‘Campus Events’ Articles at Heller Admissions Blog

Tag: Campus Events (page 1 of 2)

Event recap: Waffles and Wellness

Calah McQuarters, MBA’23

Why did Waldo go to therapy? To find himself. HA! Just trying something different to start today’s blog…did you laugh? No? Well, that’s fine. But that joke does lead us into what we are talking about today!

Last month, Brandeis Counseling Center and the office of Equity Inclusion and Diversity teamed up to put on a Self-Care series. The series hosted Waffles and Wellness on Thursdays and Mindful Mondays. Being that it was midterm month, I had no intention of stopping in at any of these events. I needed every minute of my day for tests and papers! But one fateful Thursday, the smell of waffles drifted into my classroom and all at once, my classmates began to look around wondering where that beautiful smell was coming from (that’s how they lure you in, free food). I had coffee and breakfast already that morning, so I wasn’t too hungry, but after class, I chose to follow my friends to a nearby study room where Waffles and Wellness was just getting started and sat down waiting for my friends to finish eating. I wasn’t looking to talk about wellness or really to talk at all. I was just patiently waiting.

Now let me pause here and say I LOVE therapy. I am a big advocate for everyone to do at least a few sessions every couple of years just to check in and make sure they are in a good place mentally. I did therapy during my undergrad years, and it was truly lifesaving. So, by no means am I opposed to the practice of therapy, but on this particular day, mental wellness was not at the top of my to do list. Now let’s get back to the story.

As I sat waiting patiently, watching waffles, both gluten-free and gluten-filled, being made fresh and passed out, Heller’s community therapist, Roxann, began going around the room presenting a deck of note cards for students to pick from. Each card had a definition for mental wellness. For example, the first card read “Mental wellness is taking a break”. Again, this was smack dab in the middle of midterm season, so I wasn’t the only one to chuckle after this card was read aloud. Roxann sensing the overwhelming rejection of this definition began asking those who were present questions and explained how essential stepping away from work was to overall productivity and success of any assignment. After this, another student picked from the deck and read aloud “Mental wellness is going to therapy”. Again, I chuckled, but this time, I was the only one… And if you didn’t know, laughing at going to therapy in front of a therapist is the fastest way to find yourself as a new client of that therapist, willing or unwilling (I’m kidding, sort of). Recognizing that I was the only one that laughed, I immediately looked up to lock eyes with Roxann, knowing that I wasn’t going to get away without sharing the reason behind my reaction.

Again, I want to pause. Please don’t think I was pressured to share or even be in the space. I was very much a willing participant. But there is something about being in an open space, with open people that compels you to be open too. And that was the point of the series, creating an environment for people to come together, share, learn how to care for each other and ourselves better, and get the necessary tools to practice every day. But once more, back to the story.

I won’t divulge everything that was discussed after that moment, but I will tell you that before I left that room, I sent Roxann an email requesting to start sessions with her the next week. Just like that, following people who were following the smell of waffles landed me back in therapy. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

That’s my story of Waffles and Wellness. As I tend to leave tidbits of advice in my blogs, I will leave you with this. Stay away from waffles. Kidding! You are never too busy to take care of you. Never.

Spark Tank 2023

April 11, 2023 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

Whether you’re an MBA student or not, Heller offers a variety of ways to engage with social entrepreneurship, including competitions, workshops, and classes that give every student the opportunity to pursue a social venture, develop a plan, and get feedback from professionals. We’re currently less than a week out from one of my favorite of these events: SparkTank!

Next week, Brandeis is hosting their annual SparkTank event, a competition where students, faculty, and staff compete for a share of $50,000 in funding to turn their innovative ideas into viable businesses. The SparkTank event is part of the Brandeis Innovation Spark program, which is an experiential education program of the Innovation Center at Brandeis University. The program provides students with the opportunity to learn through doing by offering seed funding, mentorship, and a collaborative community to turn their innovative ideas into viable businesses. The program seeks to inspire students to think creatively about solutions for real-world problems.

