Rebecca Ackerman
MBA 2018
- Hometown: Chicago, IL
- Pre-MBA: Strategy & Analytics Consulting
Rebecca Ackerman
Post Graduation Goals:
Work in a growing industry that prioritizes innovation and consumer experience surrounded by exceptional people who challenge me to be my best self
Favorite GSB Memory So Far:
Interviewing Nancy Lublin, the CEO of Crisis Text Line
Thursday
07:00am
Today was an early start, but I jumped out of bed to join a video chat with an incredible company in New York. I am fortunate enough to be writing a case based on an inspiring and innovative non-profit company in NY that is providing crisis intervention through texting. We are in the early stages of the case which involved lots of conversations with current employees and stakeholders, but each person has been more incredible than the next.
08:30am
Every Tuesday and Thursday I have my Advanced Operations class with Professor Hau Lee in which we discuss ways to optimize supply chain solutions. Today, we discussed cyclical inventory processes and how to understand the effective quantities. Although it wasn’t as exciting as our class on Tuesday (there may have been a bullwhip demonstration), it is always filled with stories from the professor’s current and past experiences!
10:00am
I stopped by the Bass Library quickly to use the printer and ran into a few friends for a quick catch-up.
10:30am
Every Tuesday and Thursday, I have my Macroeconomics class in room P107. Today we discussed non-rivalry models and how to think about the economics of ideas. For example, a natural resource is rivalrous since if I am using it no one else can.
12:00pm
This quarter, I am taking a class called The Startup School with Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator. Each class, he brings a new entrepreneur to the course to discuss various topics that are vital to starting a new company. This week, we heard from Aaron Levie, CEO and Co-Founder of Box discussing how he built his product.
01:30pm
After class, I walked home with my husband who happens to also be an MBA1 in my class! There was an event outside with live music and food - everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather which had been missed over the past few rainy weeks.
03:00pm
I met a friend outside on Wilbur Field to enjoy the beautiful day and to squeeze in a workout.
07:00pm
We have all been very busy the past few weeks so I decided to host a dinner at my house with 10 of my closest girl friends. It was a great way to catch up on what was going on in our lives and the company was fantastic. The GSB community has been wonderful at encouraging small group dinners and it is one of my highlights of the week. After dinner, we went to The Patio in downtown Palo Alto for a social gathering between MBA1s and MBA2s.
Wednesday
09:00am
Life Outside of Tech Panel: I have been working with the MBA admissions team to develop a live panel for prospective applicants and today was the big day! Three of my amazing classmates, Jason Dunford, Jessica Holton, and JB Monu hosted the panel to discuss their past and future career journeys outside of the tech world. We fielded multiple questions from the participants live using the media rooms on campus and gave admits insight into life at the GSB. It was such a fun morning and I loved being able to share what makes this school so great!
11:00am
I visited my career advisor at the McClelland Building on campus to discuss my summer internship. She greets me at the door with a hug and helps me sort through all of the recruiting chaos. As I think through what I want to do after school, she helps me develop a plan of action including alumni to contact and companies to research! I always leave her office feeling much better than when I walked in the door.
12:00pm
I have been working on writing a case with two of my classmates. The CEO of the company spoke to my People Operations from Startup to Scaleup class with Professor Rao last quarter, and the three of us were selected to produce an interactive case. We have spent the past few months interviewing employees, meeting with the CEO and developing the storyline for what has made this company a success. Today, the three of us met on campus to begin compiling all of the amazing information we have collected from the company. We ended the session with a whiteboard full of text and an outline for the case!
04:00pm
I squeezed in a quick hour of reading for the next day’s classes.
05:30pm
Every spring, a couple women organize a fun golf clinic for the women of the GSB. About 200 women (MBA1, MBA2, SOs, MSx) joined the clinic this year and the levels range from beginner to intermediate. Every Wednesday, we break up into groups of about 10 people and are assigned to a golf pro to work with for the hour. After golf, we typically have a speaker and happy hour waiting for us back at the pro-shop! This week, I went to the driving range to learn the full swing - I am definitely a beginner, but had so much fun with my group!
07:30pm
I came home from golf to grab a quick bite to eat with my husband. Lucky for me, he had cooked dinner while I was gone and everything was ready when I walked in the door.
09:00pm
TALK! Every Wednesday night, two of our classmates stand up and deliver their own 30 minute talk about their life. This is one of my favorite events at the GSB - it is an opportunity to learn about your classmates at a deeper level and I always leave feeling fortunate to be surrounded by such incredible people.
Saturday
09:00am
Friday started our Challenge for Charity weekend in which nine west coast MBA programs travel to the Stanford campus for a weekend of competition. I started off the day bright and early to referee the co-ed volleyball game. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get a whistle, but had a blast watching the teams play. It reminded me of all of my volleyball competitions while growing up.
11:00am
I ran over to the Arrillaga Gym to catch the end of the dodgeball competition and then went home quickly to grab a bite to eat before the women’s volleyball competition.
12:00pm
About 11 women from the MBA1 and MBA2 classes joined together to make up the Stanford Women’s volleyball team. Most of us had never played together, but we had a great time and all enjoyed the beautiful day on campus! We played roughly 8 games before going into the final match. It was close, but we pulled together as a team to walk away as the C4C Women’s Volleyball Champs!
04:00pm
Now that I was done playing, I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with friends and supported the other Stanford teams playing. We watched basketball, cheerleading, and challenge races. It was amazing to see how much pride we all had for our schools and was incredible to see everyone’s talents!
09:00pm
Battle of the Bands was one of of my favorite events of the day! About 6 of the schools entered the competition that required each school to play a 20 minute set on stage. I was completely blown away by their performances! Each band played a variety of songs for a full audience of over 400 MBA students. When the night finally ended, we were all sad that the weekend was over, but I could not wait to get in bed after such a long weekend! I would consider C4C 2017 a huge success!