The week has come and gone so quickly. It seems like just a couple days ago that my American Airlines flight graced the runway at Heathrow. I’ll always remember that moment and the excitement that overcame me as I met the rest of the GMCS students at the airport. As you may have seen from the previous posts from the cohort (and posts from others in the 2014 GMCS class), the week was packed with wonderful lectures and unforgettable site visits.
For our last day (Friday), we had a free morning and afternoon to explore London on our own before our closing dinner at The Groucho Club. Friday was a great opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep (the jet lag seemed to be residual throughout the week) as well as get in some last minute shopping and site seeing!
Skip ahead to Friday evening. Our 2014 GMCS class put on our best dress and headed over to The Groucho Club in Soho. After check-in, we were told to head up 2 1/2 flights of stairs to our event room. I wasn’t quite sure what the hostess meant by “1/2” flight, but it turns out that it was literally in-between the end of the second flight and beginning of the third. A small detail, but such a unique touch!
We were treated to a beautiful 3-course dinner (along with Coffee and/or English tea afterwards) with several NU alumni from London, LSE professors, Dean O’Keefe, and of course our hosts (and fellow NU alumni) Lou Stein and his lovely wife, Deidre Gibbin. Dean Barbara O’Keefe gave a superb opening speech that really solidified the magnitude of how special it is to be part of Northwestern. Lou Stein also expressed a few words and also extended his hospitality to any of us who happen to pass through London in the future. Wildcats stick together no matter where they are in the world!
To wrap up the evening, Andy Hinds (representing the MSC students) and Amina Munir (representing the undergraduates) gave closing remarks, expressing the appreciation we all had for Director of EPICS Heather Trulock, Dean Barbara O’Keefe, Lou Stein and all those involved in making this incredible weekend possible.
The Groucho Club was truly the perfect ending to a perfect week. The week really showed me that despite where we come from (city, background, school class, etc.) the only thing that really matter is that we are all Wildcats. Just as it’s emulated through the MSC program, no matter where life takes each of us, we’ll always have the NU community behind us.
In closing, I have to say that there are really not enough words to express my unyielding gratitude for this remarkable experience. It has opened my eyes to so many opportunities and given me a whole new perspective on where I’d like to take my professional career next. Everyday the MSC program becomes more than what I thought it would be. I know that I will carry the experience of this week throughout the rest of my personal life and professional career. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and can’t wait to share more of my experience with the rest of my cohort. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible and a big thanks to my wonderful 2014 GMCS class, each of you have taught me so much throughout this week.
Go ‘Cats!