Posts in the Student Perspectives Category at Heller Admissions Blog, Page 2

Category: Student Perspectives (page 2 of 16)

Tips for Adjusting to the Winter Season

Andy Mendez, MBA/SID’23

When I woke up early Monday morning to head to campus, I looked out my window and saw the coolest thing – fluffy white snow blanketing the cars, the streets, and the roofs of houses. I think it’s safe to say that winter has arrived in Waltham!

For students who are local to the northeast, the ritual of donning layers or shoveling snow probably feels pretty commonplace. For others, this might be their very first time ever experiencing a cold, snowy winter season. Growing up in Florida, I only ever saw snow on TV. I did not own an article of clothing thicker than a raincoat. But now, after having spent the last 5 years in cold places – including the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, Chicago, Illinois, and most recently Massachusetts – I’m ready to share my tips and tricks on how to survive (and thrive!) in winter time.

Step 1 – Find good quality gear

While there is a variety of winter clothing available, don’t feel like you need to buy every single thing. A few of the non-negotiables include a snow jacket. This jacket should have a hood, and pockets, and be waterproof. Many jackets will have a tag that lists the temperature range they can be worn in. Make sure you get something that will keep you warm on days that are below freezing. Snow boots and long socks are also a must to keep your feet warm. Your boots should also be waterproof, have insulation, and have good traction to keep you from slipping. Be mindful that snow boots tend to be heavier than regular boots, so make sure you don’t get something so heavy that it’s hard or awkward to walk in. Even with your hands in your pocket, your fingers will likely still be cold. Many gloves now have padded fingertips that allow you to use touchscreen devices, that way you don’t have to remove your gloves to reply to a text message. Other accessories you might consider are hats, scarves, and earmuffs to keep your head, neck, and ears warm.

Step 2 – Make time for cold weather activities

A lot of people will say there is nothing to do in winter but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! There are so many activities that you can ONLY do when it’s snowing outside. Just last year, Brandeis University converted the Levin Ballroom into an ice skating rink. I’ve had classmates who have gone sledding and some who travel to nearby states to ski and hike. With the holidays so close, many outdoor street markets will be opening. These are places where you can find handcrafted goods from local artists, winter desserts like gingerbread cookies, and warm beverages including hot chocolate and peppermint coffee.

Step 3 – Get cozy

Since classes are ending and the days are getting shorter, you can expect to spend more time indoors. There are so many ways to make your space more cozy and comfortable during the cold season. I definitely suggest finding good quality blankets that can keep you warm whether you are in bed, at your desk, or on the coach. Cardigans, sweaters, and robes that have pockets and a hood are great for lounging around the house. With the decrease in sunlight over the winter months, lamps and candles can help brighten your space.

Winter doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating . The coming of winter is a wonderful opportunity to slow down, spend time with loved ones, reflect on the past year, and start goal setting for the new year. I hope these tips help you make the most of the season!

Facing Your Capstone Presentation

January 12, 2023 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

Neh Meh, MA SID/COEX’24

Most graduate students are busy finishing their classes, dealing with projects, and preparing for graduation. Most importantly, many of our graduate students are preparing the requirement that essentially allows them to walk in the graduation ceremony and obtain their degree: their a capstone project. Many of the graduate programs at Heller also require students to do an internship, practicum, field research, or thesis paper. The good thing is that the Executive Director of the Global Programs at Heller is very flexible with whatever you choose, making our graduate life much easier. After completing the capstone project, students must present it in person or virtually.

However, before we jump to talking about presenting the capstone project, you should know that students must take many different steps before they’re ready to present their capstone project, and that those steps could vary for each student. As a dual degree student majoring in Conflict Resolution and Coexistence and Sustainable International Development, I will share my experiences and journey in how and why I chose to do what I did and what I learned from it. It was during my second semester in graduate school, around February 2022 that I started thinking about different internships for my practicum. An ideal timeline is like this: completing an internship or any project during the summer and writing a report about my internship experiences in the fall semester. So, I started thinking about different organizations, researching their missions and visions to see if they aligned with my interest, and began sorting through the opportunities. Then, I thought of the Jesuit Refugee Service, a non-profit organization in Thailand that serves refugees. I remember the organization’s involvement in refugee education, especially for the Karenni (if you have not heard about Karenni, it is an ethnic group from Myanmar). I contacted the organization’s director and shared my background and interest. He then asked for my resume, and after that, he agreed to let me work with the organization over the summer on Peace and Reconciliation’s peacebuilding project. The Jesuit Refugee Service’s peacebuilding essentially focuses on rebuilding relationships and building the capacity to face difficulties.

