Rodrigo Delgado, IMBA ’12

It is an honor for me to write these lines dedicated to the strong and tenacious community of Boston for their unyielding resilience and valor after the series of inexplicable tragedies that took place last week. Boston suffered one of its most tragic events in history last Monday while celebrating one of its most iconic and recognized events worldwide through its Patriots’ Day marathon that unites citizens from around the world. The explosion of the two bombs near the marathon finish line put not just the city of Boston, but the whole country in mourning, accompanied by a feeling of insecurity and uncertainty. However, Bostonians never lost control and faced this terror with courage and a solidarity never seen before. A collective effort of true heroes chose not to hide from the terror, but to reach out and help support the victim’s, their families, and the brave law enforcement and emergency medical technicians.

“…the objective of terror is to rattle a populous. It’s to make them paralyzed with fear…And to see all of these civilians run toward the blast to help their fellow civilians, to help their fellow Bostonians, their fellow members of the human race was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. It was one of the great acts of heroism I’ve ever witnessed.” Dennis Lehanne on ABC News

After the news of the three innocent lives lost, including that of BU´s graduate student Lingzi Lu, and the nearly 200 injured, the city was not the same. It gradually grew stronger, but the somber cloud still hung low over the city. After countless investigations by the authorities to clarify the facts and identify those responsible, the people of Boston maintained hope that justice was near. With the city desperate for recovery, just three days after the attack and hours after pictures of the suspects were released, the two suspects attempted to flee our city and sadly claimed the life of one who in my opinion is one of the greatest heroes of this tragedy. MIT Officer Sean Collier, only 26 years of age, faced these terrorists with great courage and sacrificed his own life for the protection of others. His sacrifice began what would be one of Boston´s most memorable paths to justice.

The next 20 hours following the murder of Officer Collier were the longest and most emotionally trying hours. I was one of those who stayed up all night listening to the police radio while constantly refreshing my Twitter feed to follow progress of the search, desperately hoping for a quick and safe end for all involved. The deployment of the authorities was amazing and impeccable in term of order and planning. The Boston community played a pivotal role in this action by heeding the request to “shelter in place”. The cooperation and support of the Boston community was inspiring.

At approximately 8:40 pm on Friday, April 19, an unmatched feeling and atmosphere of tranquility returned to Bostonians; a feeling that was taken away from us just days before. This experience has filled me with joy and pride to be a part of a community so strong and solid. I’m sure the four souls who fell in these tragic events will rest in peace whispering their satisfaction by filling us with that tranquility and peace that should never be taken away from us. I am extremely proud to belong to such a wonderful community that showed at all times to be tough, strong and united against adversity. Boston definitely has shown not only to be strong against the most difficult times, but also proved to be resilient and able to recover through the connectedness of its people and the world. After a week, a new hope is ahead of us. Thank you Boston for embracing me and other international students as one of your own. Boston is indeed strong.

IMBA Summer Semester in China:
A Look Back 

Steven Eliaerts IMBA’12

Why do an internship when you can go to China for three months?! It’s not like you have to work or anything, right? Ahem. But the work is part of the challenge! Waking up at 5 in the morning to read one more challenging case: living on the Knife’s Edge! However, you are advised to start on time so as not to enter a Death Spiral. But rest assured, over the months you will increasingly become Kaizen, which is the whole idea of the IMBA program.

Discussing and living closely with outstanding (and funny!) professors will help set you on the Path of the Heart. Of course, there will be obstacles. We all arrived with good intentions and open minds. None of us will ever forget those first nights in Sensations in Beijing! That doesn’t last the whole three months though. Everybody has had conflicts within this extremely diverse group. 27 students, 16 nationalities! Frustrations! That’s good. That’s what we came for and (cliché) it has made us stronger. At the end of the program, you know each other so well that it’s a connection for life.

Of course, there are other perks too! How about visiting the Venice of China, having a drink with your team members and program director on the Bund or going out to Bar Rouge under the lights of the Shanghai skyline? Or maybe you prefer to learn golf with Prof. Yan? Not to mention that you will gain a nuanced view of China and its culture, economy and people. The whole program is grateful to our Chinese team members for how they have helped us contextualize our experiences.

Nevertheless, at some point, you will be exhausted (don’t worry, everybody has sneaked in a nap ! Company visits, cases to prepare, reading, writing, industry research, interviews, more reading, more writing, studying… it seems to never end. But the professional support and your team members will pull you through your most difficult hours and you will discover that you can do more than you thought.

You will have deserved that MBA and that’s how you will achieve a Protean Career instead of remaining a Cormorant. Good luck!

If you want to know what these technical terms mean, contact one of the current IMBA students… or better yet… Apply!

VOLUNTEER!

It’s time for the FIFTH ANNUAL IMBA ALUMNI CAREER PANEL

If you will be in the Boston area on October 19 at 5:30, please join us for our 5th Annual Alumni panel. We have 16 alumni from 8 different class years on three different panels Marketing, Finance, PNP/Health.

After the panel discussions we will all head over to Cornwall’s for drinks, food, conversation and catching up. If you can’t make it to the panel discussions, we hope you will be able to join us at Cornwall’s for a beer.

5:30 – 5:40 Panel introductions room 306
5:40 – 5:45 Move to individual panel rooms (302, 304, 306)
5:45 – 6:45 Panel discussions
6:45 – 7:00 Break and everyone returns to room 306 for debrief
7:00 – 7:30 Share learnings
7:30 Walk over to Cornwall’s (we reserved the Pool room from 7:30 to 9:30)

Click here for a pdf of the IMBA Alumni Panelists

RSVP to Director Amanda Miller at milleral@bu.edu

Hope to see you there!

Ever wonder…

What your IMBA/IMP classmates have been up to since you left China/Japan?
How to expand your network with interesting and dynamic people?
How many of your fellow alums are living in your area right now?

WONDER NO MORE…

ANNOUNCING OUR EXCLUSIVE IMBA ALUMNI APP

We have released our free Alumni App for iPhone and Android. With it, you can securely access the information of old friends and classmates. A few of the features:

• Connect safely with alumni around the corner and around the world.
• Contribute memorable pictures and keep everyone up to date.
• Network with classmates through the built-in integration.

Download it for free

APPLE   ANDROID

Let us know what you think!

And in case you haven’t been keeping count, it’s the IMP / IMBA Program’s 25th Anniversary. There are lots of events happening this year, so be sure to check back so that you don’t miss out.