A Journey Through the Past – Reflecting on the Broad MBA in my Last Semester

Kwame Brifo, MBA ’25

Having a 5-week long winter break has a number of perks, as I have recently found. Your incoming emails are reduced significantly. You finally have time to catch up on your favorite shows, finish them, start other shows and finish those too. You also realize that you have a lot of time on your hands to reminisce on the almost 16 months that you have had “MBA Candidate” as your occupation on LinkedIn.

If I previously thought getting an MBA was about completing a number of classes and learning when to use ‘synergy’ and ‘optimize’ vaguely, replaying my time at Broad so far has made the other parts of this journey even more tangible to me. The thrill of a busy academic program, the extra- and co-curricular opportunities in the form of student resource groups, and the forming and bonding of community are just three areas that have marked the past couple of months.

The almost 2-year Full-time MBA at Broad runs on a module system where a semester is split into half and courses taken in eight or seven weeks and a new set of courses taught for a similar duration. The depth and scope of the syllabus means that I get to learn concepts from varying disciplines. With a focus on teamwork and hands-on learning, my understanding of marketing, supply chain, finance and other fields has significantly increased in a short time.

I have also found that the learning does not end in the classroom. The MBA program at Broad boasts several student resource groups (SRGs), each with different focus areas that enrich the student experience by providing a mix of personal, career, and academic development opportunities, as well as avenues to interact with students that share similar interests and backgrounds outside of

the classroom. The tailgates organized by the MBA Association, multicultural potluck by the Multicultural Association and Traverse City Trek co-hosted by the Graduate Supply Chain Management Association and the Entrepreneurship Association are just a handful of great events organized by SRGs that blend learning and fun.

Finally, I am deeply grateful for the incredible community I have found in my classmates and peers. Facing the challenges of the past few months alone would have been overwhelming, but having a supportive group that truly understands the demands of balancing academic coursework with life’s other responsibilities has come in clutch! We have not only celebrated one another’s academic milestones but have also been there for personal triumphs, offering encouragement and camaraderie every step of the way.

As I prepare for a semester filled with many lasts, I look forward to learning, growing, and creating more memories inside and outside the classroom alongside the best classmates I could ever ask for.