HBS Talent

When recently asked what has been the most surprising upside of coming to HBS, I answered the following without hesitation: the unbelievable skills, talents, and personalities of my classmates. Coming here I expected to be surrounded by highly intelligent and business savvy people, but what I didn't expect was how talented and multi-dimensional everyone would be. This was again demonstrated this past weekend when I led some of my sectionmates and partners on an overnight backpacking trip through the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The hike was meant to be of moderate difficulty, but turned out to be quite challenging; it would have been tough even for a decent infantry squad. Knee deep snow at places, ice cold river crossings (boots come off!), climbing of nearly vertical rock faces, a very poorly marked trail that required plenty of cross-country movement, and even night hiking (including down rock faces), all while carrying a good sized overnight pack made this a 21 mile hike covering over 5200 feet of elevation change a weekend to remember!



But did people ever complain? Or try to free load at any point? Never... it was amazing. Instead, people were volunteering to spread load equipment, encouraging each other, and smiles and laughter accompanied us every step of the way. When we finally set up camp around 10pm we each had a MRE (Military Meal-Ready-To-Eat), and exchanged stories and jokes. We even had a student who had never been in the woods and this was his first experience. I was truly amazed by my classmates' determination and good spirits. The point of the trip was not to be a physical challenge, but when adverse conditions came our way, they were easily handled (physically and more importantly, mentally).

It's not that I'm impressed that my classmates are in good shape or know how to hike in the woods. It's that people in this group could probably also play musical instruments professionally if they chose to, that they are involved in non-profits, launching businesses, and can speak intelligently about anything from the US current account deficit to financial put options, all while carrying a heavy backpack and climbing up snow covered mountains. So kudos to all my classmates. You guys inspire me to better myself everyday!