior to HBS, she spent six years in sales and trading at Goldman Sachs in London.
