Post by Imogen O'Connor

I’m officially a Master of Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business! This MBA experience has gone by in the blink of an eye and changed the course of my life for good. It’s difficult to succinctly summarise the impact that this degree has had on my personal growth so I will pick out three of my best moments: 1)     Being a Graduate Student Instructor for Cort Worthington’s Leadership and Personal Development class for two semesters and being awarded an Outstanding GSI award has been a key highlight of my MBA experience. Teaching undergraduates and being trusted with raw and vulnerable moments has allowed me to reflect deeply on what brings me joy and purpose in the world and part of that is creating real human connection and helping others to reach their potential. 2)     Learning to love public speaking has been a wonderful discovery! Something that would make me sick with nerves has now become something I relish as it has been yet another mode for me to make deeper connections with others. One of my proudest moments was telling my story to over 100 of my peers at the Berkeley Haas Story Salon. 3)     Brazil! One of the things that attracted me to the Haas MBA was the diverse and strong international representation. I was lucky enough to be shown Brazil by my classmates and it stole my heart. Since coming back, I’ve racked up a 146 day Portuguese streak on Babbel and I’m still going strong! I’m deeply honoured to have been welcomed into the Brazilian culture by my friends on the MBA and it’s an example of the kind of unexpected learnings that I’ll be taking away as part of this experience! What a beautiful, chaotic and challenging two years it has been! I’m excited to see what lies in store for me next.