I spent three months in Thailand researching the peacebuilding project and organized a training centered on peacebuilding through education. I utilized education to build peace by educating the Karenni and Karenni refugees about ways to tackle conflicts and skills that enable them to create the right relationships between themselves. While interning with JRS, I completed my peacebuilding project called “Peacebuilding through Education”. After completing my three-month project, I returned to Heller to continue my Sustainable International Development degree. As a SIDCO, I had the option to present in May; however, since my project was funded by the peace award from Marice Kapf Hahn, I had to present my completed project before the year ended.

I’ll admit that this timeline was less than ideal and at times I felt rushed, or felt like did not have enough time to put everything together, since I was also working on writing the report/thesis paper. However, one very helpful thing for me was to have a daily schedule planned out every week. For example, I set aside 30 minutes on Sunday to plan for the week, including what I wanted to accomplish each day. As a result, I managed to finish both the thesis paper and presentation in two months! Looking back, it was a wild ride. I could not believe I had managed to complete a 40-page of report/thesis paper and 15 slides of the presentation within two months, but the experience was worth it. I also learned to manage my stress and time and prioritize what’s important and not important.

If you thought that was a lot, remember that I still had to present the presentation I had prepared. For the actual presentation, you only need to put together seven Powerpoint slides, present for ten minutes, and give ten minutes for a question and answer session. I was very nervous about my presentation, but a little practice before the actual presentation was very helpful, so my advice is to practice presenting the day before the actual presentation.

Now that I finished my capstone project, I feel like a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I am excited to finish up my last semester and graduate!

Embracing Winter in Boston!

January 10, 2023 / bruscitti / 0 Comments

Brielle Ruscitti, MS GHPM/MA SID’24

Now that the semester is over, we all get to enjoy a break from academics, and for me, that means taking some time to explore more of the Boston area and check out the places I’ve saved over the semester. The only problem is now the days are short, and cold. Luckily, as Brandeis students, there are a number of museums and other places we can visit with a discount.

One of my personal favorites is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, while Brandeis does not offer a discount, if you present your student ID, you will receive a discounted admission. This museum is easy to get to as it is centrally located by a few public transit stops. There is also a great Netflix documentary about the largest heist that happened at the museum. This museum is not your typical museum and I highly recommend you check it out yourself.

Up next is the Museum of Fine Arts: the museum is large, but beautiful and I recommend you visit, maybe even twice. Not only is the MFA conveniently located as well, but it is just a short walk from the Gardner Museum. As Brandeis students, admission is free with your student ID. The MFA has great rotational exhibits and is a great place to spend a rainy day, or any day.

A couple other options to check out are the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum as well as the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation. I have not been able to go to these museums yet, but they have great reviews and offer discounted admission with your student ID.

I also recommend checking out some of the seasonal activities, like ice skating, winter markets, winter outdoor dining or walking around to view the festive decorations and lights. While these activities do not necessarily have a student discount, some of these options are free, a great way to embrace the season and try something new.

Lastly, winter is the season to be cozy, and feel productive while watching your favorite movies, baking, and enjoying time with family. I definitely recommend checking out your local library and finding a good book to enjoy while the weather is less than favorable, this is one of my favorite winter activities, especially if it includes freshly baked cookies. This time is a way to spend our days doing new things and being away from our classes is a great time to recharge and rest before the next semester begins.

Brief Reflections on my First Semester at Heller

December 20, 2022 / cmcquarters / 0 Comments

Calah McQuarters, MBA’23

This past Wednesday I submitted my last paper to complete my first semester of graduate school around 11:30 pm (yes, I procrastinated). After pressing “submit”, an overwhelming feeling of nausea came over me. Partially because I was second guessing if I listed all of my sources in the bibliography, but partially because while I had been clawing my way to the finish line of the semester since Thanksgiving, I didn’t expect it to come so soon. I hear more and more these days how it feels like time is always flying. Hours are turning into minutes and minutes to seconds. As I sit 4 months removed from when I first arrived in Waltham, I can certainly say it feels like I just got here yesterday. But now that readings and assignments are on pause until the new year, I want to take time to reflect on my learning experience during my first semester at Heller.