Last year, five Heller student teams entered the weekend-long competition, and all received prizes. The community-driven aquaculture venture Sowing Seas, led by Beck Hayes, MBA/MA SID’22 and Ariel Wexler, MBA/MA SID’22, took first prize, and plant-based sustainable meal vendor Farmer Foodie, led by Alison Elliott, MBA/MA SID’22, shared second prize. Heller teams frequently do well in this competition, including winning more than $22,000 in combined prize money in 2018 and taking four of the top spots in 2020.

Participating in Brandeis’ SparkTank event is just one of many ways you can get involved and turn your innovative ideas into viable businesses: students can also participate in The Heller Startup Challenge, an intensive, three-day social enterprise initiative, open to Heller students as well as undergraduates and alumni. Participants form or join teams around an idea to solve a pressing social issue, develop a business plan with the help of a mentor, learn from peers with different skill sets and pitch their plan at the end of the weekend– and there’s a $1,000 prize!

Heller students can also compete for the Hult Prize at Brandeis. The Hult Prize is a year-long international student competition to sustainably solve the world’s most pressing social challenges offers a $1 million prize—but first, students have to win at their local college competition. The Hult Prize at Brandeis is the culmination of a semester full of entrepreneurship, offering students a chance to pitch ideas refined through feedback at previous events.

Whether you’re an MBA student or not, Heller students have the opportunity to explore how entrepreneurship has become a driving force in the social enterprise sector. I’m so excited to hear how the competing Heller teams do this year!

Event Recap: Heller Alumni Networking Night

April 4, 2023 / rclark / 0 Comments

Ronunique Clark, MPP’23

Last week I had the opportunity to invite one of the graduate assistants from the Heller Career Development Center, Nijimbere Lahayiloyi, to step into the admissions blog room to provide us with more insights of what the career development center is, breaking any myths about the career development center, and how the team can be benefititial to you and your career goals. This week I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Career Development Center Alumni Networking Night!

The Alumni Networking Night is a space for current Heller students and Heller alumni across all our programs to connect with one another as Alumni to share their expertise, insight, stories, and connections. This year’s Networking Night was hosted at Time Out Market in Boston, near Fenway; if you have never been, I highly suggest that you write this one on your list of places to try. The Time Out Market has an array of food and drink options to choose from— my favorite of the night was the sushi bar GoGo Ya, and the most delicious mushroom bento bowl I have ever tasted in my life. Oooooh, my mouth is watering just remembering it! But enough about the food, you will just have to try it to believe me, let’s talk about the set up.

What I liked most about the Networking Night this year versus last year is that Time Out Market has tons of space. Instead of shuffling to around to meet an alumni and yelling over one another, you are able to find a location on the outside (weather permitting) or inside the location. This gives you the opportunity to connect one on one with Alumni, or even in small groups if you like, without the worry that the person standing directly beside you can’t hear you. Having so much space to freelance is very helpful because you do not have to feel the pressure of being too crowded, or if it becomes a little overwhelming for you, then you are able to sneak away and give yourself a break if needed.

Let’s not forget, however, that this night is about networking: meeting with alumni who were in the same program as you and possibly working in the career field you could be interested in. But let’s not limit ourselves here, right? Even if you do not have the chance to meet with an alumni who is directly connected with your program, most Alumni have connections to people within in your field of study or work. You know what I love to say: closed mouths don’t get what? Fed! So never stop yourself from having fruitful conversations with people all because what they have on paper doesn’t match what you have on paper. You never know who knows what and who knows who.

Another amazing part of Networking Night is that not only do you have the chance to network with alumni but also it is the perfect opportunity to network with your classmates as well. Being at Heller, sometimes we can get really caught up in just being around our own program’s cohort majority of the time. The Networking Night provides you with the space to finally be able to engage with your peers across the different programs that Heller has to offer. You can learn more about why your classmates decided to join Heller, what are some interesting classes they have taken so far, have they participated in any field practicums or internships, or just enjoy each others openness and presence at the event. Your peers are your first chance at showcasing your networking skills, so connect with your classmates and utilize one another as a support and resource.

I really enjoyed myself at the Networking Night and can not wait to see how future Networking Nights go for the Career Development Center at The Heller School. Thanks to everyone for making this event happen, and I will truly miss being able to apart of this experience hoping I can return as an alumni who shares their stories, insights, and connections :).

