Nadou S. Lawson

Nadou S. Lawson
MBA 2016
  • Home Town: Lomé, Togo & DeKalb, IL
  • Pre-MBA: Corporate finance at Kimberly-Clark and Google

Nadou S. Lawson

Post Graduation Goals:

Consumer products in Africa

Highlight of My Week:

The GSB Show. I was blown away by the talent of my fellow GSBers. The original plot, songs, and dances were hilarious!

Monday
05:00am
Woke up an hour early. I am part of a team hoping to lead a global study trip to Ghana and Togo next Spring. The proposals are due at 9am and I needed to do some last minute finishing touches before going to class. I hope we get approved!
Path to Knight Management Center from Schwab Residence
06:00am
Showered, got dressed, made some tea, and then sprint-walked to class so that I am not late. Luckily, it is a very short 3-5 minute walk from East Schwab to the C-building.
07:00am
Learned about various product and process design concepts through a case study of Lucent Technologies in Advanced Global Operations (OIT 364) with Prof. Hau Lee.
09:00am
Got to this class 5 minutes early as usual, because it is my favorite of the quarter: Incentives and Productivity (HRMGT 302) with Prof. Edward Lazear. Today we discussed the economics behind piece rate systems through a case study of Safelite AutoGlass.
Student Association Senate meeting
11:00am
Went to the weekly MBA Student Association (SA) Senate meeting. I will be one of the co-COOs for the 2015-2016 school year. It’s exciting to be kicking off an ambitious agenda with all the other SA leaders.
Sandwich
12:00pm
Cleaned up my email inboxes while sitting outside Coupa and eating a late lunch.
01:00pm
Took a long nap since I stayed up late Sunday night. I usually like to tackle some of the week’s homework in the afternoon since I only have my two morning classes on Mondays, but I am tired today.
02:00pm
Met with Jamie from the MBA Program office about Week Zero for the MBA Class of 2017. I have been helping with some of the planning through my role on the SA Academic Committee.
04:00pm
Cooked for the small group dinner I am co-hosting. I made the grilled tilapia, asparagus, and salad. Ariana, my co-host, made the herb-flavored rice and apple crisp dessert (to be served with ice cream, of course).
Small group dinner at Schwab
05:00pm
Converted Ariana’s desk to a dinner table in her Schwab room. The Small Group Dinner was a success - lots of fun, delicious food, and engaging conversation. I can’t wait until the next one!
TALK at the GSB
07:00pm
Got my seat early at TALK in the MBA Lounge. I have only missed one TALK night and I plan to never miss another. It is an incredible experience to hear about the many journeys my classmates have been on to arrive at the GSB. Each week, I leave with a warm heart and a lesson or two to consider for my own life.
03:00pm
Off to bed. I can never do any work after TALK.
Thursday
Working on my computer
05:00am
Woke up early to finish preparing for classes.
08:00am
Ran a couple errands in Palo Alto before class.
09:00am
Had Managerial Accounting (ACC 317) with Prof. David Larcker. We discussed the labor market for executive officers and the complications of hiring and terminating them.
Lunch with friends in Town Square
10:00am
Had lunch in Town Square with Phuong, Priyanka, and Nawal.
11:00am
Participated in a student-initiated communications skills workshop on visual presence. I am normally comfortable with public speaking, but I got really nervous during the room entrance and presentation kick-off exercise. It’s a great reminder that there is always more room to grow in regards to communication. These workshops were the idea of a classmate, Christine. Other topics being covered this quarter include storytelling, pitching, and impromptu speaking.
Check-in with Holly
12:00pm
Did a quick weekly SA COO check-in with Holly. We updated each other on our individual projects. She is leading the MBA2 Arbuckle Award selection process and I am working on a redesign of the Student Association Sunday Messages. All is good, so off to class.
Prof. Katherine Casey
12:00pm
Walked into class just before Prof. Katherine Casey starts talking. Close call though; I hate being late to class. Today in Strategy Beyond Markets: Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Economies (POLECON 231), we discussed a case where Acumen had to decide between two investments in Kenya.
02:00pm
Had a guest speaker, Roger Deromidi in The International Economy (MGTECON 334) with Prof. Renee Bowen. Roger is the Chairman of Pinnacle Foods and was the former CEO of Kraft Foods. He spoke about how international trade policies impact the food sector and shared stories from his career.
04:00pm
Replied to emails.
Edgar at the Schwab front desk
07:00pm
Chatted with Edgar at the Schwab front desk on the way back to my room. The Schwab staff have been an amazing resource and support during the last few months. They always ask how I am doing and help however they can.
08:00pm
Off to bed. I have been fighting a cold and do not feel great after such a packed day.
Friday
06:00am
Woke up still not feeling great, so I made an appointment at the Vaden Health Center later today. Got ready and went to class.
07:00am
Learned about product universality and dual response manufacturing through a case on Hewlett-Packard in Global Operations.
09:00am
Discussed promoting within versus external hiring in Incentives & Productivity.
10:00am
Spoke on a panel to prospective students about our GSB experience. Sam, the other first-year MBA on the panel, was on my global study trip to Serbia and Croatia, and if approved, we will be leading a trip to Ghana and Togo together with Phuong, Lois, and Rob.
GSB Bikeshare Program
12:00pm
Borrowed a bike from the Schwab front desk to go to my appointment at Vaden. The GSB Bikeshare program is being piloted right now. It is quite convenient since I don’t own a bike, but occasionally do not want to walk or drive when I need to get to the other side of campus.
Vaden Health Center
01:00pm
Went to my appointment and found out that I likely have a sinus infection. Picked up my prescription at the Vaden pharmacy and rode back to Schwab.
01:00pm
Met up with David, my second-year MBA friend, at the GSB Bowl. We worked together in Dallas for Kimberly-Clark. Though we are at the same school, it has been months since we really caught up in-person one-on-one.
Hanging out in Town Square
02:00pm
Caught up with Jonathan and George in Town Square. Over the next hour, we were joined by several others.
03:00pm
Changed into something fancier for the GSB Show.
Friends before the GSB Show.
04:00pm
Took the shuttles to the Fox Theater in Redwood City.
GSB Show at the Fox Theatre
05:00pm
Enjoyed a wonderful GSB Show. I can’t believe GSBers wrote an original musical (plot and songs)! It was hilarious!
09:00pm
Returned to Schwab and skipped the show after party. Spent a couple hours chatting with friends before heading to bed.