“Teacher, why did you decide to come here instead of Hawaii? I heard that place is like a paradise,” asked one of my students. I winked at her and answered, “Well, this place is like a paradise to me too, because I have always wanted to come here and realize your dream.” We were sitting under the burning sun in Save, a small town about two and a half hours away from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. It was mid-August and I was teaching a group of aspiring high school students from all over Rwanda about entrepreneurship and leadership skills, thanks to a program organized by my alma mater, Babson College. I knew I always wanted to pursue a field in which I could help people grow their businesses. Fortunately, I can rekindle that desire at my new home—the Boston College Carroll School of Management.
Back in April, it was not a difficult decision to pick BC and send my regrets to other institutions, since, as I mentioned above, the Carroll School could help carry on my dream. Not only does it have an intensive and solid curriculum in asset pricing and management, the Carroll School also provides students with practical opportunities to get their hands dirty in the fields of entrepreneurship, private equity and venture capital. One of my favorite classes so far has been the G51 Venture Capital Scholar Program. Partnering with G51 Capital, an early stage venture capital based in Austin, Texas, the Carroll School is one of only five schools in the country selected to participate. Through a period of up to two semesters, this highly selective program provides graduate students with a unique opportunity for hands-on learning and mentorship with G51 Managing Partners. Particularly, students get to review, analyze and evaluate business plans each week, and share their investment recommendations with other graduate students and the G51 Partners. They are invited to partake in Deal Flow Review meetings and listen to the entrepreneurs’ pitches.
Moreover, the Carroll School offers graduate students opportunities to participate in the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) and the Entrepreneurship Clinic program. The VCIC offers selected students an opportunity to act as venture capitalists during a national elevator pitch competition, in which they have to compete with other top graduate programs. The Entrepreneurship Clinic program provides students an opportunity to act as business planning advisers to real entrepreneurs who are seeking valuable advices in different fields including law, marketing, finance, accounting, etc.
Clearly, all these wonderful programs are keeping me busy, but I am happy knowing that, as soon as I receive valuable knowledge and theories from my professors, I get to apply them right away in the real world. For more information about other applied learning programs that the Carroll School offers, you can check out this link.
The BC community embraces the words of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order, "Go set the world aflame." I am certainly excited and happy to be a part of this mission. Please check back this blog regularly to look for updates on my journey.
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