That's MY School!!

Ok, so another shameless plug for Thunderbird... but the graduation was recently covered by Time Magazine, for our Thunderbird oath of honor. It's so awesome, because it truly is a Thunderbird trait to not care solely about the dollars earned, but from what good we can create in the world with our education. I am a proud graduate from this university!!!!

Check out the story here... (there is also a link in the story so you can check out the video).

The picture above is (c) of Thunderbird, but I love the picture and it represents the campus well. It is the largest statue shipped in one piece from France to the U.S., and it's adorned with a wonderful quote that reads, "borders frequented by trade seldom need soldiers."

Thunderbird Experience

I feel like starting out this, my last blog entry from my time at Thunderbird with a quote. Not only do I like Thoreau (one of his quote adorns the side of this blog), but I feel in so many ways, that this quote encapsulates what is to come…

“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”

And living – I mean really living is precisely what I have been doing these past couple years. How many people can say that? Sure people live – they get up and they fall into the same monotonous routine everyday – not really breaking away to experience something new, to meet someone new, or to learn something new.

When I got accepted into the MBA program at Thunderbird, a colleague of mine from San Diego said, “congratulations and enjoy your experience – it will change your life.” Never have words been so true – as this place has changed my life forever. The experiences I’ve had, the people I’ve met, the places I’ve traveled, and the memories I’ve made will be forever emblazoned into my mind. These will be the memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I will ALWAYS look back at my time at Thunderbird and smile.

It’s hard to convey into words exactly how much I will miss this place. It even brings tears to my eyes as I think of the friends I have already said goodbye to – and even the goodbyes still to come. I will miss everything about this place – from the “global” curriculum to some of the crazy professors, from the boyfriend to the best friends, from the insane birds chirping at 3am to the scary bugs crawling around campus (well, maybe not miss that), from the turkey wraps to the stir fry guy, from double fisting vodka cranberries at the pub to taking shots of god knows what at the random Indian parties, from Indian dancing to German dancing, from rugby games to our tennis games, from krav maga with the ninjas to running with the boys, from all nighters with starbucks at the commons to group meetings at the IBIC, from Jordan to Costa Rica to Mexico to Prague and a lot of counties in between. Basically I will miss everything.

I am so sad to close this chapter in my life. But, it is time to move on… And so I will march forward into the future, armed with the knowledge, experience and amazing memories Thunderbird has given me. But, I will ALWAYS, ALWAYS remember the good times at Thunderbird, and I will forever hold these memories near to my heart. And so I will close with this…

To my friends and family – many thanks for your support during my time at Thunderbird – your encouraging words pulled me through many a difficult times. I love you.

To my Thunderbird friends – You have no idea how much our friendship means to me. I sincerely hope that we always stay in touch. You guys are amazing – and I have no doubt will change the world for the better as you were trained to do ;) I will never forget you, or the fun times we’ve shared. You are what have made this experience all the better. And, I love you too!

Graduation!!!!

"As you journey through life,

choose your destinations well,

but do not hurry there.

Avoid the shortcuts...

wander the back roads...

enjoy the scenery.

And remember

that the true worth of your travels

lies not in the destination

but in who you come to be

along the way."

Friday was the big day! The culmination of 2 years in the making - well, longer than that actually, because I almost feel like my entire life (or at least from when I was 18 until now) has in some way been preparing me for this Thunderbird experience. I had family in town from all over the US - it was so great to see everyone! My Aunt and Uncle from California, my mom from New Mexico, and my Dad and family from Massachusetts! It meant a lot to me to have everyone share this amazing day with me! Thanks guys!

I will do a Thunderbird final blog post with pictures from travels past, but as I reflect back on how I even got here - it's pretty interesting journey that even though some parts were quite tough, I would NOT go back and change anything, as everything I've done brought me one step closer to Thunderbird. And for my time here at Thunderbird, I would not trade that in for the world. This has been undoubtedly the BEST experience of my life. I have made so many memories that I will treasure forever.

So.... cheers to all the Thunderbird graduates!!! It's been an amazing ride - and I will never forget the times I've shared with everyone while here at Thunderbird and traveling the world.

Swine Flu?!!

So, because of this whole swine flu scare, and with Thunderbird having over 800 people in town from all over the world for the graduation festivities - extra precaustionary measures were taken in light of the swine flu.

People were not allowed to hug or shake hands....

If you coughed or displayed any flu-like symptoms, you would be asked to leave the premises....

The fricken pub was closed down on our last Thursday night (thankfully, they opened up the auditorium, but still - it wasnt the same)....

So, of course, being Thunderbirds - people didn't care about coming into close contact - and hugs, handshakes and kisses abounded and the pub was still rocking (depsite the new location).

Cocktail Reception

So, the cocktail reception was the "kick-off" to the graduation festivities on Thursday evening. Campus ambassadors were given medals, awards were given to outstanding students demonstrating their committment to the school, and basically everyone was just outside a nice summer evening outside drinking wine, meeting families and having a good time with their fellow students!

On top of Phoenix

One last time, I had to hike Camelback - this time I dragged Charan up to the top with me. You know - as much as I despised this place two years ago... I have now come to actually like it, and will miss Phoenix. Or... maybe I'll just miss the memories that I have made here?!

Shotgun Wedding

I have so many pictures from the last few days at Thunderbird, that I will break them up by events. On Wednesday, two friends of mine got married! It was a quick ceremony at the courthouse downtown - but it was one with so much character - so representative of their personalities. All of us dressed up in the most "hideous" outfits we could find to watch Nick and Emilie tie the knot.

We definitely got some interesting stares walking through Phoenix....





Congrats Nick and Emilie!!!!