Helena Velloso
MBA 2015
- Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Pre-MBA: Consultant specializing in sustainability strategy
Helena Velloso
Post Graduation Goals:
Go back to Brazil and help change the reality of the country.
Favorite GSB Memory So Far:
My social innovation trip to India! I loved learning more about India, its challenges and opportunities. Not to mention the amazing group of students that traveled with me.
Monday
07:00am
Wake up in beautiful Escondido Village and get ready for a full day!
08:00am
On Mondays I have a morning full of classes! Data and Decisions from 8 to 10 and Finance from 10 to 12. I really enjoy my Finance class, especially because the professor is energetic and teaches hard topics in a comprehensive way. Before the GSB I used to think that I didn’t love finance very much, but that is changing this quarter.
11:45am
After Finance class I ran to be a panelist at the MBA Program Info Session, where I talk about my experience and life here. I enjoy being a part of the GSB MAAP (MBA Admissions Ambassadors Program); I get to meet prospective students, call new admits, and be part of Admit Weekend. I always meet amazing people.
12:15pm
Lunch time! My husband is also a first-year MBA student at the GSB, and we always have lunch together on Mondays. He usually cooks, since he is a great chef! (Me, not so much…)
01:00pm
Time to prepare for tomorrow’s classes and to study (a lot!) for my finals next week.
04:15pm
Out for a run! I love running on campus, it’s so beautiful.
06:00pm
Here is a picture of my amazing WIM (Woman in Management) group. Every 15 days we get together in Ally’s house and talk about our week, our challenges and how things are going in life. This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the day. I met really amazing women and got to share experiences with them. As a Brazilian, I really appreciate this group. They are all Americans and help me navigate American culture and open my perspective.
09:00pm
TALK time! Every Monday, two classmates stand in front of GSB students and talk about their life, and how they got here. This was a very special talk since Catherine, the brave person in front of the crowd, is from my WIM group.
11:45pm
Time to finish my last notes, and read my non-GSB book. (I always try to read something that is not related to my MBA course.) Currently I am reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers.
Tuesday
07:00am
Wake up and check my emails, trying to get everything up to date
08:00am
Fiona and me in Optimization and Simulation Modeling class…Best lab partner!
10:00am
More studying for the finals, this time in the library. This view makes it a lot easier!
12:00pm
Lunch with Zoe and Isabel! We are attending a Brown Bag Lunch meeting about entrepreneurship in the food industry.
01:15pm
Microeconomics class. This is the only class that my husband and I have together.
03:15pm
Time for Electronic Business, my favorite class of the quarter. We have many interesting guest speakers and I really enjoy learning more about this topic.
05:30pm
Ran into Assaf, a good friend of mine here!
06:00pm
Time to go home and get ready for dinner at Mauricio and Nini’s home.
07:00pm
Dinner at Mauricio and Nini’s! They hosted a small group dinner for Latin American Student Association members! It was really fun.
10:00pm
Time to finish my last assignments, Skype with my mother, and go to bed! Zzzzzz…
Wednesday
08:00am
No classes today, so I am going for a hike at the Stanford Dish.
10:00am
Out for coffee at Starbucks with Erica, one of my best friends here! She is an MBA 2 at the GSB so she helps me figure out a lot of things.
12:00pm
Lunch with the Brazilians! We are planning a Global Study Trip to Brazil and we usually meet during lunch hour to plan everything.
01:00pm
Back to studying. This time I read my cases outside, on the GSB campus.
04:00pm
Quick pit stop at my house to get ready for the India pre-trip meeting!
05:00pm
India here we come! On this meeting we saw our schedule for the trip and had an overview of what is awaiting us in India.
07:30pm
The meeting ended with Aditi teaching us how to dance Bollywood style!
08:00pm
Dinner in Palo Alto with Klaudyna! Always so much fun!
09:30pm
Back to studying…Microeconomics is keeping me awake at night.