Thank you to all of our fellow classmates for sharing your Best Booth Moments with us this year! Now that we are moving on to post-MBA life, our team wanted to take a moment to share our own favorites and to wish you the best as we embark on this new chapter as Booth alumni.
Monisha: My best booth moment actually happened before I even started school. I was moving into my new apartment and needed some help moving a couch. Brand new to Chicago from NYC, I didn’t know anyone in the city who could help me with my move. I hesitantly reached out to my new classmates to see if anyone was free and would be willing to help. I was shocked when I got an overwhelming response from people willing to help me out. The move was made easy with all the help I had, not to mention the great friends I made that day! This moment was special to me because it showed me the strength of the Booth community. Despite not having met many of the people in my class I was able to tap into the network and reap the benefits of being part of a tight group of people who are here to look out for each other during business school and beyond.
Zach: Man, this is tough! I’m going to have to go with one of the many Booth trips I’ve been lucky enough to attend. From my Random Walk in China to Spring Break in Colombia to San Francisco and Sonoma between my first and second years, there really has been no shortage of fun excursions. However, I’d say my favorite was Ski Trip in Steamboat Springs this past winter. Not only did I conquer my fears and ski for the first time in nearly a decade, but I also had the opportunity to bond with my classmates in the process. I’m certainly going to miss my incredible traveling experiences once I graduate!
Andrea: It’s hard to pin-point one specific ‘Best Booth’ moment. And so I i’ll list a few of my favorites. There was a spontaneous night out at Kingston Mines with girlfriends – we listened to the best Blues in Chicago and made plans to learn Swing dancing. There were two trips, one to Puerto Rico and another to Charleston, with our 2Y group of Lebanese girls. There was a Spring Break trip to Japan, where I got the chance to meet an incredible group of Japanese 1Ys and get to know a few 2Ys even better. There have been potlucks, conversations over glasses of wine, international movie nights, dinner dates across Chicago, neighborhood walking tours, salsa classes, and more that I’ll always hold close to my heart.
Aliy: The first day back at school last fall: I boarded the Booth school bus (aka the Metra) with all the friends I hadn’t seen in months. From there to the Winter Garden, you could feel the second-year buzz. We were excited about everything- from the student groups of first years we were now leading, to the coveted classes we’d managed to get into with our bid-point savings, to the summer job offers we had to celebrate at the first TNDC of the quarter. We walked into the Harper Center with a sense of confidence and comfort that only comes with “senior” status. In that moment, we were ready to take on the responsibility of second-year leadership that makes this place so special, and more grateful than ever for another year of full-time student life at Booth.
Bo: Every Booth student begins their MBA career with the Leadership Orientation Retreat (LOR). We’re bussed up to a resort in Wisconsin where we play team building games, conquer rope courses, and make our first Booth memories. I can’t think of a better way to make 600 new friends, and LOR is often remembered very fondly. But here’s a pro-tip: as a LEAD Facil, you can participate not just in the first LOR, or what we call LOR 1.0, but you get to do LOR 2.0 (a retreat for Facil training), LOR 3.0 (the incoming class’s LOR), and LOR 4.0 (a 2nd year only retreat)! My LEAD Facil class even planned our own retreat in Vegas, which I will dub unofficial LOR 3.5. These retreats are some of my most treasured Booth moments due to the deep bonds and memories forged. I’ve learned so much about and from my fellow LEAD Facils and other classmates through the leadership activities. And while rural Wisconsin may not have the hottest nightlife, Boothies bring the party wherever they are. As an alum, we may not have these formal leadership retreats anymore, but here’s hoping to many reunions and group trips that can be dubbed LOR 5.0, LOR 6.0, LOR 7.0…
Paul: My best Booth moment came when I interviewed Dean Madhav Rajan during a Wine Club event in front of a crowd of 100 wine club members. As a co-chair of the Wine Club I helped organize various events throughout the year including a series of events called Drinks with Nobels. At these events, students get to interact with Booth Professionals and hear their stories about education, career, and living in Chicago. This event with Dean Rajan was the largest event in Wine Club history set in room C25 in the Harper Center. It was a pleasure not only to speak directly with Dean Rajan but also to provide a forum for students to network with the Dean! In case you were wondering, the Dean stuck with white wine throughout the evening.
Hind: I’ve had a lot of amazing moments during my two years at Booth. Some of my favorite moments have occurred while traveling and in small, intimate settings. My best Booth moment occurred during Spring Break First Year. I was in Colombia with 300 of my classmates. After spending five days in Bogota and Medellin, we landed in Cartegena. I had gotten a recommendation for a great restaurant by a native Cartegenian to try. Six of us randomly got together in the hotel lobby to walk over to the restaurant. Over the course of three or four hours we discussed love, politics, Beyonce, and everything in between. That day, my classmates turned into my friends as we connected on a deeper and more authentic level than any classroom discussion could provide us. I remember a second year telling me that the strongest bonds came through travelling. I didn’t believe him at first but after travelling with my classmates, I now know the strong effect it can have on building and strengthening relationships.
