A Mix of Business and Pleasure: India trek participants at the Taj Mahal.
Photo Courtesy India Trek
HBS students are continuing the trek tradition this year, packing their bags to network, explore career options, and learn about new cultures. With nineteen U.S. and international destinations that include Las Vegas, India, New York City, Israel, and Seattle, the treks provide a means for students to meet leaders in their field of interest and travel abroad to experience an increasingly global business world. About half of the student-organized treks took place during the fall semester and over winter break, with more to comein the spring.
Sarah Wimmer (HBS ’05) serves as copresident of the HBS Trek Club. In 2003 she participated in the New York City trek; in December she traveled to India on a sixteen-day trek organized by Naveen Tewari (HBS ’05). “We got a sense of what it is to be Indian and to do business in India,” says Wimmer. “I don’t think you can be a successful business leader and not have some perspective on what is happening in the rest of the world.” The 100-person group toured companies such as Reliance Industries and Infosys, enjoyed warm receptions at the family homes of HBS students, and met with numerous business leaders and politicians, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“Treks really open up the field for students and expose them to industries and jobs in locations that aren’t typically represented among the recruiting companies at HBS,” notes Courtney Kelso (HBS ’05), who serves with Wimmer as copresident of the Trek Club. Kelso emphasizes that while the treks are certainly career-oriented, it’s important for students and participating companies to understand that a trek’s goal is not to arrange a job interview but to facilitate exposure and education — indeed, a company need not have openings to host a group of trekkers.
Robert (“Grady”) Burnett (HBS ’05) helped organize this year’s WesTrek to California’s Bay Area. He says that alumni provided the vast majority of company contacts for the trek — and that many of them had participated in WesTrek in past years. “I think both the students and alumni benefit,” he says. “Each group gets low-risk access to the other — it’s a great introduction for students to learn about a particular organization and industry, and the company gets the opportunity to pitch to an interested, well-suited group of people. It’s a way to bring more people into the fold and hopefully improve the company.”
If you or your company would like to participate in a trek, contact Sarah Wimmer at swimmer@mba2005.hbs.edu.
