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Nov 18, 2009 
The other day I realized that I have not really blogged about my GSOM experience in a while. Hence, I am going to give you a sneak peek into a week in the life of a GSOM student-ME.
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Nov 18, 2009 No Comments
Nov 17, 2009 
Learning about other cultures is beneficial in the 21st century global economy. And any time you can mentor a young person, the rewards are mutual. I am mentoring an amazing high school boy in South Africa through a program called Infinite Family. We meet once a week via webcam and talk about school, work, and life. It is one of the highlights of my week. My Netbuddy is bright, driven, and has hopes for a successful and meaningful life despite living under difficult circumstances. We have talked about American and South African culture, our schoolwork (he is helping me with my math!), and his career goals. He wants to be a radio engineer or program host, and his slogan is “Make It Count!”
Infinite Family recently opened a new facility in Soweto and has a large group of boys and girls waiting for their own Netbuddies. They conduct Open House webinars every month for people who are interested in learning how to become a mentor, and they offer four sessions of web-based training and support. The next webinar is Thursday, November 19 at 7:00 pm, and you can register on the program web site.
Whether you want to expand your global perspective or just provide some support to a young person half a world away, check out Infinite Family’s website or become a Facebook fan. And spread the word to others who might be interested.
Nov 15, 2009 My last economics class was in 1975. At the time, President Ford’s economic policy was the WIN button, which stood for Whip Inflation Now. I didn’t really get it, and I’m not sure most Americans did either. And since the true-life impact of 1970s inflation was lost on a high school freshman whose parents paid the bills, economics had little relevance for me back then.
But fast-forward a few decades, and I was eagerly anticipating my Management Economics course. Transitioning from a creative career into one focused on effecting broad-scale social change, I’m in an MBA program to understand how organizations function effectively at all levels, including, obviously, financially. Plus, I’ve now lived through two economic bubbles, a great recession, and the curious lionization of a Federal Reserve Chairman. I hoped to gain some insights into what the heck is going on with all our money and what all these economic news reports mean—on both the micro and macro scale.
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Every other Monday from 1-3 EST, a group of individuals from across sectors gather on Twitter for a real-time discussion of microfinance. These discussions, named #mifimon (because Microfinance Mondays was too long for Twitter’s 140-character limit), cover an array of issues and topics in microfinance including, environmental 
sustainabilty, healthcare, ICT, policy and governance issues, and a whole lot more. If you don’t know about microfinance, you should definitely check it out! It is way cool and is the field I most strongly desire to work in. Basically, it is the provision of financial services to individuals traditionally lacking access to credit, insurance, savings and other banking related services, with the overarching goal of poverty eradication. The #mifimon discussion gathers microfinance practitioners, donors, networks, consultants, service providers, and “newbies”, graduate students like myself.
These lively discussions are a time of idea-sharing, trend analysis, and resource gathering. Every #mifimon, I add 10-15 new reports, websites, podcasts or videos to my Google bookmarks for further reading that week. As an MBA student planning to enter the field of microfinance, these resources and discussions are invaluable to me. On the many weeks I have missed the discussions, I always read the Twitter feed later as well as the eloquent summary by @AmyCarolWolff , #mifimon moderator and intern at Opportunity International, or another guest blogger on Opportunity’s Blog.
#Mifimon is a great way to expand the classroom experience of my MBA in Social Change. If you are interested in learning about microfinance, I welcome you to our discussions! If not, I encourage you to find another way to connect with folks in your field of interest on or off Twitter.
Nov 9, 2009 Sports are a major component of the culture not just in Boston but all of New England. If you follow American sports, you will love it here. If you don’t, well perhaps you should start.
Four of the most popular Boston teams are: Red Sox(Baseball), New England Patriots(Football), Celtics(Basketball) and Bruins(Ice Hockey).
Sports-talk is an ice-breaker especially for the men. You might be a formal dinner party, a networking event or a career fair or you might just be waiting for a bus/train, a drink at the bar or wind up sitting next to a stranger on a flight; a “Did you watch the game last night?” is a great conversation starter
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Nov 8, 2009 Math. I knew I’d have to face that reality at some point in an MBA program, but not this soon. Entering Clark under the alternative admission option, I have yet to take the GRE or GMAT. And my last formal math class was advanced calculus. In my junior year of high school. In 1977. I begged out of the senior year pre-engineering class that was part of my academic track. I was going to be a writer; I didn’t need any more math.
And yet here it was again, a mere thirty years later, right in front of me: the first question in the first problem set for my Management Economics class. Not only did I not know how to do it; I couldn’t even understand it! I had taken detailed notes in the first class. Read the chapters. It all seemed pretty clear. But two short equations in that first question had me on the ropes.
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Nov 7, 2009 
Fencing is neither a popular game in China nor in the US. However, the time I started to fall in love with the game has to date back to the years I worked for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Organizing Committee. As a live commentator, I wetted my feet by commentating several fencing championships held in Beijing prior to the Olympics. During this period, I heard the clank of the argent swords clashing against each other and witnessed hundreds of world-class athletes fighting for their champions. I was stirred up by this ancient but noble knight spirit, and the deeper I probed into the greater passion I had in this game.
Nov 5, 2009 
Like I said, Art, Creativity and Leadership is a very special course. It does not emphasize quantitative measures as MSF courses; meanwhile, it differs from most other MBA courses because of some unique experience for students while taking this course. The week before fall break, Professor Buswick invited Professor Christine Kelly of MIT’s Sloan School to join our seminar and provided us a very extraordinary class on how to open yourself.
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Nov 4, 2009 The creation of the Dual degree programs and MBA in Social Change, through a collaboration with IDCE, has brought a new group of students to Clark this Fall and I am happy to be a part of that group. What’s this group like you may ask? Well, for starters we are interested in a new mode of business, one which puts emphasis not only on profits but also on environmental and social impact. Although our aspirations vary, we are interested in topics like CSR, environmental sustainability, 
microfinance, social entrepreneurship and much more. In our first few months here at Clark, we have been striving to incorporate these ideas into our experience, both inside and outside of the classroom.
After much discussion and planning, we have decided to start a chapter of Net Impact at Clark. Net Impact is an association of primarily MBA students who are committed to socially responsible business. As a Net Impact Chapter, we will come together to learn from another, bring in featured speakers and begin many initiatives of our own to benefit both the Clark and Worcester communities.
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Nov 3, 2009 
For fall break, Cathy and I decided that we want to go to New York. Just on a spur of the moment like that. That’s the beauty of living in a location like Worcester. There are all kinds of public transportation that can take you to NY. If you want something that’s more economical, there are the Chinatown (Fung-Wah or Lucky Star) buses that takes you from South Station in Boston to NY for only $30 round-trip. For about the same price, you can also use the Megabus system. Prices on the Megabus varies by the day of your travel, but if you plan ahead, you can certainly prices that are compareble to the Chinabuses. If you would like more leg-space, I highly recommend the Bolt Bus, which leaves from the same Station in Boston. Now, if you don’t want to make a trip to Boston, there is a family owned bus company called Giovanni Bus that will pick you up from your door in Worcester and take you to New York. Or if you just want to leave Worcester, but don’t need to be picked up and drop off, there is also the Peter Pan bus. These two bus companies cost around $80 round trip.
To go to Boston to catch any of these buses, you can just get on the commuter train that leaves at Union Station. And while you’re in Boston, you might as enjoy enjoy that city too.