Plan for an Admitted Student Day

February 23, 2023 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

If you’re one of our newly admitted students, congratulations! This is a great achievement, and we are excited to welcome you to Heller. As a newly admitted student, you’re no doubt wondering what the next steps are, or trying to imagine your life as a Heller student. To help you make such a big decision, Heller is offering a variety of events just for admitted students, both in-person and virtually, and this blog post, we will explore why we strongly recommend trying to attend one of these events.

Learn More About the Program
While you no doubt researched the Heller School extensively prior to applying, now that you’re admitted, you’ll find that there is more to learn because now there’s more to plan! By attending admitted student events, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about more details of the program. These events, whether in person or online, gives admitted students the chance to learn about the program’s curriculum, research opportunities, experiential learning opportunities, and career services. Having this information early on will help you start to make more informed decisions about your academic and professional goals.

Get to Know Your Future Classmates
Graduate school is not just about academics, it’s also about building your network and forging relationships. During many of these admitted student events, you’ll have the opportunity to start getting to know your future classmates and forming these friendships. You will be spending a significant amount of time with them, so it’s essential to start building relationships early. Having these connections even before the school year begins will allow you to start building a support system that will follow you through your academic journey and into your career.

Meet Your Professors
At the Heller School, our faculty members are not just accomplished academics but also practitioners in their fields. By attending admitted student events, you’ll have the opportunity to meet your future professors, ask them questions, and learn about their research interests. Building relationships with your professors is an important first step to finding a mentor, and admitted student days are a great time to start forging these connections. This is extremely important, as the faculty members at Heller are able to provide you with valuable guidance throughout your academic and professional career.

Experience the Heller Community
Lastly, attending admitted student events will give you a glimpse into the Heller School’s unique community. The Heller community is diverse, supportive, and passionate about social justice. By attending these events, you will get a sense of our community’s values and culture. At many of these events, you’ll also have the opportunity to hear from current students about their experiences at Heller.

Holidays at Heller

December 15, 2022 / amendez / 0 Comments

Andy Mendez, MBA/SID’23

Holidays in graduate school are a bittersweet time. On the one hand, it’s a welcome reprieve from the intensity of the schoolwork grind and a chance to reconnect with loved ones back home. On the other hand, for many international and out-of-state students, going home for the holidays is not always feasible financially or due to the distance. Personally, my hometown is a 16 hour drive from the university or a $400+ roundtrip airplane ticket so, both this year and last year, I have had to choose between going home for the November break or going home for New Year’s instead.

With this in mind, the Heller Student Association started a Friendsgiving tradition to bring students together for a time of community, gratitude, and fun. The Heller Student Association is a student working group dedicated to amplifying the diverse voices of the student body and meaningfully contributing to decisions that affect students’ time at the Heller School.

This year, about 30 students gathered on the afternoon of Friday, November 25th in the Zinner Forum for our 2022 Friendsgiving Celebration. We spent the first half hour of the event playing board games, teaching each other new card games, filling out coloring sheets, and writing positive messages on a big poster board to the tune of a Charlie Brown holiday playlist on Spotify. Connect4 and Exploding Kittens stood out as the crowd favorites. At 12:30pm sharp, we gathered around three long tables for a feast from Boston Market resplendent with macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, rotisserie chicken, cornbread, and apple pie. Before digging in, we went around the table sharing things that we were grateful for. Unsurprisingly, student after student cited the friendships they’d made at Heller and the welcoming campus community as top of their gratitude list. Since the event was open to students from all of Heller’s programs, many new friendships were formed as people from different programs interacted for the first or maybe second time.

After lunch, we had a very spontaneous and impromptu karaoke session, which was dominated by 90s boy band singles, Taylor Swift classics, and a few Latin tunes. Students were able to take home tons of food to feed themselves and their roommates over the holiday weekend. While the organizers were perfectly happy to handle the take-down and clean-up process themselves, every single attendee pitched in to fold tables, remove chairs, and take out trash. It was such a perfect picture of the spirit that is so indicative of the Heller community. I left the event feeling refreshed and grateful for all the people who contribute to making the Heller School the place that it is.