When I first began thinking about going to school for an MBA, my excitement was matched by my fear. Not having come from a business background, I didn’t know if I had the expertise needed to know the material I was going to school to study for. Turns out, I was right. Of course I didn’t! In my first class of the semester, Financial Reporting and Analysis, I arrived early, sat in the front, and listened earnestly to the professor, understanding 99% of what she was explaining. I left feeling on top of the world, ready to breeze through my time at Heller. Fast forward to my second class, Economic Analysis for Managers, I repeated the same process. I arrived early, sat in the front, and listened earnestly to the professor. Except this time, I promise she was speaking an entirely different language. By no fault of her own, no matter how many times she explained the material, the neuro pathways in my brain refused to allow the new information in front of me to sink in. I left that class, called my mother, and said plainly, “I think I’m dumb”, laughing but really wanting to cry. Over the next hour, my mother and I broke down that statement and I came to the realization that I in fact wasn’t dumb, I just didn’t know this new thing I never studied before. Now, you might be reading this thinking, “duh Calah! Of course you’re not going to know what you’ve never learned before”. But honestly, somewhere in the time between being accepted into graduate school and actually starting graduate school, I created this unrealistic expectation of knowing all I needed to know before I learned it. This semester reminded me that it is okay not to know everything (it’s actually unrealistic). Instead of obsessing over what I didn’t know in the beginning, I chose to be intentional and diligent about learning over time so I could be a little wiser in the end. I read, studied, worked with classmates, and talked to professors to ensure I was gaining all I could. It’s funny to remember that call, especially now that I understand the time value of money (look at me using econ terms 😉 ). But I am grateful for the patience and grace I offered myself then and in many more moments along this semester. To anyone thinking about applying to something you’ve never done or learned before, do it! The process may be scary and there will likely be moments you feel a little dumb, but what you learn and gain in the end is always so worth it! It has been for me.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a couple of lines to acknowledge a source of so much laughter and happiness during my first semester: my cohort. I am grateful for the experiences shared, heartfelt moments had, friendships formed, and events planned (shoutout to the Boston Commons crew) thus far. And I am so excited to continue to grow together and make more memories over the next year.

One semester down, three more to go.

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.

The Summer Internship, Part Two

December 8, 2022 / bruscitti / 0 Comments

Brielle Ruscitti, MS GHPM/MA SID’24

In my last post, I started talking about how I was starting my summer internship search, and now I will update on how the process is going and what other steps I have taken. I previously mentioned the importance of the Heller School’s resources, specifically career services. Over the past couple of weeks, I have met with career services to talk about how to strategize my internship search, resources available and had my resume and cover letter reviewed.

Having a reviewed and ready to go template resume and cover letter is extremely useful for when I find an internship that I would like to apply to. I can easily customize my materials to fit the job description and confidently submit my application. I have been using Handshake and LinkedIn most frequently to find positions applying to ones that I am most interested in. I have learned that using filters on Handshake can be really useful for searching for specific position types, durations and paid vs unpaid opportunities. LinkedIn is useful for looking at specific organizations you are interested in that are hiring and even tells you how many other applicants there are. Additionally, remember to keep your LinkedIn profile updated, this is not only a great way to keep track of your accomplishments but also LinkedIn is great for networking. One of the biggest takeaways that I have had so far is that every organization tends to have a different hiring timeline, so some agencies and organizations might be hiring spring intern and some might be looking for summer interns. Make sure to take your time and realize that some of the positions you might be looking for aren’t being hired for yet.

Another great resource that I have explored is information session and events that Heller is hosting. Information sessions, specifically about the practicum search is a great place to get your questions answered. I attended a session last week hosted by Mary Poor and learned so much about what previous students have done for their practicum, and what is required for the Heller school, such as forms, and visa information, if applicable. Additionally, there were a number of resources shared at this event that I am definitely going to be using going forward in my search. This event was also super helpful as there were current and previous students present to talk about their practicum experience, and share what finding and completing the practicum was like. If there are any other events that are like this in the future I will be sure to attend.

In my next post, I will be sharing some interview tips and reflections on some of my interview experiences, so stay tuned!

