This month, RCs head towards their internship summers, while ECs go forth into “the real world.” The near-term fates of these two classes are starkly different. How can one editors’ note be meaningful for both of them?
Perhaps a modified version of the all-too-familiar (to us) Mary Oliver question can be illuminating. Tell us, what is it you plan to do with your HBS formation in the next four months?
We alter the question because, at least to us, sometimes thinking about our “one wild and precious life” can feel too daunting, too remote, too grand. In the midst of our hyperactive HBS lives, containing our reflection to a smaller scale may make it easier to accomplish in the moment.
What, then, can do we in the near term to carry the best of HBS with us outside the “walls” of this campus?
A number of articles in this issue might inspire some ideas. Kel Jackson gives us an inspiring call to leadership that strengthens our communities. Professor Rebecca Henderson shares thoughts on how businesses in capitalist systems can be forces for good in creative and forward-thinking ways. In his review of the HBS Show, Nathaniel Koven reminds us that, if and when we let it, this School can open our eyes to how multidimensional people are—even those who seem to conform to a stereotype.
These are just a few examples of ideas from HBS that we might be able to apply, even in a small way, in the short term. (Read through this whole issue for even more!) Whether in our internships, in our post-graduation summer holidays, or in our new full-time roles, let us think creatively about how we can draw on these ideas to make a positive difference in our environments.
One of us was recently at breakfast in Spangler with a fellow RC when a question came up in the conversation: “Who is HBS forming us to be?” That he could not answer the question readily was a bit unsettling. But on a positive note, asking the question may be the beginning of an important investigation. This summer will, we hope, provide some opportunities to test various answers to that question.
We end with a word of thanks for everything that the Class of 2019 did to prepare our way here at the School. In particular, we are grateful to our predecessors, Pria Bakhshi and Sumit Malik, for teaching us the ropes of this newspaper and entrusting us with its reins. We wish them and all their classmates the very best in their post-graduation endeavors, and we hope that they will stay in touch and return often.
Congratulations, ECs!
Gabriel Ellsworth (MBA ’20) came to HBS from HBS, where he worked for five years as a research associate, most recently as a casewriter with a faculty member in the Strategy Unit. Before working at Harvard, he managed grants at Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya. He read English literature as an undergraduate at Yale, where he also studied Japanese and French. He is co-editor-in-chief of the Harbus and a performer in the HBS Show. As a young boy, he fantasized about becoming a novelist, but he quickly realized that he did not actually have any ideas for novels.
Ryo Takahashi (MBA ’20), originally from Japan, is a management consultant and writer. Prior to Harvard Business School, he worked as a Project Manager at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and was a Senior Associate at McKinsey & Company. Prior to these roles he worked at the Economist and the Japan Times. His writing has appeared in Time magazine, the Economist, the Japan Times, and the World Economic Forum, among other outlets. He received his B.A. in Economics (with Distinction) from The University of Tokyo and was also a Rotary Scholar to the London School of Economics.
