Diana Nassar
MBA 2020
- Hometown: Amman, Jordan
- Pre-MBA: Senior Product Manager at Amazon/Souq.com
Diana Nassar
Post Graduation Goals:
Exploring opportunities at the intersection of tech and media
Highlight of my Week:
I enjoyed planning and executing this year’s Admit Weekend! Super excited to welcome the class of 2021 on campus.
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GSB Transformation:
The GSB has pushed me beyond what I thought was possible. It exposed me to opportunities and enabled me to connect with people from all over the world who are as passionate as I am to change lives, change organizations, and change the world.
Monday
08:00am
Starting the day with an 8 a.m. class! Grabbed coffee and a quick breakfast. This is an interesting HR class that is offered for the first time this quarter. Excited to learn about using Machine Learning and AI to inform hiring and performance evaluation decisions at organizations.
10:30am
Today in Operations class, I learned the theory behind the inventory replenishment model that I used while working in e-commerce before joining business school! I am so glad to learn Queueing Theory and Inventory Management Model and how we can apply them in the real world.
12:15pm
Dean’s lunch! From time to time, Dean Jonathan Levin invites MBA1s and MBA2s to lunch and discusses school updates including current and future plans with us. He also listens to our suggestions and comments about our experience so far. It is a good opportunity to share feedback and to network with the Dean.
01:30pm
Going for a walk-and-talk to catch up with Nini. The Stanford campus is very beautiful and Spring is finally here! Instead of sitting for coffee, we went for a walk to talk about our trips during Spring break. I went home to Jordan and Nini did a Global Study Trip. Here is a picture of us with Hoover Tower in the background.
03:00pm
I have many group assignments and projects this quarter. Now I am meeting at Bass Library with some classmates to work on a group assignment for Macroeconomics. Still trying to answer the question “why are some countries 50x richer than other countries”
04:00pm
Back at Hoover Institute but this time for a panel on “The Middle East in an Emerging World”. As a Jordanian student, it is so important for me to stay updated on the Middle East and to learn about possible solutions to the challenges that my region faces.
06:00pm
One more walk-and-talk! Catching up with Izzy and hearing about the amazing work she did with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Syrian refugees in Germany. I am so inspired by the incredible work my classmates have done around the world. I always feel like I learn something new from them every single day.
07:00pm
It’s been a long day for me! Time to grab dinner and do some work and readings for tomorrow before going to sleep.
Wednesday
10:00am
Wednesdays are our days off at the GSB. Most of us take the opportunity to attend across the street classes at other Stanford schools. I am taking an Arabic Prose course this quarter at the Education School to stay connected to my language and culture even when living outside my home country of Jordan. Such an enjoyable experience!
12:15pm
I like attending Brown Bag Lunches (BBLs) to learn about different industries and companies. Today I learned about an interesting firm that invests in hardware and manufacturing in Silicon Valley.
01:30pm
Quick walk with Hannah and Pongo. Pongo is one of the most famous dogs at the GSB (and on campus?). He has an Instagram page with thousands of followers.
02:30pm
I am meeting with my Women in Management (WIM) group outside. At WIM groups, we discuss anything and everything on our minds, including gender issues and women in the workplace. It’s a safe space for me to share deep thoughts and feel connected.
04:30pm
Afternoon meeting with Ladd to discuss his very inspiring work with Reclaim Childhood, a non-profit that empowers refugee girls and local women in Jordan through sport and play.
06:00pm
Grabbing a bite with classmates at a Small Group Dinner in Redwood City. What a great way to catch up with friends!
08:00pm
Getting some work done. I have 2 assignments and tons of readings for tomorrow.
10:00pm
Long day of classes tomorrow. Time to get some rest!
Saturday
10:00am
Starting the weekend with a brunch with my mentor Lisa and her family, JR and Sofia. It’s good to catch up with friends and family after a long week!
11:30am
It’s Admit Weekend! As an Admit Weekend Committee Member, I am very excited to share the GSB experience and welcome admits and their significant others into our community!
12:00pm
Joined admits for a Career Lunch. During career lunches, students meet admits to discuss professional aspirations, our post-GSB career goals, as well as our pre-GSB work.
02:00pm
Section Time! This year, we brought the Section experience to Admit Weekend to introduce admits to one of the most special parts of the GSB journey. Time for a group picture with fellow Section Leaders.
04:00pm
Enjoyed leading a campus walk with my assigned section to show admits the beautiful campus and share some Stanford facts and talk about points of interest along the way. Here is a picture from our time at the Memorial Church!
05:00pm
Taking some time off to do school work. Writing a final paper for a very interesting compressed course, “Is the Internet Broken”. One of the instructors, Jonathan Dotan, is a producer on one of my favorite shows -- Silicon Valley. I asked him to sign a DVD for me!
06:30pm
I co-planned Small Group Dinners (SGDs) for Admit Weekend this year. SGDs are a great way to know classmates in an intimate sitting and discuss shared interests. Students hosted a number of SGDs for admits in restaurants around Palo Alto. It’s very exciting to know that this is one of admits’ favorite activities of the weekend every year!
08:30pm
Going to bed after a long day at Admit Weekend. We ended the day with a Liquidity Preference Function (LPF), a very famous GSB tradition in which students (and admits) network over snacks and beverages.