When Annie Qin (MBA ’20) and her classmates signed up for the 2020 Rotman Design Challenge earlier this year they figured it would be a great way to mark the end of their time together in the Full-Time MBA program at the Rotman School.
“We’re all good friends and wanted to do one last case competition together,” explains Qin, who entered the competition with fellow classmates Namita Multani (MBA ’20), Mandeep Dhillon (MBA’20), Tanya Adityan (MBA ’20) and Sam Kochhar (MBA ’20).
The first few weeks of the weeks-long competition went smoothly: the students quickly got to work defining the scope of their project, conducting in-person interviews and meeting regularly to discuss their progress. However, the team was really put to the test in the final days of the competition when the COVID-19 pandemic forced students to complete all remaining classes and project work from home.
Acting swiftly, they moved their meetings online and managed to finalize the remaining aspects of the case, including producing a cohesive video presentation, all this while working from home.
“It wasn’t a huge struggle, everyone was active, online and supportive, but it was definitely different from any other case competition I’ve participated in,” says Qin.
Fortunately, there were moments of fun mixed in with the work. They still joked around on video chat — with one team member’s dog making guest appearances during virtual meetings — and, best of all, the students were together when they learned that they had placed third in the competition.
“We organized a virtual team dinner and waited for the results,” Qin explains. “It was special that we could celebrate that moment ‘together’.”
This is just one example of how students across the Rotman School are adapting quickly and staying positive during this difficult time. The stories have been inspiring. Remarkably, students are still devoting the same effort and attention to their classes and extracurricular activities, and many are taking the time to share messages of support with their classmates abroad.
A PhD student adapts quickly to complete her defense virtually
As new challenges arise during this time, many students have been quick to adapt. Astrid Marinoni is among one of the first students at Rotman to successfully defend her doctoral thesis virtually.
For Marinoni, the situation evolved quickly: two weeks before her scheduled defense date, she learned that a member of her examination committee would not be able to fly into Toronto because of newly introduced travel restrictions. A few days later, the University of Toronto announced they would be moving all remaining classes online.
With help from the PhD office at the Rotman School and the School of Graduate Studies at the University, Marinoni made alterative arrangements to present and defend her doctoral work virtually. In the days leading up to her defense, she called on friends to test out some of the technical aspects of presenting virtually.
The preparation paid off.
“Everything worked out well,” she says. “I’ve received great support throughout the process. Everything went smoothly and efficiently.”
With her doctoral work completed, Marinoni now has more time to stay in touch with friends and family during this difficult time and to prepare for her upcoming move to Atlanta, where she’ll be joining the Georgia Institute of Technology as an assistant professor in the fall.
The Global Executive MBA class of 2021 shares messages of support
In recent weeks, many students in the Rotman-SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) program have grown increasingly concerned for their professors and fellow students in Italy, a country that has been profoundly impacted by the pandemic. Students from the GEMBA class of 2021 knew that they had to do something.
“We wanted to do something to celebrate Italy,” explains Cristiano Righettini (GEMBA ’21). “Our aim was to share the message about staying strong and not giving up during this tough time.”
In mid-March, Righettini emailed his fellow students, asking them to submit encouraging video messages. Within a matter of hours, he received responses from 20 classmates from around the world. He quickly compiled the messages into one video, which has been widely shared on LinkedIn.
Today, the class is keeping morale strong through a group chat, where they exchange news, ideas or even jokes.
“I didn’t expect such strong and positive responses from so many of my classmates,” he says “I feel blessed to be a part of this group. “
Written by Rebecca Cheung | More Student Stories »