It’s funny to look back on our days as children and think about what we wanted to be when we grew up. My aspirations were volatile, to say the least, but I do remember a few options: a professional athlete, a Navy SEAL, and a rockstar. Today, thanks at least in part to Booth’s celebration of diversity of thought and interests, I can easily identify members of my class whom have worked in each of those professions. What’s even more impressive to me are the number of students at Booth that are taking time to turn their own childhood dreams into reality.
Here are a two of their stories.
Matt Bernstein, Co-Chair, AudioBooth
Musicians and non-musicians alike join AudioBooth as a creative outlet through which they can express their love for the arts. This group of music lovers and music makers goes to concerts, hosts open-mic nights,and supports all things rock n’ roll. The various events put on throughout the year build to the ultimate showdown versus Kellogg School of Management in the annual Battle of the Bands.
Matt Bernstein, an active musician on campus and one of the co-chairs of AudioBooth, competed in the 2017 Battle of the Bands with his band, Maroon 7 (can you guess how many members of the band there were?). This year Matt is part of a new band with a name that is yet to be determined, but is sure to be equally as pun-filled. This year’s band is a super crew of 2nd years consisting of Nick Balay, Roi Kessler, Michelle Kim, John Chiulli, Ahmed Abdelsalam, and Chris Liquin.
In addition to competing, Matt has helped AudioBooth partner with various student clubs on campus to give everyone a chance to show off their musical skills. This quarter, AudioBooth and the Wine Club hosted an acoustic evening at Goose Island Brewery in the West Loop neighborhood, and next quarter will be hosting a similar event at Revolution Brewery up in Logan Square.
Matt says that finding the community of musicians within Booth has been one of the highlights of his MBA experience. As he has told me, “Sometimes I feel like I’m living my high school dream.”
Andrea Mazzocco, Co-Chair, Booth Dance Club
The Booth Dance Club (BDC) is an amazing group for all students with or without dance experience. Workshops are put on throughout the year to teach students about various types of dance, including salsa, hip-hop,and Bollywood. Regardless of the workshop type, students are always welcomed to show off their moon walk, sprinkler, or, for those Fortnite fans out there, their floss.
Andrea Mazzocco is a co-chair of the BDC and has been dancing for as long as she can remember. With an undergraduate degree in dance and proficiency in ballet, tap, jazz and modern dance, Andrea enjoys sharing her passion for movement with the Booth community. Along with her other co-chairs,Andrea has partnered with student groups such as the Graduate Business Council (GBC) to plan outings for the Dance Club like a trip to the Joffrey Ballet.
This year is an especially exciting one as Booth has been invited to participate in the IESE Business School Spring Games Competition in Barcelona. Andrea has started gathering interest for the dance portion of the competition, which will take place in April, and, along with co-chairs Bo Shi and Anu Mohan, is planning out choreography. Knowing our classmates, I have no doubt the BDC will travel with a very large support group in tow.
AudioBooth and the BDC are just two of the many ways that students can continue to be bold and explore their interests outside of the classroom.