Meet My Co-hort: Robert Hitt

December 6, 2022 / rclark / 0 Comments

Ronunique Clark, MPP’23

We took a brief intermission and now we are back with another blog in my mini blog series of Meet My Cohort. Did you miss it? I hope so! This week I had the great pleasure to sit down with Robert Hitt, who is 31 years old and from Milton, Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a bachelors of science in Biology. He is now a 2nd year Master of Public Policy Student concentrating in Economic and Racial Equity.

Robert Hitt, MPP’23

What did you do before coming to Heller?

I came back to the United States a year prior to coming to Heller, but before that I was teaching English in Rabat, Morocco for four years. When I came back, I started working at Mass General Hospital as a Clinical Laboratory Assistant, which is where I worked before leaving to go to Morocco. I continued working this position during my 1st year at Heller but only part-time, 3 days a week. I wouldn’t recommend this during your first year, at least.

Why did you choose Heller?

When I was in Morocco, the pandemic had just hit, and we were in lock down. We couldn’t really leave our apartment besides going to the grocery store, and the school I was working at was shut down. This was also in the midst of the 2020 Presidential Election, and I began thinking hard about what I wanted to do with my career. I enjoyed teaching, but knew I did not want to continue with that, and I knew I wanted to come back to the United States, but at the time we were waiting for my wife’s visa to get approved. Thinking about what I wanted to do, I knew I was interested in politics and law, which left me debating between policy or law school. I spoke with a lot of my family members that were lawyers, who all told me not to go to law school. I still might, who knows, but someone had mentioned public policy, and I thought this idea was neat. If I did public policy, I wouldn’t have to try to use the law in a way that I thought was just, but to shape laws or influence how they’re made. This was appealing to me, so I applied to a couple different programs, but I appreciated Heller’s social justice bent. In addition to this, I saw that Bob Kuttner was a professor here, and I been reading his work. I reached out to him and observed one of his classes “Capitalism and Social Policy” and I enjoyed it. Bob Kuttner was really kind to me and he offered me a internship at the Prospect when I joined his class in Spring 2022. Knowing he was there, I realized the school really aligned with my values.

What is or was your favorite class at Heller?

Because I am interested in workers rights and labor power, I will say my favorite classes are Economic Theory and Economic Labor, both taught by Professor Lisa Lynch. I find the classes to be really engaging. We don’t only talk about how the labor market affects worker power but also how workers can exert their power in the workplace and gain better wages/benefits for themselves. This is what I really want to do after Heller: improve the wellbeing of workers and facilitate them in using their power.

What is or was your most challenging class at Heller?

Maybe Law and Social Justice: Constructions of Race and Ethnicity and Their Consequences, taught by Professor Anita Hill. There were a lot of concepts I was not familiar with and at times the subject matter was difficult and uncomfortable. Yet I think for myself as a white man, it was really important for me to be exposed to these subjects . I still feel like I am not fully conversant on all of the topics in terms of transformational justice and restorative justice, but at least it gave me a baseline which is really good and helpful.

What are some activities you are currently doing at Heller?

No disrespect to the faculty or administration, but the best part of Heller is my classmates. With a group of classmates we started our own independent student magazine, The Open Air Journal. We are able to publish student work which in other cases would go to waste in someone’s computer file and constructively criticize the way things are done at Heller. In general, Heller has been open to hearing about this criticism which is a tribute to them. Through this organization, we were able to meet a bunch of students throughout the programs, COEX, SID, and I got to know a lot of my own classmates in the MPP program a little better through their writing. For me, personally, I feel like that is where I come alive and I can express myself. I really value that we are able to provide our classmates with a space to experience this in addition to improving their writing skills. We are publishing our Fall 2022 edition online this month, November 21st, and we have submissions from all different co-horts: creative, academic, and even a podcast! This is a long term project so even when I am gone there will be first years taking over, so if anyone reading is interested, let me know and I can facilitate that.

What are your plans after Heller?

I am going to win the lottery and not worry about anything. Nah, I am just kidding! I either want to work in organized labor directly or work in policy, whether that is in a think tank or government agency. I want to be helping workers rights and/or facilitating worker power whether that is in the Department of Labor, Office of Budget and Management, or a progressive think tank. I am looking all around I have a couple of target organizations in mind but I am keeping my options open as well.

Any advice you would like to give prospective students?

Believe that you are worthy of being here and that the institution has to live up to you and not the other way around.