Social Entrepreneurship at Heller

November 3, 2022 / amendez / 0 Comments

Andy Mendez, MBA/SID’23

Even if you are not in the Social Impact MBA program, Heller students can benefit from participation in social entrepreneurship initiatives both at the Heller School and the wider Brandeis community. Social entrepreneurship events are a great form of experiential learning. They offer the chance to network outside of your cohort and provide a real-world forum for applying course concepts. I’d like to highlight the social entrepreneurship opportunities I’ve enjoyed the most.

The Heller Social Impact Startup Challenge

This is an annual event in the fall semester planned almost entirely by current students. This three-day event brings together Heller students from all programs to form teams, develop their ideas with the help of mentors, and present their business concepts before a panel of judges – many of whom are Boston-area entrepreneurs. I joined this competition in my first semester, which allowed me to apply the concepts I was learning from Financial Accounting, as well as Leadership & Organizational Development. I was still very new to the Heller community, so this event also gave me the chance to meet new people and form connections. I originally came to Heller just for the MA in Sustainable International Development program but was encouraged by alumni to add the MBA. After completing the Startup Challenge, I knew I had made the right decision.

SPARK

The SPARK program is run by Brandeis Innovation. In the fall, SPARK accepts applications for its pitch competition, known as SPARKTank. First prize and People’s Choice Award winners in the Heller Startup Challenge receive streamlined entrance into the competition. The SPARK competition differs from the Heller Startup Challenge in that it is open to Brandeis faculty, staff, and students. Judges have innovation as a top criteria. The pitch time is much shorter than the Heller Startup Challenge, so my team really had to challenge ourselves to be focused, specific, and deliberate about how we communicated our idea. Winning teams from SPARK automatically join the SPARK startup incubator. The incubator happens over spring semester. Teams meet weekly for workshops that help them hone in on topics like competitive advantage, customer discovery, and revenue generation. My favorite thing about SPARK was the cohort aspect. Our cohort included teams from the International Business School, a professor in the Asian Studies Department, as well as first and second year Heller MBA students. I learned so much from being able to hear what other teams were working on and what challenges they were working through.

Courses in Social Entrepreneurship

In addition to events, Heller students can also engage in social entrepreneurship through coursework. Students have the option of two courses – Global Social Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation – both taught by the MBA Program Director, Carole Carlson. Professor Carlson has recently authored an entire textbook with case studies on mission-driven ventures. In the spring semester, she teaches the half-semester course on Global Social Entrepreneurship, which highlights examples of social impact businesses around the globe. I really appreciated how the class encouraged us to be skeptical and question if everything that is labeled a social venture is in fact truly mission-driven. The course also emphasizes that just because a social impact is taking place, mission-driven ventures still must have robust revenue models and solid business plans to be viable. In this class, I was introduced to essential business tools for lean startups, including the Business Model Canvas and the theory of change. In this course, students actually form teams, develop a business idea, and present on their business idea as their final project. My team presented on the idea of an eco-grocery store in Bhutan that would reduce waste and create jobs for urban youth. The fall semester course, Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation, dives even deeper into these concepts and presents students with more domestic case studies. Other topics covered include competitive advantage, scaling, and financing social ventures.

If you are even the slightest bit curious or interested in entrepreneurship, I encourage you to dip your toes in and take advantage of these opportunities!

Event Recap: Gender Working Group Open Mic Night

January 18, 2022 / hplumb / 0 Comments

Hannah Plumb, MA SID’22

One of the great things about being at Heller is that there are lots of clubs you can join that match your interests! There are clubs like the Brandeis University Africa Forum, the Heller Student Association, Net Impact, the Racial Equity Working Group and more. One group that I became involved in since the beginning of the semester is the Gender Working Group. The Gender Working Group is a club that fights for gender equality on campus and tries to raise awareness of different gender issues around Heller.

About a month ago, the Gender Working Group held our first “Open Mic Night”, which I attended. The Open Mic Night was a great opportunity for people to perform (pieces related to gender or not) and also acted as a fundraiser for a local organization called REACH. REACH is a Waltham domestic violence organization that helps survivors find housing and different resources to get back on their feet. They also have programs related to the prevention of domestic violence within the Waltham community as well.

