5 Reasons TechConnect was one of the Best Events during my MBA Experience (as of yet…)

March 4th, 2014
1. Awesome Panelists and Moderators
Security panelists (l to r) Rob Zalkland, Lee Weiner and Paul Roberts
The event brought together industry professionals from some of the most hottest domains in technology: Internet of Things, Mobile Payments and Security and Privacy. It was a perfect blend of industry leaders and new disruptive entrants: the insights were well balanced and covered multiple facets of what is good, bad and ugly about the respective domains.

Some panelist highlights include:
  • Sarah Hodkinson from Paypal talked about the Beacon as well as how Paypal was focusing on empowering both the consumer and merchants to enhance the mobile payment experience.
  • Karen Webster, moderating the mobile payment panel, was one of my favorites and she really turned the talk into a engaging and seamless discussion. I was almost disappointed to see the panel run out of time!
  • The security and privacy panel brought out a lot of critical points on how different the individuals and corporate customers were in their perception of security needs. Ron Zalkind from CloudLock talked about how users are moving faster than security firms by self selecting solutions, however, Lee Weiner from Rapid7 commented that corporations were slower in adopting solutions stating that "Board rooms often don’t address security issues till a breach happens."


2. Engaged Attendees

You know an event is a success when you have attendees stir up as rich conversation as the panels. The attendees at TechConnect were a mix of industry professionals, academia and students, and this made for some really informative and exciting conversation outside of the panels especially during the reception at Scoozi.
3. The Keynote: John Harthorne, founder & CEO of MassChallange
John addresses the audience
John gave some amazing insights into his experience as an entrepreneur.I was inspired me was his opinion of team success: people need to be genuinely excited about a project and be willing to learn new things, after that it was all just about sticking to what you believe and being open to opportunities. This advice, made me realize that my team - and the event - was a success. This is a significant lesson I intend to take with me as I move forward!

4. Kelly Mackey, MS-MBA 2014 (I swear I wasn't bribed into saying this!)
This event was also successful because of Kelly, the planning lead. She not only guided the process but also was passionately involved throughout. She led by example and was a true pleasure to work with. I joined the planning team late, but I knew what I wanted to contribute to the process. Kelly never doubted my intent or skills, and gave me both the guidance and freedom to make my own decisions. 
5. The “Behind the Scenes” Experience
Oren Shevach, one of my teammates!
The TechConnect experience was a highlight for me not only because these events are a crucial part of the MBA experience, but also because of the people involved. We had a great team to begin with (Oren, Jaymie, Paul and Vikram) but a significant onus of the event’s success goes to the people who lent a hand as we approached D-Day (Kirk, Nina, Janet and George).  

Listen to an audiocast of the event here!
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Anant Chaudhry is a first year MBA and MS in Information Systems candidate at Boston University School of Management. Anant has an entrepreneurial background, having started a venture in solar energy and another in remittance services. Additionally, he has consulted with businesses in developing marketing and business strategy. He loves karaoke, TV series marathons and long tangential discussions on random things. 



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My Epic MBA: Adventures of the New SMG Curriculum

February 25th, 2014
As I prepared to become a student again, trekking cross-country from Oakland, CA, I knew that I had to make an impact in my new MBA community at Boston University - but how?

Module 1: 3 Subjects, 6 Weeks
In the new curriculum, we master 3 subjects in 6 weeks through 2 3-hour classes a day, 4 days per week. I wanted to make an impact, so I was already on two boards and was readying applications to participate in the club’s other activities. Net Impact, BU chapter and the Public & Nonprofit Club aligned with my interests and passion of developing public-private partnerships and increasing corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

During module 2...
I realized I needed to improve the balance between my career pursuits and academic responsibility. The modules were moving very quickly, and the new curriculum meant that my peers and I were having a different experience than our second-year MBA peers had. We embraced the learning curve, and before we knew it, midterms and finals came and went.

Balancing your life while in an MBA program is like rewriting an epic novel every year
For me, there is not an exception! I believe this challenge has made my experience through the modules 1 and 2 much more rewarding. It has made me more humble and benevolent. While I sometimes struggle to be disciplined, I remember that the learning curve does not apply to classes alone.
Growth can only happen to those who welcome it
Bittersweet may be a generous word: the bitter of challenge must be experienced before the sweet taste of completing a module or year. I believe that I have grown tremendously, and being humble and benevolent has been an important part of making new friends, welcoming mentors, and continuing the passion that I had prior to starting the program.

As module 3 begins...
I am focused on securing an internship and re-writing my novel of balance and impact, all while making sure I do not lose my self in the MBA bubble. I make sure I remember that I am from Oakland, CA, privileged to pursue a graduate degree, and grateful to learn from the challenges and successes of experiences to come.
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Ruel is a first year MBA in the Public & Non-Profit Management program. Prior to Boston University, Ruel was a project manager for Department of Labor - Job Corps, providing contract oversight and training as well as new program development and implementation. Ruel is interested in further exploring public-private partnerships and corporate social responsibility and sustainability. He is a board member for both the Net Impact BU Chapter and Public & Non-Profit Club.



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