Cue the tears!I wanted to take a moment and look back on the second blog post I wrote in my role as a GA, a letter to my future self. For reference, everything in italics is from Calah back in September of 2022 (a lifetime ago). Everything else is from Calah today! Let’s see how different (or spot on) my predictions for my future self were.
December 2023 - I wrote this letter as a Social Impact MBA student with the expected graduation date of December 2023. As we see now, it is a year later after our predicted finish date and we’re still here! That’s because I chose to add an additional master’s program. And while I didn’t expect to be a Heller student for so long, I’m glad I stuck around just a little bit longer.
Dear Future Calah,
Stop, breathe in, and take a moment to fully live in this amazing moment. You did it! You endured, persevered, conquered, learned, fell down and got back up. Now you’re at the finish line a little wiser, a lot stronger, and at least half ready for whatever this new season will bring. I am very proud of you.
Dear past Calah,
You have no idea how timely your words are! As much as I’ve tried to reflect throughout the year, it still feels like time has flown by and I haven’t been able to take in all that the end of this journey really means. I did do it! I think I’m a little wiser, I’m tired, but stronger, and half feels like a little too much, but we’re taking it day by day.
What do you hope you’ve accomplished by the time you graduate?
Well you made it to graduation, so you passed all your classes (hopefully with all A’s). But hopefully that’s not all you’ve done. I hope you really learned from your classes and professors and maintained the skills you gained along your MBA journey. I hope you developed real relationships with your peers that will last for the long haul. After all, your cohort is truly a group of world changers. I hope you took advantage of every guest speaker, working group meeting, and free food opportunity you had capacity for. And most of all, I hope you took time to leave Heller just a little bit better for the dreamers coming after you.
If only you knew how true this paragraph is! I know myself so well. I passed all of my classes (and as my professors would say, grades don’t matter so we won’t talk about that…). I learned more than I could have imagined, not just from professors, but from my peers that have become lifelong friends. I probably went to one too many events, but I can say for certain that I was well fed (shoutout to the endless amounts of pizza Heller fed me when I needed it most). As for leaving Heller just a bit better, I certainly tried, and I can live with that.
How do you hope you’ve grown?
Calah McQuarters, M.B.A., we did not see this coming when we were young, dreaming up our life. But that’s what happens when you accept the plan for you that’s so much bigger than just you. However, this degree and title of sorts means nothing if you haven’t grown internally as much as you have added to your resume externally. So here are some personal ways I hope you’ve grown. I hope you learned to have patience and grace for yourself and those around you. I hope you let go of the perfectionist inside you and learned to live in the beauty of imperfection that is this world. Knowing us, we’re still working on that one. I hope you have learned to be okay with the unknown and to find excitement in discovering more about you and your unconventional path.
Guess what… we’re gonna be Calah McQuarters, MBA, MPP! We DEFINITELY didn’t see that coming either! Patience and grace? Absolutely. It’s impossible not to grow in this area when you’re in grad school. Perfectionism… you were right. I think we’ll always be working on that one. I can certainly say that I am excited for what’s to come. I had a colleague remind me yesterday that the world is indeed my oyster and I certainly am grateful to Heller for equipping me with the tools so go out into the unknown equipped for just about anything.
What challenges do you anticipate overcoming?
Now all this growth and accomplishment hasn’t come without hard work, but I know you have put in the work! You have probably read more pages of material in the past 16 months than you had in the 23 years before starting the program. You have also likely learned the hard way how to manage your time between classes, work, extracurriculars, and moments of self care. Hopefully you didn’t bite off more than you could chew, but again, knowing us, you probably did, more than once. Lastly, you have no doubt used your voice and your action to be the change you want others to experience as future Heller students.
Again, I know me so well! I did read… a lot. But I’m also excited to keep reading even after graduation! My book list is starting to get a little long, but I’m so excited to be excited about reading and continuing to learn for myself. I am certainly the most organized that I have ever been in life. Between my color coded calendar and many to-do lists, I am proud to say I’ve found a system that works for me and has helped me be a successful dual masters working student!
What do you hope is next for future you?
So what’s next? Are you staying in the Boston area or going off to start a new adventure elsewhere? Are you starting your career in consulting or going back to nonprofit work? Whatever you do and wherever you go, I hope you hold on to the learner in you. I hope you don’t let the questions and unknowns overwhelm your excitement and curiosity. I hope you take time to celebrate this noteworthy moment in your life and I hope you remember, this is just the beginning! “Don’t be afraid of work that has no end.” That’s your motto, so let’s get to work!
The big question, what’s next. That one still isn’t quite answered. But we’ve got some things in the works as always. I am excited and curious! But I am taking my own advice and choosing to take a moment to just be happy, grateful, and a little proud of this current moment.
Heller, it’s been a time, two and a half years to be exact. Thank you for being my home. For bringing me community. For encouraging me to speak up. For giving me space to stretch my wings. While this chapter closes, I look forward to new horizons, new work, and new dedication to knowledge advancing social justice.