The Harbus - March 2023

Citizens Arrest Stuns RC Section During Landmark LCA

Class

The duality of

The Booming Climate Tech Ecosystem at HBS

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What Is the Social Purpose of a Firm? COMMUNITY

Aditya Rau (MBA ’24) reflects on the impact of a new RC course and argues for its expansion.

Love on the Brain

After Valentine’s Day, HBS students reflect on the state of romance on campus.

Rory Finnegan, Editor-in-Chief

We’re a few drinks deep when the topic finally comes up. Maybe we’re at Daedelus or Alden & Harlow or someone’s apartment in Continuum. It probably took us three tries to schedule this but now that we’re here, we gush about how great it is to be catching up (“it’s been so long!”) After complaining about classes, the craziness of our calendars, and the disorganized treks we’ve gone on recently, we’re ready to talk about it. Like clockwork, someone asks the question: “So… how’s your love life?”

Sound familiar? I thought so. For those who arrived at HBS single, this is a conversation we have again and again. Even the happily married among us are hungry for gossip, eager to know who is hooking up or going out or crushing on a section mate.

In February, love is especially top-of-mind – with Valentine’s Day as a social focal point for couples and singles

alike. This year on campus, several new and old HBS traditions brought it even more to the forefront.

The first was a series of pitch nights across RC sections, but not the type you might think takes place at a business school. Instead, students prepared slides to show off their most eligible single friends in front of one to two other sections. Alice Zhai (MBA ’24), a social chair for Section B, helped put together the “BAE” singles pitch night in collaboration with Sections A and E. “I was surprised how many people put themselves out there,” she told me. When I asked Joe Sciamanna (MBA ’24), one of Section E’s social chairs, if he knew of any matches coming out of the event, he hedged, “None that I can comment on.”

(For what it’s worth, I heard secondhand about at least five different singles exchanging numbers across sections).

The Asian Affinity Business Association Club further buoyed the wave of romantic gestures with its annual “Candygrams” campaign, enabling students to send a sweet treat with an optionally anonymous message

for just $6. I was thrilled to find that my seatmate had received a joking candygram from one of his friends. When he deemed the candy too sugary (he had big plans at the gym that day), I took one for the team and pocketed all of his Lindt truffles.

New to HBS this year, and arguably most newsworthy, was Marriage Pact. The dating questionnaire, whose algorithm uses the latest research on romantic compatibility to create optimal matches, was started by two Stanford students several years ago. It is already popular on college campuses across the country (Harvard included); HBS is its first trial with graduate students.

Marriage Pact launched at HBS via word of mouth on the evening of February 13th. Initial reactions to the questionnaire varied. One friend told me that he thought it was stupid – “at first when I saw it I got the ick” – but agreed that it would, at the very least, be an interesting social experiment. By the next morning, February 14th, Marriage Pact was all the buzz on campus. “Once people found

This was the question on the lips of RCs as they stumbled back into Aldrich after winter break. Dusting off their boots after trekking to Patagonia and their skis after exploring Jackson Hole, first year students gathered to participate in the first-time offering. The course, “The Social Purpose of the Firm (SPF),” was designed to help students reflect on both a firm’s purpose and their own.

Over two days, RCs read and discussed cases on companies working on clean energy and battery storage above the arctic circle (Northvolt), designing and managing responsible

AI (Microsoft), producing life-saving drugs (United Therapeutics) and expanding financial access (Equity Bank). Discussions on the work of firms active today were complemented by a historical analysis of the operations and troubling legacy of the first publicly traded company (The Dutch East India Company). “We felt strongly that students should have an opportunity to engage with this fundamental question of purpose,” said Debora Spar, course head for SPF and Senior Associate Dean for Business and Global Society. In doing so, RCs considered issues such as the capabilities mismatch between the private sector and the public sector, the importance of

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HBS LIFE

Aditya Rau, Contributor

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Women’s Leadership

LOUJAINE ALMOALLIM

Women’s Leadership and Social Equity

AISHWARYA AMUDA

Community and Entrepreneurship

PALLAVI CHADHA

Industry Insights and Satire

BRYNNE GOSCH

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ADITYA RAU

KEIR SULLIVAN RIVER EWING

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Fromthe Editors’ Desk

The duality of HBS

master multiples valuations with the help of our modelsavvy peers. We will make it to office hours and sometimes even discussion group (believe it or not, many groups have continued after that first week – er, first semester). All while attending six coffee chats and four dinner parties and at least one late night at La Fabrica.

