“Networking is a lot like nutrition and fitness: we know what to do, the hard part is making it a top priority.” —Herminia Ibarra, professor of organisational behaviour and chair in London Business School
It is the annual IMBA Family Day that brings alumni and students together, providing both of them a platform to expand network. The event this year took place at President’s House (校長之家) on Saturday, October 22nd, the participants are so enthusiastic that the venue was packed with laughter and joy.
The family day aims to provide IMBA families with opportunities to network and exchange experiences in either work, life, and kids raising in Taiwan. In order to distinguish between alumni and students more easily, alumni are required to wear red wristbands while students wear the blue one. In spite of the division, both of them get along well and had a great time sharing and chatting on various topics. The considerate alumni board and student council also offer snacks and a few icebreakers. Take the fun cooking lesson held by one of the 2021-entered student, Mickey K. Wongchinda (黃金達) for example, participants had great fun getting closer with each other while making the delicious Banoffee cup and Classic French Crêpe together. Moreover, mini golf game is available as well, participants could get attractive souvenirs from partnership schools including Purdue University, ESCP Business School, to name a few.
Speaking of the reason of applying IMBA, Kyle Craymer (柯能默) , the current president of student council said that being quarantined for like two years gave him a lot of time to reflect on what he wanted to do with his life especially in this changing world. He also mentioned that being a part of the student council helped him grow in terms of what it means to be an actual leader in a position of power. Because of the many social activities IMBA provided, he has more opportunities to connect with fellow students. “IMBA is more than just a business program, it is also a program that allows you to grow as a person. If you are interested in this program, definitely apply!”
Anna Tsai (蔡安妍) , who earned the IMBA degree in two years and got a chance to change career path afterwards. “This program helped me to enter different industry, because companies thought that I am already certified to join them” she mentioned. Tsai also pointed out the importance of networking with the alumni, their experiences not only convinced her to join the IMBA program, their vision in IT industry also persuaded her to join the electronic component industry. “It is the choice you might not regret, if you want to expose yourself to the global culture and want to enhance your networking.” Tsai concluded.
Taro Tseng (曾毓) shared her experience as a alumnus who earned dual degree from Audencia Business School, one of the top business school in France. The dual degree program provided her the opportunity to study abroad with high price-performance ratio because she only needed to pay the tuition in Taiwan to reach both her life and career goal. Perusing IMBA not only gave her a big picture of how the business world is operated, she also had chances to overcome different culture and the life and work balance mindset for example. “If you have the opportunity to work with people from different culture, you can think in a more global way. I really appreciate the chance that improved my business knowledge and made me more advanced in my career!”
Building a solid link between alumni and students with cross-section interactive events is one of the guiding principles of IMBA. It is no doubt that the activity has already created a powerful bond between the participants which prepares them with competitiveness to catch up to the rapidly changing international marketplace.
