BOSTON—The Wednesday, May 28, 2025, all 929 members of the MBA class of the Harvard Business School (HBS) of 2025 gathered in Baker Lawn under Clear Skies to celebrate the class day. Taking place the day before at the start, the class day is an annual event organized by graduate students to celebrate the achievements, contributions and the community of the graduate MBA course. In addition to the family, friends and guests, graduates honored the recipients of the teaching prize for teachers and listened to classmates’ speeches and one of the Alumni Achievement Award of this year.
The day of the class of this year presented the remarks of the former speaker of the former, John Rice (MBA 1992), founder and CEO of management leadership for Tomorrow (MLT); The student speaker Chris Hood (MBA 2025); Jordan Thomas (MBA 2025) and Sarah Zia (MBA 2025) classrooms; And the co-presidents of the student association Hayden Tanabe (MBA 2025) and Taylor Walden (MBA 2025).
The event started with warm remarks by Thomas and Zia who welcomed graduates, families and their guests to the event. By reflecting on his trip, Zia spoke of shared memories, significant traditions and the sense of the community which defined the class of the time of 2025 at HBS.
Tanabe and Walden thought about collective experiences during their stay with HBS. “These two years together were never only academics or career goals,” said Tanabe. “They aimed to learn to direct, listen and rise to each other.” The two speakers celebrated the milestones – size and small – and expressed their gratitude to the faculty, staff and peers for the advice and the support provided that contributed to shaping their experience.
Thomas and Zia then presented Teachers’ teaching prize To Professor Rawi Abdelal and the main speaker Edward Berk of the first year required, and the teachers Meg Rithmire and Andy Wu of the elective program of the second year, for their excellence and their dedication to teaching, and for the positive impact they had both in and outside the classroom.
Veteran, father and graduate of the first generation, student, president and chief executive officer Chris Hood began his remarks by expressing his gratitude to the many people who make HBS a positive experience – IT staff and teams of facilities for catering services and teachers. He recalled the experience of discovering that his daughter was diagnosed with cancer during his first year at HBS and the unexpected force and community that he found through his section comrades, sections C, support and compassion. “You transported me through the darkest days of my life,” he said. “And today, my daughter is not only without cancer, but has many more aunts and uncles that she had the day of her birth. I will never forget what you have done for us. ”
Hood then turned to a series of reflections from his newspaper, three “prayers” who framed his hopes for his future as well as that of his classmates. In the first prayer, he urged his classmates to adopt a usual reflection – noting that focusing too hard on a career can easily lead to involuntarily our personal life. “Take a break often in introspection and ask yourself, do you always evolve towards the person you want to become?” He said. In his second reflection, he invited his classmates to lead a life of humility, warning against the dangers of the ego and how he can undermine a great leadership. Finally, he encouraged his classmates to live their lives as much as possible – the risks, the joy of treasure and to act courageously. “Fill the margins of your days with vibrance and energy,” he said. “Let the stories they say to overflow with getaways and hilarity. Let them laugh through tears saying:” This one certainly knew how to live. “”
Based on Mary Oliver’s question: “What will you do with your wild and precious life?” Rice spoke of the power to identify his “genius donations” – the forces that allow individuals to direct with authenticity and impact – and maximize them. He shared his own trip, from the conduct of a large -scale corporate career at the NBA to the moonlight as a social entrepreneur while building MLT. After a period of self-analysis and comments from close friends, he discovered his own genius gift: the ability to see and improve the potential of others. This clarity led him to the decision to move away from his corporate role and to focus only on the full -time MLT.
Rice also stressed the importance of a disciplined concentration and warned of being too ambitious. “Winning on the most competitive steps almost always comes down to the way you adhere to the principle of the most fundamental sports coaching,” he said. “Do what you do better and don’t try to do too much.” He put an end to his remarks by encouraging graduates to direct with clarity and courage – the construction of lives where their genius donations are fully made and their impact is durable.
The class day ended with remarks by Thomas, who thanked the classmates for the two incredible years at HBS. “It was an absolutely privilege of learning alongside each of you. We are looking forward to seeing what you are doing. Congratulations, class of 2025. We did it!”