Joking aside, the beauty of HBS is that you can pick up modeling in a fast-paced, laptopfree classroom setting while also getting the opportunity to reflect on personal growth and build a rich social life. This issue incorporates a little bit of both.

From recommendations to help you learn more about the climate crisis to a perspective on the new RC course on a firm’s social purpose, this edition showcases the diverse academic interests of our editorial staff. We also give you a peek outside of the classroom, with articles on the parents community, an improv club on campus, romance and dating at HBS, and more.

We hope you’re reading this from somewhere warm…or at least on the plane ride there. Have a happy and healthy spring break!

Rory Finnegan (MBA ’24) is originally from New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in poetry writing in 2018. Prior to HBS, she worked in consulting and CEO communications in New York.

Edgard Mejico (MBA ’24) is originally from Lima, Peru. He graduated from Universidad del Pacifico, Peru with a degree in Business Engineering in 2016. Prior to the HBS MBA, he worked for six years in Brand Management and Sales in Colgate-Palmolive Latin America.

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is a saying we have all heard over and over again. As we approach midterm season, and try to remember everything we’ve learned in FIN, that phrase sure rings true. Yet somehow in the next week or two we will

©Harvard Business School

Citizens Arrest Stuns RC Section During Landmark LCA Class

In the seventy-fifth minute of an afternoon Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA) class, an RC section was stunned when JD/MBA student Fred Eralé declared he was placing fellow section mate Jay Walker under citizen’s arrest.

The lead-up to this dramatic scene began as the quality of comments decreased in the back half of the class. Senior Lecturer Smit Smith, a steely veteran of the case method, attempted to breathe new life into the discussion by prompting students to share their personal experiences with fraud. Jay Walker raised his hand and contributed that the situation

outlined in today’s case “wasn’t even that bad” and that in his last job he had “personally done way worse.” Walker proceeded to outline his offense in detail.

Eralé, across the room, shot up out of his chair while wearing his signature HLS sweater, pointed at Walker, and declared, “By the power vested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I hereby place you under citizen’s arrest.”

A lively debate followed.

Lecturer Smith decided to step back from the pit and take a seat.

“It was great to see the students finally leading the discussion. This is what the case method is all about. After 60 years of teaching, this was truly a first.”

Eventually, as Eralé was waving a printout of the fraud triangle over his head demanding justice, Smith reluctantly interjected, proclaiming, “I have to get through these wrap slides.”

A buzz of commotion broke out in the Alrich 009 classroom. According to firsthand accounts of the incident,

the Community Values Rep was seen frantically flipping through the section norms document to see what guidance it offered regarding a citizen’s arrest. The Admissions Rep had already begun quietly shepherding the 15 prospective student guests out of the room, hoping to avoid further embarrassment and a substantial drop in yield. The section President then stood up and called an emergency meeting of RCHQ, citing exceptional circumstances.

According to section insiders, the Community Values Rep took the floor and called for the section to reconvene on section norms, focusing on generating an aligned response to a citizen’s arrest-type situation. After more than three hours of circular discussion, and no consensus on what to do, section morale was wearing thin.

At this point, Walker made a stunning admission; he didn’t commit fraud at all. The story was entirely fabricated. When pressed by section leadership on why he would make such a

comment Walker responded by saying, “I didn’t speak last class, I just felt like I had to get in”.

A wave of relief flooded the room with section mates saying the move was “totally understandable” and “entirely reasonable.” The prevailing sentiment was that the section should move on from this slight hiccup and focus on building back a strong section culture. Eralé was unconvinced and called for a moot court to “get to the bottom of it.”

While there was initial support for the idea, the section Treasurer quickly shot down the proposal due to budgetary constraints citing several students who had “not yet paid their retreat dues.” In a last-ditch effort to bolster his case, Eralé called for the scribe to read back the record. However, despite Walker’s comment being over 3 minutes long, the only scribe notes written were “personal experience comment”, which failed to support Eralés’ case.

Following the incident, the Harbus Special Situations team

of investigative journalists dove deep to uncover what really happened during this bizarre turn of events. The investigation revealed that Eralés had run up the highest student bill the HLS Coop had ever seen. After reviewing HBS Classcards, the Harbus team further discovered that Fred Eralés was not a JD/ MBA but an RC who “was thinking about” cross-registering at an HLS class next year.