The Open Mic Night was held in Heller, on a Friday night about a week before classes ended. With it being so close to finals, we were really worried about how many people would show up. However, we still managed to get around 20-30 attendees, which was amazing! It was a truly wonderful event, raising awareness about domestic violence and gender issues. There were about 8 performances total. There were a few singers that sang songs about women empowerment, a few poems, a speech, and an amateur film. It was pretty amazing seeing the passion in each performer’s voice and how comfortable and confident they all seemed. As soon as the next performance started, I felt like I couldn’t look away.

There were also some yummy snacks available at the event, and as an incentive to donate to REACH, there was also body painting (face paint but on your arm to make it covid safe) available! I had a wonderful time at the Open Mic Night; it was really amazing getting to see how talented all of my classmates are. And also, seeing how much of a community Heller is that so many people showed up. We also ended up raising over $350 for REACH, which was pretty amazing. I left the night smiling and happy, and reminded of even through the stress of finals, why I am here at Heller.

What I Wish I’d Known When I Started Heller: Elizabeth Nguyen’s Advice

August 18, 2020 / elizabethnguyen / 0 Comments

Woman in patterned shirt smiling at the camera

Elizabeth Nguyen, MBA/SID ’20

The “Heller experience” varies from student to student. There is so much to do, and for me, not having been in school since I graduated from undergrad in 2011, I wanted to do it all! Your time at Heller allows you to try new things, meet new people, and sign up to be a part of many exciting Heller and Brandeis wide events. As we approach the new school year, I want to pass along three pieces of advice I would give any incoming or prospective student:

1. Prioritize career development, such as having an internship or Career Development Services workshops. While I chose to be very involved on the Heller campus through my on-campus work and extracurriculars activities, I wish I had made it a priority to do more career development along the way, such as internships with organizations, especially because for the MBA, it can count as credit. There are a number of incredible organizations, including health, public policy, international development all within the Boston area. Having graduated, I think that if I had put an effort into connecting with local organizations while in school, I would have at an advantage in the job market. If internships can’t fit into your schedule, Career Development Services has a number of great workshops and informational packets as well. I would advise that students reach out sooner than later for help with interview prep or resume reviews, because graduation creeps up on you quickly!

2. Take a look outside of Heller. It’s already overwhelming to see the options of exciting classes to take at Heller. But don’t forget, there are options to take classes or attend conferences and events at universities in the Boston area! Students often take courses for credit or for audit at the Brandeis International Business School or through the Consortium (which includes local universities such as Babson, MIT, or Harvard). During my time at Heller, I attended events and conferences that were hosted at Harvard or Boston University and appreciated the networking opportunities. I also had the chance to attend a conference in Detroit with Net Impact. Even better, you can apply for a Heller conference grant which will help offset your conference fees.

3. Challenge yourself with the social entrepreneurship events at Heller. I may be biased as someone who was known at Heller for loving everything related to social entrepreneurship, but I highly recommend that students, regardless of their degree program, sign up to take part in Heller Social Impact Startup Challenge and Hult Prize Challenge, which are two social entrepreneurship events at Heller. During my two years at Heller, I was actively involved in this event, first as a participant and then as a Director. It allowed me to plan, lead, and organize events with layers of complexity, which I have been able to reference in many of my interviews! Participants I have worked with have enjoyed this event and have found that it helps hone their leadership, presentation, and teamwork skills.

There are many opportunities for you at Heller, Brandeis, and in the Boston area. Remember that although you may be going to graduate school to further your professional goals, it’s not just the degree that matters: the connections you build and the skills you acquire can be a major asset in your future. Keep an eye out for the different events and enjoy being in school!

Heller To-Do List: Sami Rovins Goals for the next year

August 4, 2020 / samirovins / 0 Comments

Sami Rovins COEX/MS ’21

My Heller “to-do” list is long, but a few events in particular come to mind. Before my time at Heller comes to a close, I’d love to throw a party and invite my cohort and other fellow Heller students in different degree programs over to my house. Heller students are a tight-knit group, but we are all so busy that we don’t always find the time to relax and unwind together. Throwing an off-campus get-together would be the perfect opportunity for that. As graduate students, we can become so hyper-focused on school that we sometimes lose sight of other important aspects to our lives. It’s so valuable to socialize with each other and to find the time to relax after a busy week at Heller. It also feels important for us to celebrate our accomplishments together as a group. We all work so hard throughout the week, and a party on the weekend would be our chance to unwind and ultimately get to know each other even better.

