I AM THE HBS SIGN

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

I am SIGN. Cold black legs. Cannot blink. Emblazoned HARVARD space BUSINESS space SCHOOL. My head 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) RE (red space) TAS. Not of my knowledge what is in these floppy books, cupped in red, reddish - crimson - but they are nice and cresty. I think books mean truth. Yes, mean truth.

My body is lifted by poles that snuggle into pockets of grass. 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. All day student pass. I am familiar with student because certain student I see a lot. Student with bike come next to me all the time, many with bike. Bike are nice because metal friend sits with me all day. 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. Busy and good part of the day, for me, if I am to mean truth. Hearing all the time of case. Case, not bad, case horrible, case too long. I love hearing about case, mix of love and no good love.

When student all away, I am again in sun or rain alone. Sometime car. Sometime big black SUV in the favorite loop I watch. Behind me? Library. Quiet temple. Bakers. No bread but studiers of bakers and scholars of bakers. Cannot blink, but my back sees. I know and love library behind me, which also has no hair and a big crest near the eyebrows, but also nice white horn on its top, a horn that is fancy decoration on top. 

When orange plus yellow plus red leaf, I am happy because student here. Lots of student take picture with my pole leg and crested body. Orange leaf, red leaf, all floating and sitting near me. Leaf is like dog for student because it sits near me with love. Lots of student who have also doubles that are older and make similar face (believe parent) come take snap snaps with me. All time when leaves looser on branch, I am so happy because student here, the joy and the learn happens and the bread is baking behind me in the library. 

Then, dark and cold time when I am lonely, no leaf, everything mini-dead. Weeks of no student. Space all around me sour and mirror my color, muted. My pole legs become 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. 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! White blossoms, blue vault of sky, increased volume of snap snap. Executive bakers snap snaps in dark blue suits, so good and classy for snaps snaps. Celebrity snap snap with funny caress of me. Squad is great to take snap snap with, lots of people all circling around me like I’m the candle on a birthday cake of squad. Student lock bike slowly and with smile watch snap snap. Laughs near me are sweet. I like world in this time. I wish I could snap snap these student and remember forever.

So now, 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 go away. I stay because pole is deep in ground and when I mean truth, it is not an internship; I mean truth full-time. I love being SIGN for HARVARD space BUSINESS space SCHOOL because of student times thousands. I mean truth. I mean what honor to be fixed in place, to have pole leg next to literal tree root and be like root. I mean, I like my root right here, in bubble that is cold Boston, among these leaves and bikes and sun. Truth, one truth I have is this is great Earth. Great, difference-making 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.