With Commencement at HBS this month, the MBA Class of 1997 will be leaving Soldiers Field, taking their recently acquired skills and insights with them to new jobs and new adventures. It was another remarkable class, some 850 strong. Among them were members of the School's first-ever January cohort - a group of approximately 250 students who entered in January 1996 and completed the entire MBA Program in sixteen months straight.

In the following pages, the Bulletin profiles six members of the Class of '97 who demonstrated a flair for leadership, community service, and entrepreneurship at HBS. Their stories - which suggest the diversity of interests and ambitions within the class - convey a sense of the impressive capabilities and intellect the newest Harvard MBAs will bring to bear on the companies, organizations, and enterprises they are about to join.