I would also love to attend more Graduate Student Association (GSA) events. In the past, I’ve felt hesitant to join for a few reasons. Either I had way too much work, or I felt too tired at the end of the day, or I was anxious about socializing with people who I didn’t already know. But once the event happened, I would realize that attending it would have been a positive experience and would have enhanced my day: the GSA provides a wide range of events, and it seems there is truly something for everyone. My bucket list also includes spending more time in the office of Graduate Student Affairs, which is very close to the Heller building on campus. There’s always something delicious to eat there, and it’s a terrific place to spend some time if you need a break from Heller’s building.

Another outing I’d love to go on with my cohort is to spend a beach day at Walden Pond. Only 25 minutes from campus, Walden Pond is the perfect place to spend a fun and relaxing Spring or Summer afternoon. This type of off-campus adventure is also on my Heller bucket list because I know how much my fellow classmates would enjoy it. I’d love the opportunity to drive over to Walden Pond with a group of Heller friends. It would be yet another way to unwind, relax, and get to know each other away from campus and the context of school. Walden Pond is also a significant and historic place to visit in the Boston area. Visiting it with Heller friends would be a great opportunity for all of us to get to know our new home better. I hope to have the opportunity to check off Walden Pond and all of my bucket list items before my time at Heller comes to an end!

Changing the World 101: Labor Income, Labor Power, and Labor Markets

June 30, 2020 / douglasnevins / 0 Comments

Doug Nevins BA ’11, MPP ’21

I’ve enjoyed all of my courses at Heller, and it would be impossible to choose a favorite. That said, one of the best things about Heller is the option to take module courses, half-semester classes which offer a chance to explore a more specialized topic in what is typically a small seminar setting. In my first semester at Heller, I chose to take “Labor Income, Labor Power, and Labor Markets,” co-taught by Professor Robert Kuttner and Dean David Weil. I found this course so engaging and informative that it is hard to believe, in retrospect, that it only met for seven weeks! While adding a fifth class for half a semester made my finals period quite intense, it was 100% worth it.

Part of my motivation for pursuing an MPP, and the Heller MPP in particular, was that this type of degree seemed like the ideal combination of academic subjects including history, political science, and economics, all in the service of gaining skills needed to analyze and advocate for effective and just policies. This course reflected that balance perfectly. It combined discussions of the economics of labor markets, lectures on the history of the labor movement (including lots of colorful and inspiring stories), and reflections from students on their own experiences with work and labor issues in a multinational context. Professor Kuttner provided insights from his time as a journalist covering labor issues and politics, while Dean Weil drew upon examples from his time in the Department of Labor and from his research related to the “fissured workplace.” Both were incredibly engaging and entertaining as professors. We also had the chance to hear from visiting scholars of labor history and economics. This meant that the course, while firmly grounded in history, also drew upon the direct experiences of our instructors and their work on contemporary research and policy challenges.

While I have been interested for quite a while in activism and social justice advocacy, this course helped me to see social movements in the context of political economy and to use analytical tools to assess and understand their impact. The chance to draw lessons from history and gain an understanding of how labor organizing can influence policy outcomes was very influential in helping me to hone my interests, which lie in the realm of workforce development and education policy. This course represents what I think is special about Heller – the opportunity to explore themes of social justice and equity in an academically rigorous, critical, and collaborative fashion. I am thankful that I chose to take a chance on a fifth course last semester – don’t forget to check for interesting modules at Heller!

Heller Admissions Blog

Tag: Campus Events (page 1 of 2)

Event recap: Waffles and Wellness

Event Recap: Heller Alumni Networking Night

Plan for an Admitted Student Day

Event Recap: Gender Working Group Open Mic Night

What I Wish I’d Known When I Started Heller: Elizabeth Nguyen’s Advice

Heller To-Do List: Sami Rovins Goals for the next year

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

Most Popular Tags

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Most Popular Tags

Meta

Ping