By Chris Charimari, MIB London
We arrived on a cool spring evening during late March. The delayed flight from Dubai did not dampen the mood as all eight of us were excited to get to Ashridge estate and meet people from other Hult campuses. Stepping into the building was like a scene out of Harry Potter. Magical. I knew right then and there that the next three days were going to be legendary.
The next morning greeted us with a cool 6 degrees Celsius; the coldest I have ever experienced in my 24 years on earth. The Boston campus scholars told me that it was warm weather compared to the snow storm ravaging their city at the time. The delicious breakfast quickly warmed me up and turned my mind to the rest of the day. We went into our first session with a relaxed but expectant outlook. Little did we know our spring break getaway was about to be cut short with a case study for Red Bull. Imagine that.
Luckily, Hult students have an ambitious attitude so we were up for the challenge. We quickly rolled up our sleeves and began formulating solutions in our assigned teams. After intense brainstorming, we presented our creative ideas. Given the magnitude of the challenge and the brief period to come up with solutions, all teams did a solid job. All of the teams gave Red Bull valuable content on how they can make consumers fall in love with drinking Red Bull again.
Afterward, we were treated to a tour of the historic building to learn more about Ashridge’s rich 730-year history. We walked up and down the same halls that kings, queens, earls, baronesses, monks, soldiers, and scholars once did. In fact, Ashridge started off as a monastery where people came to learn and after all its history it is back to being a place of reflection and education. The facilities have come full circle.
In the evening, to loosen up from the intense work of the day we gathered in our residence lounge and enjoyed each other’s company over drinks and card games. It was fantastic. We got to know more about each other in this less formal environment and laughed the night away. Well, not the entire night. We forgot that we were in the world’s best executive education institute and were disturbing C-level executives in their slumber. We decided to behave and carried each other to bed.
Day two got off to a groggy start but it was nothing that coffee and Red Bull couldn’t solve. When the effects of the previous night wore off we began to learn about storytelling. Our facilitator gave us the opportunity to walk out in the garden and tell each other our stories. The scenery was poetic. Coming from a city environment, seeing manicured grass, trees and flowers as far as the horizon had a breath-taking effect. This exercise allowed us to gain an understanding of one another’s experiences, setbacks, and accomplishments on our respective journeys. One thing this helped me to understand is that persistence is key. You may be going through a lot but if you keep going, keep putting one foot in front of the other, you will overcome.
Most of us quickly forgot about the exercise we were sent to do and began capturing memories in photographs. The fresh air had a cleansing effect and for the first time on that trip, the sun shone down on us. The day was so beautiful we had our lunch outside. Later in the evening we sat in the bar, poured wine and had rich conversations about extra-terrestrial life, sea diving, sports and capitalism among other things. Hultians have intriguing opinions on global issues. Being surrounded by people with different views is always uniquely humbling. I understand these topics from a unique perspective which deepens my knowledge. This taught me that you must gather your classmates in an informal setting and talk. It will surprise you how much you can learn with your feet up and a cold beverage in hand.
Day three we had fallen into a routine: wake up, eat tasty food, go to class and sit with a new team. In the session, we learned about resilience but I could sense that the enthusiasm of day one had waned somewhat. We all had an idea that our trip would not be completely be in a lecture type environment but would have activities different to those we already experience at our home campuses. We ended our day with a lovely award ceremony for the winners of the Red Bull Case challenge. Deans and scholars alike performed poems and comedy for us before sat down for our last supper. Afterward, a group of us zipped off to London to experience the city before leaving the following day.
I am grateful for being chosen as a Dean’s Scholar and being allowed to rub shoulders with people from around the world. This broadened my global experience and gave me friends for life. As a group, we have formed a bond that will carry the Dean’s Scholar collective forward, even after we graduate. A committee has been formed to gather feedback from scholars on the Ashridge trip and ideas on activities and events we can do as a global collective.
This experience was rich and refreshing. I believe each one of us who attended will have different stories to tell but one theme will be the same throughout: the food was delicious.
The Hultian 