The End

For yesterday's Leadership and Personal Change class, we had guest speaker Eva Azoulay, Vice President of Strategic Planning & Marketing at Pratt & Whitney Canada, who spoke about leadership. As a strong and ambitious professional (who also has an MBA), she was the perfect person to encourage us as we transition into our next leadership roles.

And now my MBA year is officially over! After my team's presentation (above) on the Honest Tea/Susan G. Komen corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, a finalization of our blog assignment, and a submission of my contribution to class discussion grade for Responsible Marketing, I can happily say my MBA duties are complete. No more assignments, class participation, etc. I am no longer an MBA student, but a proud graduate.

I wanted to thank my fellow classmates, professors, administrators, friends, family, boo, blog readers, and anyone who I interacted with this year. You have all contributed to my MBA experience in an amazing way. Though there were always ups and downs, challenges and victories, it was an incredible year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support, help, and encouragement. I couldn't have done it without you.

Exercise Your Right to Vote

With only two more days left in the MBA program, we are officially in the home stretch. Since my Responsible Marketing team will be one of the last to present on Thursday, we will be working and waiting until the bitter end. This afternoon, I was developing the PowerPoint file for our Honest Tea/Susan G. Komen case and tomorrow morning, we will hopefully be finalizing the assignment, so that we can practice our presentation.

Although school has still been busy in this P9 semester, I managed to make time to go on a brief trip to Ottawa over the weekend and attend last night's AEMBA appreciation dinner at Jardin de Panos. Good luck to the new AEMBA candidates!

Speaking of elections, I voted in my first ever Canadian election yesterday in an advance poll! With my new Canadian citizenship, I exercised my right to vote, which of course called to mind the catchy tune from Tanner '88 below.

Speaking Of...

I thought about it and I have more advice for new MBA students. I previously mentioned the importance of getting involved in activities outside of school, but it is also great to hold a leadership position in the program. As International Affairs Director for the student association, I was able to coordinate student activities and collaborate with an amazing team. Even just running for election was an excellent way to break the ice with fellow students and warm up my presentation skills.

And look how far I have come! I will now be a speaker at the TopMBA Connect launch event, talking to potential MBA students.

I also wanted to mention that McGill University, my alma mater, was recently named one of the world's most beautiful universities by Travel + Leisure. See the article here.

Prospective MBA Students

I have exciting news to report! Though I was already booked to attend the TopMBA Connect kickoff event in NYC on September 15, I received an email yesterday inviting me to be a speaker there! I am looking forward to this opportunity to present to prospective MBA students and reunite with the TopMBA Connect team. If you or someone you know is interested in pursuing an MBA and you will be in the area, be sure to register for the event here.

With only eight days left until the end of my MBA, I have been continuously reflecting on this past year and the advice I would give to new students. What have I come up with so far? Buy yourself a wireless clicker at the beginning of the program. With typically one presentation per class, you will need it. What else? Get involved in events and activities outside of school. It is a great way to expand your network, learn from within a different setting, and have fun. Among others, I attended a MEEX networking event (and will be going to the upcoming MEEX 8) and volunteered for C2-MTL. These proved to be exciting ways to learn outside of the classroom.

As my previous work experience was in email marketing, I was anxious to read the HBR Blog Network article "Why Email Marketing is King." Perhaps after reading the article, people will take email marketing more seriously.

Story-Telling

After a relaxing weekend of doing readings, spending time with friends, and picking up fruits and vegetables at the Jean-Talon Market (pictured above), I started the second week of P9 with my Leadership and Personal Change course. Today was the first day that we began discussions of personal cases that students in the class have written. It is interesting to read and share these personal experiences, and I give a lot of credit to the students who have agreed to have their cases read by the class.

In related news, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax is now looking for immigration stories from new entrants to Canada. In the past, the museum was focused on immigration between 1928 and 1971, but it has a new mandate to collect modern experiences. To submit your story, click here. The museum is also seeking proposals from artists for works to be included in an upcoming exhibit. You can find guidelines for the artwork submissions here.

I am also proud to announce that Montreal was selected by the New York Times as one of the hippest cities in the world. The article "Hip Cities That Think About How They Work" can be read at this page.

Reflection

Today has been a jam-packed day! This morning, I rushed to do my readings, assignment for next week's Responsible Marketing class on Food, Inc., and my reflection paper and team evaluation for P8. I am now officially done with the P8 supervised consulting project! During the P8 semester, one of my teammates had been our paparazzo, taking many photos throughout the project. I am thus including a couple below.

I then spent the entire afternoon today participating in a scavenger hunt around the city with the new cohort of HEC Montreal's MBA students. Though my team did not win a medal, it was an amazing and fun experience! Below is a photo of my awesome team. Afterwards, we had a barbecue at school where I was able to answer many questions about the program and help the new students begin to navigate their MBA year.

Team 2

Though I spent last night hanging out at Bar Waverly with the Frank & Oak team, I've been running on adrenaline for the entire day. As I see the incoming MBA students with their excitement and I reflect on this year, the end is certainly bittersweet. I also wanted to mention that, for anyone who is thinking about doing an MBA, TopMBA Connect will be hosting a launch event on September 15 in NYC that is for potential MBA students to meet admissions directors and network with business leaders. You can find more information here.

That's the Spirit!

Today was my team's presentation to the National Film Board (NFB) and I cannot be prouder of my group. We received excellent feedback from our professor, as well as our client. I hope that the NFB is able to integrate elements from our marketing plan when launching their upcoming film about women's issues in Canada. I wish the NFB the best success with this documentary!

With only two and a half weeks left in the MBA, it seems like everyone is feeling nostalgic. We definitely have memories to last a lifetime. Though the below photo was taken a few months ago, it certainly captures the enduring spirit of my 2012 cohort.

HEC Montreal 2012 MBA Cohort