Gratitude From An Unlikely MBA Grad

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river, and he's not the same man.” ― Heraclitus

Today, I was officially conferred with MBA degrees from Cornell University and Queen's University, after a commitment of almost two years.

This is not meant to be a “look what I did” post, because as 130 of my classmates and anyone who has pursued adult education will attest, doing the actual course work was potentially the easiest part of the whole process, and many of the people I will mention gave and sacrificed more thank I did to get me to today.

My message today is one more chance to offer the recognition I owe, and also the chance to encourage anyone thinking of pursuing a similar challenge.

On The Personal Side

Thank you to my wife and best friend, Katie McMillan. As with pretty much everything I do, I wouldn’t have dared to take on this program, and certainly wouldn’t have succeeded without your love and support. Dozens of weekends and evenings managing Wyatt by yourself, during half of which you were pregnant with Henry, plus a significant investment which we made together. Thank you for the opportunity to improve myself. Know that the only reason I ever want to is to be the best person I can be for you and our boys. Nothing without you.

Thank you to my three-year-old Wyatt for understanding, as best he could, all the times he couldn’t play with daddy, even though daddy was sitting right there.

Thank you to baby Henry, for waiting a full one day after I got back from Cornell to be born. #leveledschedule #resourcemanagement

Thank you to my very loving and supportive parents Randy and Cathy, and in-laws Albert and Margo, for the moral support, and for the extensive babysitting support. You continue to be life savers, and we and the boys love you tons.

Thank you to my boss Laura Litchfield for always being so accommodating and supportive at every turn. Couldn’t have done it without your support as well. Everyone should be so lucky to have such a boss.

And thank you to my friends, for understanding when Katie and I couldn’t join in the fun because a man in his mid 30’s had homework. Time to catch up on the fun!....uh, well, when the world reopens that is.

 On The Academic Side

Thank you to my incredible teammates: Brian Gihm, Deepak Adharapurapu, Ryan Zheng, Paras Kundra, Karthick Srinivasan, and Jasjeet Mushiana. If I could start all over again (please God, no) and choose any boardroom team, you guys would definitely be in the top 10. Just kidding, I wouldn’t change a thing, and am tremendously proud to have gone to battle with you fine gentlemen and scholars. We laughed, we cried, we screamed (all true), and we did the damn thing. Cheers to the Mississauga Mouse Clickers. We will have a special connection for life. To put it another way: I’ll be your wing man any time. Actually, bullshit, you can be mine.

Thank you to a truly caring, energetic, generous and brilliant cohort. I am sure there have been past cohorts that come out of the program with close ties to their own boardrooms, and few beyond that. In the case of the Class of 2020 however, we all now have colleagues across North and South America and Mexico that we wouldn't hesitate to lean on at a moment's notice. You have all been incredibly welcoming and supportive, and I know we will keep our network strong for the rest of our lives. I am excited to see all of the great things this class will accomplish in the years ahead. Congratulations everyone!

Thank you to the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management and the Smith School of Business at Queen's University for the opportunity to participate in this modern, world-class program you delivered, definitely in large part due to the exceptional Charles Moore, Verne Thalheimer, Lesley McClement, Laura Jacoby, and Tim Rosillo. You have a loyal alumnus for life. Also a special shout out to our team coach Dan Dolan, who gave us great tools to keep the raft afloat, even in the storm.

At the risk of sliding down the Cornell slope, a special shout out to a few professors who stood out for me amongst a field of excellence, and delivered rich content in a dynamic and interactive way, making their classes feel like a true exchange of ideas: In order of appearance, thank you Peter Richardson, Shai Dubey, Paul Roman, Stephen Sauer, Tom Schryver, Elspeth Murray, Michael Sartor, Robert Bloomfield, and Julian Barling. From just one student – your passion for your craft truly shone through, and you are all excellent at what you do.

From Rogers Centre to Singapore, thank you to the Toronto Blue Jays and FOMOPay for the opportunity to work on fantastic projects for your organizations. These organizations are fortunate to have top-tier professionals on their rosters, with whom I had the pleasure of working.

To anyone considering going back to school, I would offer my full endorsement, and that is coming from someone who, for the longest time, never would have believed he was capable to be accepted in, let alone successfully complete such a program. As you’ll gather from reading the above, you will need buy in and support from many, but the support is out there. So if you want it, go get it. There will always be reasons not to. Do your best to push them aside. And if anyone considering it wants to talk, please reach out any time, whether we know one another well or otherwise. I’m glad to be just one more person in the support network you will need.

The quote at the top of the article that no man ever steps in the same river twice was offered today at our “virtual commencement” Zoom session (thanks COVID) by Professor Risa Mish. It will stick with me both as aptly characterizing our cohort’s academic journey, and as a strong reminder to continue to strive for growth in all aspects of life.

Once again, thank you everyone. Onward.