Keir Sullivan (JD/MBA ’23) was raised in St John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador and studied Life Science and Commerce at Queen’s University. Prior to HBS, Keir worked at J&J. River Ewing (JD/MBA ’23) grew up on a farm outside of Toronto, Ontario and studied Philosophy and Business Administration at the University of Western Ontario. Prior to HBS, River worked at a family office.

In a vulnerable moment, an RC student shared their personal experience with fraud and was subsequently placed under citizen’s arrest by a hotshot JD/MBA section mate.

Keir Sullivan, Contributor River Ewing, Contributor

Female Professors at HBS Series: Elisabeth Paulson

Loujaine AlMoallim (MBA ’24) interviews RC TOM Professor Elisabeth Paulson about her personal journey, her time at HBS, and her advice for HBS leaders.

Can you briefly tell us about your journey that got you to where you are today?

My mom was a statistics professor, so a career in academia was always something that I considered. During undergrad, I started doing research and was involved in high school tutoring programs. I loved diving deep into complex problems, and helping others apply mathematical tools to their own problems. I had a few industry internships and jobs during and after college to explore other opportunities, but I couldn’t shake the pull I felt toward academia. During grad school, I was able to combine my affinity for math and data with my passion for working on realworld problems: something that I am lucky enough to continue doing at HBS.

How has your teaching experience been at HBS so far?

What do you like most about the case method and classroom experience?

I just finished my first semester of teaching (RC TOM), and it was an amazing experience. Yes, teaching for the first time is stressful and can be scary, but it was also incredibly fun—something that I attributed largely to the case method (and Section I!). It’s exciting to see where the class discussion will go, and witness section mates learning from each other. The case method is also equalizing: in any given discussion, both experts and non-experts can similarly promote classroom learning by asking and answering questions. This creates a unique and supportive classroom culture.

Your research focuses on datadriven policy making and the design of interventions for social good. Could you give us a summary of tools and methods related to your research that can positively support public and non-profit organizations?

My research uses data and analytics to design or improve tools (e.g., policy interventions) that will contribute to social good. Broadly speaking, to accomplish this, there are two steps: 1) nderstand the impact of the intervention and 2) decide how it should be deployed in order to be most effective. Rigorously

accomplishing both steps requires many different tools from the fields of statistics, machine learning, and optimization. Also, in many cases, simply increasing effectiveness is not enough. We also need to consider equity and fairness implications, the practicality of the proposed solution, and whether the method can be clearly explained to the public and/or policymakers.

What recommendations would you give current and future HBS leaders when it comes to advising and mentoring in

their position?

Data-driven decisionmaking is a powerful tool. A first step to successfully deploying such tools is to have clear (measurable) objectives and think through tradeoffs. Ask yourself: what is the metric that I care the most about, and for other metrics, what trade-offs am I willing to make?

Throughout your journey, what is the greatest lesson that you believe you learned and what is one piece of advice you

would give people reading this?

Be open to having your opinion changed. The ability to form strong opinions is less important than the ability to synthesize information and update your opinions.

Loujaine (MBA ’24) is a Saudi Arabian who spent most of her formative years in Canada. After completing her undergraduate degree at McGill University majoring in International Management,

she moved back to Saudi Arabia and worked in Consulting. She enjoys traveling and exploring new places, hosting people over for small gatherings and baking and decorating cakes.

Elisabeth is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business School. She teaches the first year course on Technology and Operations Management in the required curriculum.

Loujaine AlMoallim, Women’s Leadership Editor

Elisabeth Paulson, Contributor

What Is the Social Purpose of a Firm?

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delivering returns and impact at scale, the need for governments to provide market goods and address market failures, and the opportunities to do both good and bad that are inherent in scale.

It seems rather appropriate that the RC curriculum now includes a focus on the social purpose of the firm. Indeed, this is a theme that has always been central to a Harvard Business School education. Students of the school’s history will recall that its first mission statement was to train leaders who “make a decent profit — decently.” Today, it is “to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.”

More than ever before, a study of the social purpose of business is critical for several reasons. First, there are new expectations of firms. The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, which surveys more than 32,000 people in 28 countries, illuminated the striking fact that businesses are now more trusted than governments. When this shift in trust is considered in tandem with employees increasingly looking to their companies and managers for values-based leadership, identity, and meaning, the social purpose of the firm becomes of paramount importance. And second, where governments are

ill-equipped to act, business has both the capital and the capabilities to address seemingly intractable challenges and minimize threats to the welfare of people and the planet.

