Dinner with 12 Event

One of the tremendous benefits that Northwestern provides is the ability to connect with Alumni. Over the weekend, I traveled to Chinatown with six other students to visit a Kellogg Graduate and learn about his corporate/international business ventures. The Northwestern Alumni Association organizes these dinners once a quarter to provide an informal setting for current NU students to meet with Alumni. The current students are able to ask questions and start formulating better ideas of what their future career will look like.

This was the first time I had ever been to Chinatown and I was blown away when I stepped off the Elevated Train Platform. I could still see the Chicago skyscrapers, but with the East-Asia Architecture of the buildings, I felt like I had been transported to another world.

Our dinner with the Kellogg Graduate was delightful. As an elder gentleman, he told us many captivating stories about his adventures around the world and what he plans to do next. For example, a week into his first trip to Finland, he decided to get married and the students in the class he was teaching threw him a Bachelor Party. He then proceeded to give the students their final exam the following day without any grief.

This Kellogg Alumni is unsure what he is going to do next, but he is in high demand. He listed off three or four different countries he could go visit in the next few months. Each had an opportunity for him to teach or consult.

At the end of the meal, our esteemed host left my group with the following quote by Louis Pasteur – “Fortune favors the prepared mind.” After spending the evening with this gentleman, I can see that he has strived to live his life by this message.