From the Editors' Desk

The start of something new

The tradition of setting a New Year’s resolution is ancient. Over 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians started each year by promising they’d repay their debts. A dozen centuries later, the Romans pledged to Janus, the god of doors and gates and transitions, that they’d be better in the new year than they’d been in the old one. Now, 2,500 years later, we resolve to get a job or save money or read all of our cases or pick up a new hobby or spend more time with loved ones or spend less time on our phones.

Unsurprisingly, many HBS students participate in this tradition too, by taking time at the beginning of the year to reflect and set goals of their own. In talking to several folks across the RC and EC classes, we were surprised (and inspired) by the lighthearted resolutions they set. From dunking a basketball at Shad to painting more pictures to running a 5K every Friday to writing more letters, not one person shared an intention related to getting a job or trying harder in school. The focus was on side pursuits and passions. 

With that in mind, our resolution this year as your new Editors-in-Chief is to share stories about the big (and importantly, little) things that matter to our HBS community: from major news to small moments that made a difference in someone’s daily life. If you read the Harbus and feel inspired or learn something new, we will have done our job. If you read it and find something that makes you smile or laugh, the same goes. 

Now to share a bit about the collection of articles you’ll find in this issue. Sticking with the theme of starting something new, we have two stories that highlight startups at HBS and in the broader Boston community. We also have reflections on the first semester’s academic experience, a profile from our series on women professors at HBS, one student’s learnings from a particularly insightful SIP course, and a professor’s reflection on solitude in the pandemic era. 

Feel free to reach out to us this year with any thoughts or feedback – or if you want to join the team! We are humbled to take on this new role, and thank Alex Smith for her guidance and leadership as Editor-in-Chief in 2022.

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Rory Finnegan (MBA ’24) is originally from New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in poetry writing in 2018. Prior to HBS, she worked in consulting and CEO communications in New York.

Edgard Mejico (MBA ’24) is originally from Lima, Peru. He graduated from Universidad del Pacifico, Peru with a degree in Business Engineering in 2016. Prior to the HBS MBA, he worked for six years in Brand Management and Sales in Colgate-Palmolive Latin America.