Wednesdays are supposed to be our day off at the GSB, but I was dumb about how I made my schedule this quarter, so I’ve actually got a class from noon to 3pm every Wednesday. The class is called “Comparing institutional forms” and it is cross-listed between the GSB, School of Ed, and Sociology Dept. The content in the class is really good, but, by the time I get to class, I’m wiped out from the first half of my week. I try to stay focused, but fatigue has a way of making one’s mind wander. I’m still learning a ton in that class, but it makes for a brutal week of Monday through Friday classes 
After class yesterday, I had to dash over to the Tressider Student Union to participate in the selection committee for the Stanford Black Community Awards. These awards are given out every year to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions to the Black community of undergrads, grad students, and staff. With my ridiculous schedule, I probably should have said “no”, but, when they hit me with “We’re putting together a group of notable undergrad and graduate students and staff members to select these awards”, I just had to agree to participate. They knew just how to get through to an MBA student…stroke his ego and he’s all yours
It was a little weird because I don’t really know too many undergrads, but it was great to hear about all of the things that these folks do around here at such a young age. There’s no way that I could have done half of the things these kids have done when I was in their shoes back at Princeton (even if I hadn’tbeen working damn near full-time during my years there).
In the early evening, I attended the annual Student Leaders Reception at the home of one of the assistant deans of the GSB and it further started setting in that I will be leaving this place soon. The reception, which is attended by GSB staff and a variety of MBA1′s and MBA2′s that served as leaders in GSB student government, committees, and clubs, is usually seen as “the beginning of the end” for the second-years in attendance and is the administration’s way of thanking its student leaders for their hard work. As I stood there talking to students and staff about my plans for after school, I felt myself getting seriously nostalgic and wishing I could start the GSB experience all over again. Seeing the faces of all the MBA2′s who were coming to the same realization was a weird feeling…we all knew that it would have to end when we started here, but I doubt that any of us thought it would be this tough to walk away from the GSB. I wish the MBA1 incoming student leaders the best of luck because the MBA2 outgoing leaders and I put in a lot of work in our time here and want nothing but the best for this place.
Finally, the night ended with a hip-hop performance at the Stanford CoHo (a coffee shop in the Tressider student union). The artists were from a label called Conduit Entertainment (http://www.conduitinc.com/) that was founded by two Stanford undergrad alums, Chane Morrow (also is an artist on the label under the name “Epiphany”) and Brian Rikuda (winner of BET’s Ultimate Hustler competition). These cats could have taken their Stanford degrees and gone the job route, but, instead, they chased their dream of starting a record label and I can’t help but respect that. Last night’s show was meant to showcase some of the Conduit artists on their “home court” of Stanford University. Plus, the concert was promoted by a group of students in a class called “Creating Infectious Action” in Stanford new Design School. In fact, several of my classmates were among the students who helped promote the show. The crowd at the concert started out small, but, eventually, people started filling in the place and there was a decent sized crowd by the time I had to roll. The artists who performed really handled their business on stage and I hope to see them on TV or hear them on the radio one of these days. If y’all get a chance, you should check out their website and listen to some of the stuff on there. The artists on the Conduit label are pretty good and, given their drive to succeed, i have a feelings you’ll be hearing a lot about them in the future.
I’m planning on writing another entry or two by the close of the weekend so I can keep up with my pledge to write more than once per week. With the GSB Show going down tomorrow, I’m sure that I’ll have plenty to write about.
After class yesterday, I had to dash over to the Tressider Student Union to participate in the selection committee for the Stanford Black Community Awards. These awards are given out every year to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions to the Black community of undergrads, grad students, and staff. With my ridiculous schedule, I probably should have said “no”, but, when they hit me with “We’re putting together a group of notable undergrad and graduate students and staff members to select these awards”, I just had to agree to participate. They knew just how to get through to an MBA student…stroke his ego and he’s all yours
It was a little weird because I don’t really know too many undergrads, but it was great to hear about all of the things that these folks do around here at such a young age. There’s no way that I could have done half of the things these kids have done when I was in their shoes back at Princeton (even if I hadn’tbeen working damn near full-time during my years there).In the early evening, I attended the annual Student Leaders Reception at the home of one of the assistant deans of the GSB and it further started setting in that I will be leaving this place soon. The reception, which is attended by GSB staff and a variety of MBA1′s and MBA2′s that served as leaders in GSB student government, committees, and clubs, is usually seen as “the beginning of the end” for the second-years in attendance and is the administration’s way of thanking its student leaders for their hard work. As I stood there talking to students and staff about my plans for after school, I felt myself getting seriously nostalgic and wishing I could start the GSB experience all over again. Seeing the faces of all the MBA2′s who were coming to the same realization was a weird feeling…we all knew that it would have to end when we started here, but I doubt that any of us thought it would be this tough to walk away from the GSB. I wish the MBA1 incoming student leaders the best of luck because the MBA2 outgoing leaders and I put in a lot of work in our time here and want nothing but the best for this place.
Finally, the night ended with a hip-hop performance at the Stanford CoHo (a coffee shop in the Tressider student union). The artists were from a label called Conduit Entertainment (http://www.conduitinc.com/) that was founded by two Stanford undergrad alums, Chane Morrow (also is an artist on the label under the name “Epiphany”) and Brian Rikuda (winner of BET’s Ultimate Hustler competition). These cats could have taken their Stanford degrees and gone the job route, but, instead, they chased their dream of starting a record label and I can’t help but respect that. Last night’s show was meant to showcase some of the Conduit artists on their “home court” of Stanford University. Plus, the concert was promoted by a group of students in a class called “Creating Infectious Action” in Stanford new Design School. In fact, several of my classmates were among the students who helped promote the show. The crowd at the concert started out small, but, eventually, people started filling in the place and there was a decent sized crowd by the time I had to roll. The artists who performed really handled their business on stage and I hope to see them on TV or hear them on the radio one of these days. If y’all get a chance, you should check out their website and listen to some of the stuff on there. The artists on the Conduit label are pretty good and, given their drive to succeed, i have a feelings you’ll be hearing a lot about them in the future.
I’m planning on writing another entry or two by the close of the weekend so I can keep up with my pledge to write more than once per week. With the GSB Show going down tomorrow, I’m sure that I’ll have plenty to write about.
