At Darden’s 2009 reunion weekend, I spotted a few faces familiar to me as students in the Class of 2008. When I asked them how life was going, the recurring answer was, “it’s not Darden!” It was clear they missed this place and were happy to return to the bucolic academic setting, even if only for a weekend.
Many of us opted for business school with goals of bolstering our skill sets, enhancing our resumes, or making career moves. But as the final day at Darden draws near for our Class of 2009, we all realize we are walking away with something much richer, more comprehensive, and more valuable than any single skill set or salary. And as nostalgia sets in, leaving this life behind seems to be more difficult than any of us first imagined.
We had heard about it all during the admissions process… the case method and learning teams and First Coffee, about phenomenal faculty who would be heavily engaged in our learning and our lives, but I don’t think we really understood the true value of those elements. Over the past two years they were made tangible by our experiences. We didn’t know when we started how close we’d become as a class—that we’d go to learning teammates’ weddings and eat dinners in professors’ homes and support a friend through chemotherapy. We found we were an exceptionally mixed group of people from all walks of American life and over 30 different cultures around the globe. We found ourselves challenged every day, in the most tangible ways imaginable, called to center stage without notice to test our knowledge, verbosity and quickness before our peers. We found ourselves continually tossed into challenging new situations, knowing there was no one “right” answer, and asked to bring about a successful solution to vexing real-world problems.
We gained insights and developed understanding about different approaches and different challenges facing people throughout the world, often from people who came into class as strangers from different cultures and left as close, respected friends. We were introduced to the important ethical aspects of life in the business world and were challenged to develop a strong ethical base as an essential part of our life after Darden.
Sure, things weren’t always perfect. There were times when tension among learning teammates escalated to yelling, when the humiliation of a fumbled cold call made you want to disappear, when the pressure of the job search on top of schoolwork was so great that you’d go home and cry, when the economy tanked and some job offers were pulled. No, it wasn’t always easy…actually, most of the time it wasn’t. But what helped us get through those tough times were the bonds we formed with each other, the respect we gained for our very mixed group of peers, and the friendships that will last a lifetime.
Some of the memorable experiences that helped shape our days at Darden include: the Lewis and Clark expedition…enough sweat to fill a pool and poems fit for a Pulitzer; section camaraderie…wrestlers, a bird, birthday shirts, a cup, and a giant trophy; business plan competitions…improving the world and spreading Darden’s brand; Global Business Experiences…learning about new cultures and trying local delicacies; Virginia traditions…football games, wine tasting, apple picking and BBQs in the country; student clubs…a real life testing ground for real life management.
As I reflected on my two years at Darden, I asked classmates how they would sum up their experience. Their responses included: close-knit, dynamic, fun, demanding, trial by fire in a safe environment, a roller coaster of emotions, openness of the community, drinking from a fire hose. But I think one classmate put it best when he wrote: life-altering.
There’s no doubt that our experiences at Darden have changed us. The Darden experience has enhanced our business acumen, strengthened our characters, challenged our previous notions, opened our eyes to new perspectives and cultures, and stretched us to new limits. Inevitably, in two weeks we will go in 300 different directions; but we will all take with us this experience, these memories, and these friendships. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine.” The Darden Class of 2009 has enjoyed two incredible years in the sunshine of life with friends. We go forth confident that our sunshine will continue for many years and will shine beneficially on those around us as well as ourselves.
