By Amara Aigbedion, VP of Diversity MBA Association
I was honored to help organize this year’s annual Diversity Workshop on October 13th. We had a record turnout, with prospective students joining us from all over the world! At Haas, leadership is rooted in innovative thinking. Over 50 current students, alumni and staff volunteers from various ethnicities and backgrounds participated by demonstrating that our culture really does thrive on valuing the voices and opinion of those different from ourselves. Dean Rich Lyons kicked off the day by relaying Haas’ s commitment to diversity through strategic relationships with organizations like the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management and Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). Haas Diversity Director Eric Abrams and distinguished keynote, Mike Smith (Berkeley-Haas Alum ’98) also spoke about the true benefits of receiving an MBA from a top program. Additionally, Professor Ming Leung facilitated a mock case study, which highlighted the importance of diverse perspectives in the business world.
Attendees also had the chance to interact with current students and alumni, get application insights from the admissions committee and learn about the career search process, scholarships and financial aid opportunities.
Along with the main event, there were pre and post activities on Friday and Saturday including a Consortium student panel discussion, lunch with current students, and happy hours in both San Francisco and Oakland. We were excited to see many prospective students from the MLT program in attendance.
Olivia Herbert & Amara Aigbedion
“It was a unique opportunity for me to learn about the culture at Haas. I can definitely say that I can see myself going here,” remarked one attendee who will be applying to the Haas via The Consortium.
Myself (VP of Diversity for the full-time program) along with Olivia Herbert (VP of Diversity Evening and Weekend Program) and Matt Wadhwani (Haas Student Ambassador) were the student organizers. We spent weeks planning with the Haas admission team. Our goal was to ensure that prospective students walked away feeling as if they truly understand what life is like across each of the MBA programs. I’m proud of all of the positive feedback that we have received.
Berkeley MBA Students Blog 
We love diversity, thank-you for encouraging students to be proud of their diversity.
We’re a social job board that focuses on connecting employers with diverse individuals.
Will there be another workshop next year?
Global MBA Rankings are out for both Full Time and Executive Programs and studying MBA transforms businesses and internationalization programs online.