“Heed the words of Milton Friedman,” cries out my freemarket espousing, shareholderloving sectionmate, his voice booming from Sky Deck. I decline. And if you paid attention in LCA early in the semester, you’ll know that believing in shareholder primacy requires the willingness to accept premises that just don’t hold under scrutiny (ask me about my budding PhD proposal for a lengthier discussion of this topic).

On the contrary, businesses do not exist independent of the societies in which they operate. And serving a social purpose isn’t simply the right thing to do. It’s also good business.

“Fundamentally, business leaders create opportunities for other people,” affirmed Jan Rivkin, SPF instructor and C. Roland Christensen Professor of Business Administration. Firms can do well by doing good. This was readily apparent to me during my time at Mastercard, where the firm’s investments in financial inclusion at the bottom of the pyramid powered much of its growth over the past decade, and have set the firm up for

sustainable growth over the next decade. Putting the firm to work in this way requires a consideration of its core assets, capabilities and competencies, and then pairing these with the kind of patient and risky capital deployment that a CEO can defend and evangelize. Commercially sustainable social impact can, and should, be business as usual.

But enough of my bleeding heart spilling over the pages of this paper.

Among the anchoring questions that students parsed during the course was: what is your purpose? Regrettably, the course design meant that far too little time was spent addressing this question. And that is a real shame, particularly as RCs presently grapple with their own sense of purpose as they consider summer opportunities, EC courses, and their personal and professional lives after HBS. “I think this is a great (point) to think about for future iterations of SPF, and indeed for future conversations across the RC and beyond,” said Spar.

To be clear, a failure to address this question is not just a flaw of SPF but of the RC more broadly. Why is it that questions of personal purpose are squeezed into the dying minutes of a LEAD, LCA or TEM class instead of being given due space and

attention? An alternative would be to offer more opportunities for deeper discussion on this topic, the RC equivalent of EC courses such as “Authentic Leadership Development” or “Crafting Your Life.” The benefit to RCs would be exposure to these topics at the start of their HBS experience, and the pleasure of engaging with sectionmates with whom they have already built deep trust and intimacy.

But where might we find room in the crowded RC curriculum? I would argue that Inclusion should be merged with LEAD; if we’ve learned anything in FIN, it’s that the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts. This would free up space for a course on purpose in the RC year. Furthermore, such a course would provide space for atypical cases: imagine Will Guidara, former partner at Eleven Madison Park (one of the world’s best restaurants), discussing the purpose of hospitality; or Ben Zander, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, sharing his purpose to help realize the transformative power of classical music. Finally, instead of imposing three case days on a Friday, HBS could use one of the three class slots on Friday to offer this new course for personal and professional purposes. I assure you that I, for one, would happily

take a later flight to Utah if this was the case.

Like all experiences at HBS, future iterations of SPF and broader discussions of integrating purpose into the curriculum will and must be co-created. Our responsibility is to lean in, as students of the social purpose of the firm. And, eventually, as leaders of firms with a social purpose.

Adi Rau (MBA ’24) is a Canadian who grew up on unaccustomed earth: the Middle East, Europe and Africa have all been home. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Political Science, where his research focused on the delivery of social services to hard-to-reach populations. This work led him to join Mastercard, where he advanced the firm’s inclusive growth and financial inclusion agenda. Prior to attending HBS, Adi spent the summer in France farming vineyards in Beaujolais. He can often be found on a hiking trail, rapping the Hamilton soundtrack or sipping on a glass of wine from a distant part of the world.

Aditya Rau (MBA ’24) reflects on the impact of a new RC course and argues for its expansion.

Professor Debora Spar in the classroom. Photo courtesy Natalie Keyssar.

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out their friends were doing it or talking about it, they wanted to do it, too,” Michael Bervell (MBA ’24), who helped bring the questionnaire to HBS, shared. “On that day, anyone you talked to, this is what they talked about. It was the topic of conversation.”

