The first MIBs graduate

All the Admissions staffers are proud of this year’s graduates, but none more so than Kristen, who has a personal connection to every MIB student.  I asked her to share her feelings, as her first graduating class heads out.

Sunday’s graduation ceremonies marked an important milestone, not only for the graduating students, but for me as well. I have had the pleasure of working with the inaugural class of MIB students since they first expressed interest in the School. The first I can remember meeting, Alvaro Gimenez Gil, came by one summer day, just a few months after I started at Fletcher in 2006. He was so excited about this unique program that he actually put off his graduate school plans for one year, and waited until the program began in September 2008. Now he has officially graduated and is off to an exciting job in investment banking in Chile.

I have a story like this for each and every one of the 35 students in the first graduating class of MIBs, and I can’t imagine a more entrepreneurial, energetic, professional, and engaged bunch. They have been the best possible supporters of the program. They have taken the time to stop by our offices to let us know what has gone well, and what could use some improvement. Because of their input, the students who followed in the class of 2011 experienced a more refined curriculum, better class options, and a stronger advisory network. This is very much the Fletcher way — to respond to student feedback — and I’m glad to be a part of it.

Like Jessica mentioned in her last post, graduation can be a bittersweet time. It allows me to reflect on the work I am lucky to do here at Fletcher, and the people I am fortunate enough to work with — students, staff and faculty alike. It’s also sad to know that these students are about to scatter to the wind. Still, the pride I felt in seeing the culmination of four years of work, as embodied in the parade of MIB graduates across the stage, is undeniable, and I look forward to staying in touch with them to see what lies ahead.

Congratulations, class of 2010!