Wow, what a strong way to end this blog post! Thank you Bob for stepping into the Admissions Blog Room. If you are interested or know someone who maybe interested in joining the Open Air Journal when arriving to Heller contact openair@brandeis.edu. See everyone soon for another blog in Meet My Co-hort!

Calah’s Experience Shipping Off to Boston

November 29, 2022 / cmcquarters / 0 Comments

Calah McQuarters, MBA’23

At the time I was accepted to Heller, I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was born and raised in Tulsa but moved in 2017 to attend my undergraduate university in Washington DC. In March 2020, like many people around the world, the coronavirus pandemic brought me back home from college to finish my junior and senior year on zoom. While I enjoyed living with my parents again and taking advantage of free groceries, post-graduation I was eager to figure out what the next season of life looked like away from home. First, I made a plan: work for one year, then start grad school. The end. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, where I wanted to live, or how I was going to get there, but I knew my plan and I was determined to see it through. So, when I received my acceptance letter from Heller on April 1st, two questions were answered. I knew I would be studying for a Social Impact MBA, and I knew I would be moving my life to Boston, Massachusetts. However, those two answered questions raised so many more. Where was I going to live? How do I even find an apartment? What do I need? Why are utilities not included and so expensive?!

And thus began the tumultuous, emotional, exciting, and draining journey towards August 12th, the day I arrived in Massachusetts to sign my first ever lease on an apartment. I will sprinkle words of advice as I detail this journey, but please remember this experience is different for everyone. I have heard the transition for some was seamless, while for others it was less than pleasant to say the least.

I began looking for an apartment in the greater Boston area in February. Now, if you’re following along, you will remember I didn’t get accepted to Heller until April 1st, but I knew if I was to be accepted, I would need to be ahead of the curve. Having said that, I was definitely a little too far ahead. Any place I called, emailed, or messaged on Apartments.com said the same thing: “We’re looking for tenants to move in around June 1.” I wasn’t planning on moving until late July at the earliest, so this quickly dashed my dreams of finding an apartment fast and checking that off my to do list. (1) Start looking for an apartment a couple months in advance, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t find something immediately. Good things come in time!

As I said before, I was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a nice 2 bed 1 bath apartment (my exact criteria) cost no more than $1100 max (utilities included!). Armed with this knowledge, I began my search for an apartment with the same general expectations. My bubble was quickly busted. Not only did I need to adjust expectations for rent and utilities, but also for other necessities I had been taking for granted in the warmth of my parents’ home, such as groceries, gas, or fun activities (those are important!). (2) When looking into a graduate program, also look at expenses related to living in surrounding areas and take note of what adjustments you need to plan for in advance (eg. will you need to travel by car or is public transportation available).

Fortunately for me, I convinced my sister to come along for the ride of graduate school with me, so I had already found my roommate. Check! However, in our excitement, dreaming of our new life together not far off in the distance, we may have dreamed a little too big and not quite practically enough. We spent entirely too much time at Target, Walmart, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross, and Burlington in the month before moving to Massachusetts. Our list of “needs” very clearly and quickly expanded to a list of wants and that is how we ended up with a key bowl that now holds potatoes. (3) When thinking about what you will need after moving, stick to your needs! There are lots of opportunities to purchase your wants when you get to where you’re going. Targets are everywhere. This will also make the process of packing and unpacking so much less stressful. Also, take advantage of second hand if that’s your thing. I can definitely thank Facebook Marketplace for my couch and coffee table.

August 10th, my sister and I began our three-day journey across 1,500 miles in a 10-foot U-Haul towing a car headed towards a new experience. This journey, much like our overall journey, was full of fun memories, hangry moments, exhaustion, and lots of coffee. And it was worth every second. Living, working, and studying in the Boston area has been a dream come true. The people are nice (mostly). The food is good (mostly). There is always something to explore (after getting through traffic). And life overall is good (and sometimes stressful). (4) Whatever your experience, make sure you take moments to pause and reflect on all that you have learned to make it to now. Don’t be discouraged. The moment is coming when life overall will be good (and still probably a little stressful).

