I was fortunate to be one of Section B’s instructors and to see them just before and during Commencement.

Dear Section B, Class of 2025:

Hello!

Thank you for inviting me to your graduation party and to Bridges. It was such a joy to see so many of you and to meet your families. It was incomparable to greet you as you left the stage, diplomas in hand at last.

You’ve heard much from me over the years, and I don’t want to clutter your post-Commencement experience. But I do want to give one last message to you: Hold on.

Hold on to:

• Your friendships with each other. As mentioned during the My Take I gave, the Grant Study clearly showed that one thing truly mattered in life: the extent to which people maintained warm relationships with family and friends. For many us, family was imperfect. Your relationships with them might even be strained or non-existent. That does not matter because you have each other. You sat in a window-less classroom for a year, getting to know each other well and at times perhaps even too well. But you have that shared experience that time and circumstance cannot rob. I know this as an alumnus, who is helping to planning his class’s 30th Reunion. The Section life matters.
• Your memories of HBS. The human mind is very selective but in a good way. Over time, the memories of stress and Imposter Syndrome will fade and the recollections of the good days will become more prominent. These moments of joy will sustain you in the years to come. “Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you” (cf. Taylor Swift, “New Year’s Day”–sorry, but I could not resist).
• The gifts that the school has given you. I hope you have emerged from the MBA program as the same person but as a different version. The Case Method has likely re-wired your brain: You now can make consequential decisions with limited resources and while under pressure. You are now particularly ready to lead. In a dynamic and at times dysfunctional world, others very much want smart, driven, and ethical leaders. I believe that you are among those leaders.

Enjoy your graduation from the Harvard Business School. You’ve earned it. Dream big.

Fondly,

Jo