By the numbers, nearly 800 students participated over the 48 hour submission period – around

Love on the Brain

60% of those participants were RCs, and the gender breakdown was roughly even. Each participating student received five messages over the course of the multi-day matching process. After filling out the questionnaire, participants received emails with punchy pink graphics welcoming “rookie romantics” to the world of Marriage Pact. The message also compared each participant to their peers on dimensions

like “flakiness,” “being the mom friend,” “dying on every hill,” “ambition,” and more. A few hours before matches were formally revealed, a teaser email shared the initials of each participant’s perfect match. This fueled the fire: WhatsApp groups lit up with screenshots as students scrambled to guess who they’d been paired with (if you’re like me, you also scoured Slack for anyone with those initials).

Later that night came the grand reveal: participants learned who they’d been matched with, why they were compatible, and the extent of that compatibility down to a hundredth of a percent.

The Marriage Pact website boasts its algorithm’s superior ability to “find your best backup plan out of everyone on campus.”

Did it work?

Results were mixed. The questionnaire was open to

anyone, so it was not unheard of to match with a married classmate. Some people were paired with section mates; I know of at least one who matched with their seatmate. An RC I spoke to heard about matches with both friends and strangers, and knew someone who had been paired with their current fling. Another matched with a guy she had been secretly crushing on. Still another told me he was looking

After Valentine’s Day, HBS students reflect on the state of romance on campus.

forward to breakfast with his match in Spangler this week. Some people enjoyed the “game” but weren’t sure what they’d do next. “I haven’t reached out yet, but there’s still time,” a student told me.

Perhaps it’s too soon to tell if the whole thing worked. And what would it mean if it “worked” anyway? The algorithm promises to find a back-up for the future, after all – not a partner for the present.

“I hope it helps us to not take ourselves too seriously,” Bervell told me. “It’s a fun way to get to know yourself, and someone else, better. Even if you didn’t meet the person you matched with, you know you have someone out there with shared values. That’s a win in my book.”

The morning after receiving my match, I woke up from a dream in which the singles of HBS had all congregated in Schwartz Pavilion and paired up, whisking one another away into the glow of SFP 2. Everyone was laughing and dancing and madly in love. “In your dreams,” I muttered to myself, rather unimaginatively. But that dream was not too far off from the perceived reality of most prospective students: as a Harbus reporter wrote in 2015, “People in the outside world glamorize what it is like to be a 20-something in business

school. Romantic options are far scarcer than anyone likes to admit.” To better understand the current student body sentiment on campus romance – both more broadly and in light of the loveinspired events taking place last month – I interviewed and surveyed dozens of individuals across the RC and EC years, most of whom asked to remain anonymous. It turns out not much has changed since 2015.

It “feels like a small pool” an RC, who is currently single, shared. “Everyone is already in a relationship,” another student agreed. When I talked to people in committed relationships, they felt similarly. A married student said, “The dating scene seems tough. I would have not liked being single here. It seems like most people have a significant other.”

There is also a sense that privacy is hard to come by. “The rumor mill at HBS is very real, and as a consequence, I think a lot of people try to keep things quiet to avoid gossip,” one student told me. Many feel that their peers make “dating decisions based on how they’re perceived and not compatibility or merit” which leads to some people being “far too guarded, not willing to make a move or take a chance with someone.” Another talked about the “challenge of knowing that

I can’t take a risk without the community buzzing” and how that has kept him “a bit more on the sidelines.”

Especially within sections, romance is often deemed too risky. “I think that a lot of people here are looking to date, but there’s definitely a slight stigma associated with dating within the class or section,” a single RC told me. I also spoke to several section officers, one of whom said he had “heard stories last year of sections where people consistently hooked up.” But, he clarified, “I don’t think that’s happening in my section.” When I asked someone from another section if he had heard of any section romances, he said, “None that I know of.” A third implied that it likely wouldn’t happen this year, but could be on the table in the future. “My sense is that people aren’t that interested in dating within the section this year just because everyone is too close in the same classroom every day,” she said. “All I see are platonic relationships.” (Section leaders may not be as privy to the flirting going on among their peers as they think; I was informed of a non-trivial number of section connections.)

Many students commented on what they perceived to be a negative gender dynamic.

“For women interested in men,

it’s very demoralizing because it feels like men have a wider selection,” I was told by a female RC. “It’s especially tough for accomplished women,” someone else shared. A male student said he thinks “men date HBS women less than women date HBS men.”

More broadly, the dating culture in business school is “tough for people because we’re all in different life phases” – unlike college, where the age range is much narrower.