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: Punishment Culture and the Persistence of Mass Incarceration in Massachusetts

November 1, 2022 / rclark / 0 Comments

Ronunique Clark, MPP’23

In my concentration course this semester, our professor asked if we could attend a bonus lecture as part of our regularly scheduled class. I decided to attend the Joshua A. Guberman Lecture: Punishment, Culture, and the Persistence of Mass Incarceration in Massachusetts, presented by Elizabeth Matos. Brandeis University created the Joshua A. Guberman lecture to honor Guberman, who had passionate concern for individual well being and social justice. I chose to attend this lecture because I have had an interest all my life in criminal justice, mass incarceration, the school to prison pipeline, anything that involved the justice system in America. I felt that the lecture would be a good place for me to start getting my brain going about my presentation in my class and to learn more about what mass incarceration looks like in Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Matos was a an amazing speaker and lecturer, linking her life story to her current work in a phenomenal way. She walked us through the origins of mass incarceration: what triggered this mass wave of incarceration of Black and Brown people in America and connecting the historical origins to what we are seeing in mass incarceration trends today, especially in Massachusetts. America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and Black and Brown individuals are 4 times more likely to be incarcerated versus their white peers. Even though Massachusetts is on the lower end of incarceration rate, it does not mitigate the fact that they still dedicate most of the budget to spending on prisons. According to the Department of Corrections 2020 annual report, the state spends, on average, $61,241 per prisoner at its largest prison, MCI-Norfolk, and $111,674 per prisoner at its only exclusively maximum-security prison, Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley. . Now imagine if we dedicated this money to community resources and schools in low and middle income communities. What would Massachusetts look like?

I had two major takeaways from sitting in on this lecture. The first takeaway is that Massachusetts is the only state in the country that will utilize correctional centers as places to treat people who have mental health and substance abuse issues. Individuals who struggle with mental health crises or substance abuse issues are not offered residential treatment, instead, they are sent to solitary confinement. Elizabeth highlighted the story of Ayesha Johnson, a 35 year Black women who died in the custody of Boston Suffolk Prison, after only being there for a few hours. Even though the state ended the practice of incarcerating women for civil commitments in 2016, Johnson was civilly committed under ‘Section 35’ in Massachusetts, which is meant for people who need mental support. She did not need to be locked up because she did not commit a crime, she needed extensive treatment and support. But instead she ended up becoming another statistic of our harsh criminal justice system. Prisons are not places of treatment, they are a place of discipline and often torture. It made me question where did we go wrong if we deem that having a mental health issue or substance abuse problem is a crime? Individuals who struggle with these issues are often criminalized more often, especially if they are Black and Brown: just another tactic in this new system we know as the New Jim Crow.

My second takeaway from this lecture is what we dedicate to the spending budget for prisons. I mentioned that the state of Massachusetts spends $61,241 per prisoner at is largest prison. Even though efforts for rehabilitation and treatment have definitely grown over the last decade or so, we are still far removed from what biggest goal of prisons should be: rehabilitation. When an individual is incarcerated, they give up everything they have and now they no longer own a car, or have a job, they do not see their families, they are now property of the state. Yet when the state no longer has them as property, they are released from prison with nothing to fall back on at all. How is someone supposed to become a law abiding citizen when they have to start from the bottom. I wondered, ‘How could we better support the assimilation in society after an individual is released from prison? How could we prepare an individual for this while they are awaiting release? How could we make sure they are rehabilitated and they do not reoffend?’ I asked these questions to Elizabeth at the end of her lecture, and she reassured me that this element of mass incarceration has grown better over time. The re-entry space has more resources then they ever had, because what people experience in prisons affect their reentry. Now, we have peer coaches and peer actor individuals who were also formerly incarcerated, supporting the release of individuals back into society. Yet in order to keep pushing for a more effective re-entry space, we must have all hands on deck from all aspect of our government.

I am really happy that I decided to attend this lecture. I did leave the lecture with more questions and more worries, however, I did feel I learned something new about a state I have lived in for the last five years of my life. I got to understand how this state handles mass incarceration and what efforts are being pushed, discussed, and implemented in hopes of ending the spread of mass incarceration and to really encourage a more robust restorative justice practicing society. Thank you Heller for hosting this lecture, and thank you Elizabeth for providing the knowledge on this topic and helping us as students, faculty, and peers in continuing our fight for justice in the area of mass incarceration!

Heller Admissions Blog

Category: Student Perspectives (page 2 of 16)

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Embracing Winter in Boston!

The Summer Internship, Part Two

Meet My Co-hort: Robert Hitt

Event Recap: Punishment Culture and the Persistence of Mass Incarceration in Massachusetts

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