Coronavirus Updates

Diana Lee, Weekend MBA

Chief of Staff, Wellth

As insane as this year has been, I frequently pause and think of the moments I am most grateful for, especially as this unprecedented year comes to an end. I am lucky to have had several highlights this year that are directly from Booth. I had the divine opportunity to study abroad from January to March, in Milan, Italy. I got to live out my European whims all thanks to Booth—devouring pastries in front of the Eiffel Tower, swooning over the Swiss Alps from every direction, admiring DaVinci’s Last Supper, pondering through Pompeii, drinking like pre-medieval times in Brussels, and so much more.

I had no idea what the next few months would hold as I made my way back in March, but I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity Booth gave me to travel and enjoy the world, and I cannot wait to get back out there in due time. Even with this wonderous opportunity, as I made my way back home and settled back into semi-normalcy as a soon to be graduate of Booth, I ended up landing a Chief of Staff role at a digital healthcare start-up that I absolutely love. I wouldn’t be in this job without my Booth MBA. My past memories of traveling are even more precious to me now, and my future in a career I love are both thanks to Booth. Couldn’t have gotten here without Booth, and I am even more grateful for that as I reflect on all the events of this past year.

Booth student Zach Bintliff

Zach Bintliff, Evening MBA

Engineering Manager, Developer Productivity at Disney Streaming Services

When classes first moved to virtual it was great to see the Booth community rally and deal with the challenge of building relationships virtually. One of the best social moments was when I was able to join my classmates at a virtual cocktail making class with a local distillery. It was a great time and taught me some essential skills to cope with the rest of 2020! During 2020 I also joined the Technology General Assembly within the Student Advisory Council. I was able to lead an initiative where we virtually introduce students to one another. The program has been a success and over 250 introductions and conversations have taken place. Being able to positively impact the Booth community has been extremely rewarding.

Booth student Gandhi Bhakthavachalam

Gandhi Bhakthavachalam, Weekend MBA

Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis at Tricon International

The Interpersonal Dynamics class at Booth was an unforgettable venture into building authentic and meaningful relationships with others. I deeply value the soft leadership skills that I developed in this class and can already recognize the impact in my life, both personally and professionally. Booth's rigorous analytical classes, insightful strategy classes, and personalized leadership classes complement each other to hone a holistic set of abilities to enable positive change.

Recommendations