There are some bright spots: most people I talked to knew of at least one happy couple who’d gotten together since arriving on campus. An HBS survey from 2015 reported that of alumni between ages 25 and 30, 31% of married women and 16% of married men had tied the knot with a fellow HBS alum. One optimistic student said, “The dating pool is awesome. So many amazing eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. I’m excited about tons of relationships (friendship or otherwise) and prospects.”

On the sillier side, a Slack community called #ugly-singlesonly emerged last semester as a space to “post photos and jokes about dating life,” founder Jonathan Lee (MBA ’24) told me. The group has even gotten together in person for events like ugly sweater karaoke.

So, what is the verdict on

the state of romance at HBS? Is it true that “the days of meeting your partner in business school are over,” as one RC told me?

Yes, the percentage of the student population seeking a partner is small. Yes, you will inevitably run into the person you slept with on Saturday the following Monday in Spangler. Yes, people might talk about it.

And yet, even presented with the facts, even immersed in the experience myself, I just do not believe it. I’m a hopeless romantic. So while you may not meet “the one” in business school, you will meet at least one person who finds their way into your heart – a lifelong best friend, a first date who changes your mind on something you thought you believed, or a hottie from the law school who is perfect for a semester-long fling. And hey, in ten years time, you can always reach out to your Marriage Pact match as backup.

Rory Finnegan (MBA ’24) is originally from New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in poetry writing in 2018. Prior to HBS, she worked in consulting and CEO communications in New York.

The Booming Climate Tech Ecosystem at HBS

Aishwarya Amuda, Women’s Leadership and Social Equity Editor

In April 2022, as I landed in sunny San Diego all the way from India for the ASU+GSV EdTech industry conference, I had no idea that I was about to completely change my career trajectory and industry. My personal experience, as a first generation college graduate who has achieved tremendous upward social mobility through education, deeply motivated me to continue working in the EdTech sector, where I had spent most of my early career. I was firmly determined to start up in the public education space in India post-HBS.

However, as I heard John Doerr, a prominent VC at Kleiner Perkins, take the stage as a keynote speaker at the ASU+GSV summit, where he spoke about his outlook, findings, and plan to tackle climate change, I was suddenly reawakened to this very existential threat to humanity. Climate change had been in the background of several conversations back in India and I was witnessing the climate catastrophe unfold right in front of me in Delhi, India’s capital, where the air was literally unbreathable. On most days I spent visiting my family in Delhi that summer, the AQI (Air Quality Index) was above 200, which is a very unhealthy and hazardous level, affecting everyone regardless of health or age. I could not even step out of the house to enjoy a casual walk with my family.

Digging deeper, I found several charts which wildly angered and worried me at the same time. Turns out that while developed countries, which were currently causing and have historically caused much of the existing environmental damage, had a fighting chance to land safe at the other end of the climate catastrophe, it would be countries like India where the most vulnerable populations would be at the risk of getting completely wiped out.

As I thought about what was being done by people around me who had graduated from some of the most prestigious engineering institutes in India to tackle this threat, sadly, almost nothing came to mind. Luckily, as I was exiting the event in San Diego (where I could breathe and take a walk in the park!) I was handed a book called “Speed & Scale’’, written by Doerr, the very gentleman who delivered that speech. This book took me from a place of confusion and hopelessness to a resolve to take actionable steps to tackle this existential problem. Ever since, I have been on a journey to find an effective climate tech solution that can be scaled to India, which

will hopefully play a part in averting this disaster.

If you feel similarly inspired or even deeply pessimistic and do not know where to start, this article will lay out a list of resources which might help you figure out your own climate journey. I am nowhere near the end of my quest, but the vibrance and energy of the climate community at HBS keeps invigorating me every single day, inspiring me to take one further step.

1. Books to get you started:

Speed & Scale by John Doerr: If your mind works well with numbers and structure, I cannot recommend this book enough. Mr. Doerr has laid out a climate action plan for the world in a simple OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework with interesting stories from stalwarts in the industry.

How To Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates: This book comes well recommended by Professor Jim Matheson, HBS’ very own climate guru. Professor Matheson told me casually to read the book by “Bill”; it took me a google search to figure out that he actually meant Bill Gates.

2. Courses at HBS and Harvard:

Accelerating Climate Solutions SIP: This SIP (Short Intensive Programme) came very highly received by the attendees and the BEI (Business and Environment Initiative) team has collaborated with Professors Laurans, Matheson, and Tufano to add a series of additional events this semester open to all interested students, whether you participated in the SIP or not. Reach out to bei@hbs.edu to learn more.

