I AM STILL THE HBS SIGN

Jake Goodman (MBA ‘26) shares the sappy thoughts of the HBS sign

I am still SIGN. Another year of cold black legs. Cannot blink. Emblazoned HARVARD space BUSINESS space SCHOOL. No matter the time pass, still must announce myself, this place. My head, a head of metal, has a bald, bulky emblem or crest type thingy instead of hair. Hair I see on the other students. On sign, which is ME, I have good crest. My crest has floppy books with cool old stuff printed on them. VE (red space) RI (red space) TAS. Not of my knowledge what is in these floppy books, cupped in red, reddish–crimson–but they are nice and contain things like knowledge. I think books mean truth. Yes, mean truth. Weird I show book and not case, since case I hear about more. But that is why I stand here, again, one additional year, to mean truth.

My body is lifted by poles that protrude into deep pockets of manicured grass, grass cared for by many nice men. These poles mean something like arms, stubby rooted arms. I know they mean something like arms because I see student, which also have pole like things from body but lack crests with books and word on head that mean truth. Student might be my favorite thing, better than my poles and my hair. All day student pass. I am joy to see students pass so often, at such specific time. Student come at 9:06 AM, locking bike with frantic pace. Student times two, four, twenty, hundred pass all in the 9:00-9:09 AM window then yet again at the 9:26-9:30 AM window and then again at the 10:06-10:10 AM window and more and more window. Busy and good part of the day, for me, if I am to mean truth. I am lucky to be with student so many multiplied because otherwise I am just a place. I want to be more than place.

Hearing all the time of case and the em-bee-ay. Professor good, case bad, professor not so good, case very good today. I love hearing about case, the goings-ons of what student study, what student absorb during em-bee-ay. Student work out, student play piano in chapel, student drink with friend, student read or not read and wing it.

Since another year gone, I tell you about what I do. Lonely all summer, when still student but less and not many know me then. I get breeze in the heat, but less activity, more solitary. When orange plus yellow plus red leaf, I am happy because student are back here. Lots of student take picture with my pole leg and crested body. I meet these student first time, I am new, I am shiny, I introduce student to a world unbeknownst. This is the school that says its name on me. Orange leaf, red leaf, all floating and sitting near me. Lots of student who have also doubles that are older and make similar face (believe parent) come take snap snaps with me. Parent look thing like proud, proud proud things for having sons and daughters take snap snap near me. All time when leaves looser on branch, I am so happy because student here, the joy and the learn happens and chairs full on lawns and student becoming new, transformed. Earth will shiver soon but the new year, the first semester, always at end of year.

Then, dark and cold time when I am lonely, no leaf, all brown stick, everything mini-dead. Weeks of no student, bereft, mega-solitude. Space all around me sour and mirror my color, muted, tone dark. My pole legs stay really cold and salty. Then, with sudden speed, company again. Rushing student with breath brilliant frosted speech bubble in front of them. Student more hushed and bundled, but still around, I just see less because student hurry, unhappy in wind like me. No hanging out near me. This place is a place of destination, go there, no linger. Snaps snaps very quick, and then complaint about cold in Boston. Hear often about Boston and cold and bubbles that are cold Bostons. 

Until warm-ish! Less cold but up, down the temperature in better ranges. White and pink blossoms (which get their own snap snaps), blue hulking vault of Massachusetts sky, increased volume of snap snap. Older middle aged student snap snaps in dark blue suits, so good and classy for snaps snaps. Celebrity snap snap with funny caress of me, smooches or touch in weird way. Squad is great to take snap snap with, lots of people all circling around me like I’m the candle on a birthday cake. Student lock bike slowly and with smile watch snap snap. Laughs near me are sweet, like flowers. I like world in this time. I could be forever spring. Never leave the time of flowers and finely trimmed grass.  I wish I could snap snap these student and remember forever, but spring in April is tears because student gone so soon.

So now, May, I know because of the mean truth, that some cycling of the year is over. It’s a sign, it’s a me. Snap snaps as student get sad about missing me. Certain students, I likely see a lot less, if at all. My friend, though they not know my friend, are meant to leave here. Their poles are not stuck in the ground, like me. I wish everyone stay here forever because it hurts to miss student once you become close. It hurts in the metal part of me I don’t know feel this much.

Right before they leave, lots of snaps with bodies in black gowns, like bathrobes but fancy. I stay because pole is deep in ground and when I mean truth, it is not an internship; I mean truth full-time being sign in the ground. I love being SIGN for HARVARD space BUSINESS space SCHOOL because of student times two times one thousand. I mean truth, that this place makes me people into a richer self, the snap snap RC not the snap snap EC, much changed and better version of student. I mean what honor to be fixed in place, to have pole leg next to literal tree root and be like root in a place that takes student and makes them grow, unlike cold metal. I mean, I like my root right here, in bubble that is cold Boston, among these leaves and bikes and sun and wonderful student. Truth, one truth I have is this is great Earth. Great, difference-making people populated two square mile of Earth. I mean truth.

Jake Goodman (MBA ’26) is originally from Davie, Florida. He graduated from Brown University with an honors degree in English and Economics in 2019. Prior to HBS, Jake worked in corporate development, strategic finance, and retail strategy and operations at Gopuff, a rapid convenience app, in Miami, and for Barclays in New York City. He is an avid banjo and guitar player and misses the Florida sun dearly.