When fall semester first rolls around, some students at Goizueta Business School are already entrenched in their programs. Meanwhile, others are still returning from summer internships or arriving on campus for the first time.
Goizueta upholds many storied traditions that span programs and graduation years. Undergraduate students participate in an orientation retreat as well as the iconic graduation year photo. First-year MBA students have the legendary clap-in and Goizueta Coca-Cola Toast.
For the second-year MBA students and students from the One-Year MBA program, it is Keystone, two days of volunteering, networking, and self-reflecting.
“Keystone was created in 2012 to reunite and merge our returning students from the two full-time MBA programs. Over the years, it has blossomed into a rich tradition. It now includes a community service day and the writing of a five-year goals letter. We also welcome our first-year MBA students with another Goizueta tradition, the annual clap-in and Coca-Cola toast,” shares Brian Mitchell, associate dean of full-time MBA programs and Goizueta Global Strategy & Initiatives.
Day of Service
One of the hallmarks of Keystone is the day of service, during which students volunteer at organizations across Atlanta. This year, Ross Hegtvedt 25MBA, the vice president of community outreach, led the charge. While researching potential sites, Hegtvedt included a combination of existing partners as well as new organizations across the city.
“I grew up here in Atlanta and fervently believe that Atlanta influences everything. So I love this city,” says Hegtvedt. “I really wanted to share it more with my classmates.”
The volunteer locations included Atlanta Children’s Shelter, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Flowing with Blessings, First African Community Development Corporation, New Life Community Food Alliance, Amico Farms, Trees Atlanta, and Zoo Atlanta.
Volunteers learned how animals at the Zoo were fed during the winter. Some of their classmates learned how to properly care for Atlanta’s trees. Still others played chess with unhoused community members and helped with laundry and shower services.
At Goizueta, community is a core value, and business and society are interwoven.
“This tradition and the spirits that animate our service exemplify the best of Goizueta’s culture and values,” says Hegtvedt.
Creating a Lasting Impact
This year’s total volunteer turnout and service hours per person were the highest yet. The group of 96 students worked on 10 projects and volunteered 290 service hours.
“I’m so grateful that this is a tradition at Goizueta,” shares Hegtvedt. “I wanted folks to take advantage of this opportunity. It’s a chance to practice reflection, service, and even being present with issues we might not encounter everyday but that countless others do.”
Pooja Bhatt 25MBA is president of the Graduate Business Association. She spent her day of service at a local food bank, which was able to serve more people than normal thanks to the extra hands. The presence of the extra volunteers also created a unique opportunity for the students to apply their classroom knowledge.
“As MBA students, we leveraged our innate problem-solving mindsets while volunteering, identifying opportunities to optimize the servicing assembly lines. This allowed us to reduce bottlenecks and enhance the efficiency of the food distribution process, in real time,” recalls Bhatt.
While Hegtvedt organized the event, Bhatt helped identify ways the two programs could network and interact and even heard classmates wondering when they can give back next.
The Famous Keystone Letter
There’s one tradition all alumni can look forward to when returning to campus, whether for their five-year reunion or just a quick visit with Mitchell after the five-year mark: They receive the letter they wrote to themselves during their own Keystone experience.
“The letter-writing tradition is rather interesting,” says Bhatt, who shared that her words have a tendency to come true. In her application letter, she expressed an interest in being “intensely involved” in the Goizueta community. Now, she’s “enjoying the fruits of those seeds I planted.”
While writing her letter, Bhatt asked classmates she was sitting next to for their signature or to write a little note – similar to the signing of yearbooks at the end of the school year.
“I’m sure those will be an interesting thing for us to discover when we open these letters at our reunion!”
Goizueta’s Full-Time MBA programs are the only top-ranked MBA offering world-class academics and small-by-design classes delivered in a dynamic, global city.
