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As the student-produced variety club, Chicago Booth Follies puts on several comedy-relatedevents in the fall and winter, butthe main event is the show in spring. “Booth’s annual variety show has actuallybeen one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences I’ve had here,” saidJohn DeChellis, ’16. *“I’ve never reallybeen involved in anything related to theater, so the opportunity to stretchmyself by helping to write scripts, come up with scenes,and think about comedy in a structured way was incredibly new to me. It openedmy mind in so many ways.”
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Open to students of all skill levels, Booth's 10+ team sport groups let studentstake an active approach to making connections outside of the classroom. SaidJenny Dunn, '16, of the BoothVolleyball Club. "I've been really happy that I could channel my existinginterest in athletics to a number of the social activities at Booth." Sportsclubs also allow students to flex competitive muscles in non-businesssituations, like the annual basketball gameagainst The Kellogg School of Management, which was played at the UnitedCenter, home of the Chicago Bulls. "It's just so amazing to havethat competitive drive outside of your classes and career search,” said GordonTaylor, ’16, of Booth’s BasketballClub. Ramiro Sanchez,’16, of the SoccerClub agreed, "It’s been a great outlet.We won two MBA tournaments and I love that the club allows me to experience andpursue this passion."
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As an official club, the Booth Partners network is comprised of spouses andsignificant others of current students. In addition to events and monthlysocial activities, Drew Thomas, ’16, appreciated that Booth as a whole offeredhis family a day-to-day community. “For my wife, Jen, being part of the Partner’sClub has given her a community here that she can just dive into and thrive in.”*Ray Liu, ’17, agreed, “Within thePartner Group, there is a subcommittee called POLO. We get to hang out with alot of Boothies who have kids and organize interesting family events likevisits to the zoo."
Affinity Groups
Affinity groups createa smaller community within Booth that focus on the different perspectives andneeds of various student populations from diverse backgrounds. Diversity is strongly valued here at Booth, and students’commitment to fostering an open environment drives the different affinity groups’constant support of each other’s missions.
HABSA seeks to mobilize resources for US resident Hispanic students and promoteacademic, professional, and social dialogue. As a member, Gaspar Betancourt,’16, was pleased to find “a community of Hispanic-American students who look toeach other and find comfort in our similar backgrounds and shared experiences.”He continued, “We organize dinners and have areally great time getting to know people on a more personal level. It’s a niceway to keep in touch with your roots and stay connected to who you are.”
AAMBAA connects students of African descent with the Chicago Booth community,corporate partners, and the city of Chicago. Meeting speakers from the 30thannual DuSable Conference was a highlight for Gordon Taylor, ‘16, “Theconference brings in leaders from the African American community, one beingJohn Rogers, chairman and founder of Ariel Investments. Hearing his perspectiveand knowing that somebody who looks like me is at the top of the investmentworld was really inspiring.”
Outreach is Booth’s student group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students, and allies. “We connect the local population of Booth students thatidentify as LGBTQ with our greater ally community, create opportunities forpeople to understand what it means to be LGBTQ in the workplace, as well as howto create a safe environment,” said Erik Underwood, ‘17. The group facilitatesprogramming around ally education and fun social activities to create a widercommunity within Booth. One of the largest events every year is the Pink Party,which draws over 300 Booth students to a drag performance by student allies. “Wegot a lot of support and involvement -- we actually had Diversity Affairs officestaff and faculty act as judges. I'm really grateful to have such a strongcommunity here at Booth.”
https://www.chicagobooth.edu/progra...xperience/beyond-classroom/groups/booth-hacksStudents of all backgroundsand levels of experience can get involved in tech through the Booth Hacksgroup. As someone already familiar with tech, Jake Walker, ’15, enjoyed the monthlyworkshops that cover anything from SQL to learning how to create an app.Interest in the group has grown quickly. Jake notes, “The Intro to Coding Fundamentalsprogram was so popular, that it actually became an official eight-week coursein the subsequent quarter.”
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As choreographers behind the famous First Day flash mob - the Dance Club provides a creative outlet forstudents at Chicago Booth. "It's so fun seeing people in a differentcontext. You don't always expect that someone who was recruiting for banking orconsulting would also have such impressive dance ability," said clubmember Sana Suh, '16. "People really put as much effort into these studentgroups as they do into their classes and recruiting."
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https://www.chicagobooth.edu/progra...ce/beyond-classroom/groups/armed-forces-group“Being a member of AFG has paid so many dividends because of the pay-it-forwardmentality here at Booth,” said Navy veteran Drew Thomas, ’16. “The group isn’tjust US veterans, but veterans from all over the world including Israel, SouthKorea, and other nations.” Students share in their past experiences and assistone another in positioning their backgrounds to pursue future careers. Beforeschool starts, AFG reaches out to new members to assess what they are interestedin,” continued Drew. “We have regular club meetings. We network with Boothalumni who are veterans, as well as veterans at large, to help prepare one another.”
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International students make up more than a thirdof the*student population at Booth,creating a welcoming environment withendless opportunities to engage peers from around the world. In addition to classroom*exchanges, their diverse experiences are shared through more than a dozenregionally-focused student groups.
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JapanClub
As co-chair of the Japan Club, Nobu Kawai, ‘17, organized a spring break tripto his native country of Japan for more than 50 students and their partners. “It wasreally interesting to exchange our thoughts and views, while introducingmembers to my home country.” Following the trip, the club took part inInternational Week on campus, sharing Japanese, tradition, and culture with thelarger Booth community.
KoreanBusiness Group
The Korean Business group is a forum for students who are from or have aninterest in Korea with events that are both career-related and social innature. In addition to Korean food tasting, Korean movie nights, networkingwith Korean companies, and other social events, Sana Suh, ’16, felt “it was justreally nice to be able to meet other Koreans and share in the experiencetogether.”
LatinAmerican Business Group (LABG)
LABG seeks to foster engagement between Booth and Latin American alumni,corporations, and institutions. The groups’ 150 members represent over 20countries and organize networking events and socials. Having moved fromSantiago to Chicago, Erik Underwood, ’17, joined LABG to find other studentswho were working within Latin America and “keep up-to-date on the differentindustries back home.”
MiddleEastern North Africa Group (MENA)
The MENA Group focuses on supporting Middle Eastern students in the globalacademic society and develops platforms of cultural and business ties betweenthe US and MENA region. As a Co-Chair, Ziad Abouchadi, ’17, seeks to “promotethe culture and the language of the region.” Recently, the group organizedseveral panels where experts in the region discussed a wide range of topicsfrom the Iran deal to the role of women in the Middle East. They also organizedfood tasting events, social mixers, as well as treks to Dubai and Morocco. “I’mextremely proud not only of being a member of this dynamic group,” said Ziad, “butalso of a community as open and broad-minded as Chicago Booth.”
Hear from more students about all of our*businessand professional groups, or keep up with what’s going on at Booth via our*student blog. For specific questions,*connect with astudent, orcomment below.*You can also join any ofour livechats to talk directly with students!*
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Colin**
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I'd be glad to learn your thoughts on this story : Beyond the Classroom: Exploring Your Ambitions - Part 2