Creating Climate Ventures Course: Led by Rebekah Emanuel, Director of Social Entrepreneurship at Harvard Innovation Labs, this course is for people who want to found a climate startup to tackle climate change, but do not yet have an idea or whose idea is nascent. Class is held virtually and is open to Harvard students, alums, faculty, and staff.

Sustainability Chats by CPD: Join small group chats with Professors Jim Matheson or Eleanor Laurans to get advice on careers in sustainability and hear from your peers on their experiences. Register on the CPD Website.

3. Energy and Environment Club: Your best source for the most helpful newsletters with job resources, competitions and key updates on the sector at HBS. They also host amazing events

and happy hours to meet folks passionate about the industry.

4. Organizations in Boston: “Extinction Rebellion” describes themselves as an international mobilization for non-violent direct action against governments’ criminal inaction on climate change and the wider ecological emergency. They not only organize non-violent protests but also some great concerts, movie nights, and book clubs to bring awareness to climate change. Learn more at https://xrboston.org/

5. Climate Specific Job Boards:

Terra.do is a particularly exciting resource for me as it is at the intersection of EdTech and Climate Tech.

Terra.do is focusing its efforts on helping mid- and late-career professionals around the globe transition into green jobs. Its immersive 12-week online climate bootcamps, paired with its career platform, help participants gain access to green jobs and begin building new professional networks.

I hope that you find at least one of these resources helpful as you move forward with your

climate journey. Wishing you all a lovely spring break!

Aishwarya Amuda (MBA ’24) comes to HBS from the EdTech industry, where she worked as an investor, strategist, and investment banker in India. She is deeply passionate about women’s leadership and social equality, and she likes to cook, kayak, and appreciate nature in her free time.

Your guide to get involved at HBS and outside to tackle the most pressing problem facing humanity.

Juggling Business and Comedy: Improv at HBS Is Alive and Kicking

This tight-knit community

Planning conferences is cool and all, but do you ever find yourself searching for an extracurricular activity that is a little bit…different? Look no further than the HBS improv club. It’s the one official place on campus where students can let loose and pretend to be a tree or a talking potato without judgment.

Improvisation (“improv”), as a performance art form, involves creating scenes, characters, and dialogue on the spot. In many ways, it is like jazz music, where players improvise their melodies and harmonies in real-time. Improv requires quick thinking, effective communication, and collaboration with your fellow performers. It’s not a stretch, then, to say that the skills learned in improv can be applied to many areas of life, including business, public speaking, and personal relationships.

Every Wednesday at 4 pm, the group meets in Batten, a place that, let’s be honest, probably smells like old coffee and desperation. But the club’s

members don’t let that deter them – the fun they have there is worth it. The only prerequisite is a willingness to make a fool of oneself in front of fellow classmates – so basically, if you’ve ever had one too many drinks at a HBS mixer, you’re qualified.

Led by an RC or EC, the group begins with a series of wacky warm-up exercises that are designed to get the brain working and the body moving. Think charades, but with way more yelling and awkward flailing. When someone forgets a rule or messes up a scene, there is no sense of judgment. It’s all in good fun!

Once the group is warmed up, a club member introduces a range of improv exercises and games. These exercises are designed to teach participants different aspects of improvisation, such as building characters, establishing relationships, and creating storylines. One popular exercise is called “Yes, and.”

In this game, one participant makes a statement, and the next participant builds on it, saying “yes, and” before adding their own contribution to the scene. This exercise teaches participants the importance of building on

each other’s ideas and creating a collaborative environment.

As the session goes on, the games get more and more absurd. One minute someone might be pretending to be a zoo animal, the next they’re an alien trying to order a pizza. It’s all part of the fun, and the more ridiculous a participant can be, the better.

But the improv club isn’t just about making weird noises and doing silly dances. It’s also a tight-knit community of people who embrace their weirdness. There’s no better way to make friends and connections that will last a lifetime than by laughing at – er, with – one another.

If you’re looking for a break from the monotony of case studies and networking events, come join the HBS improv club. Who knows, you might just discover a hidden talent for comedy.

Pallavi Chadha (MBA ’24) comes to HBS having spent the past few years understanding the Indian startup ecosystem as a consumer VC investor. What she enjoyed most about that life was getting to know people and truly listening and understanding the stories behind their journeys.

meets every week to be silly and let loose.

Pallavi Chadha, Community and Entrepreneurship Editor