Minerva Graduate School: Voices from London Immersion Week

How would you describe Minerva's MDA in one word?

Lear: Diversity.

Kasia: Curiosity.

Hailey: Iteration.

What surprised you about your classmates when you first met at Immersion Week?

Kasia: It surprised me how natural it felt to meet and work with everyone. Even though we were used to seeing each other online, I was genuinely surprised by how quickly and easily we connected in person. 

Hailey:  Everyone felt familiar, even though we hadn’t interacted socially. We immediately fell into a rhythm—there was a real sense of connection. 

Jinhyeok: When we worked together online, we’d share our opinions, but in person, it became a real discussion.

Hanchul: I used to think of my classmates as 2D characters on a screen, but now they feel like 3D people.

How did it feel meeting your classmates for the first time?

Kasia: It was great to finally meet everyone. We already knew each other well through work, but it was totally different to see each other outside of a professional or academic setting. The experience of learning from each other really deepened during Immersion Week.

Jinhyeok: Meeting in person was amazing. We became much closer, and that connection now shows up in the classroom—discussions feel more energetic and engaged. 

Hanchul: I always hoped we’d have an in-person gathering with the whole cohort, and I’m so happy I got to meet at least half of them during this week. I truly hope we get another opportunity to bring the entire cohort together in the future.

Hailey: It’ll feel different going back to class—before, everyone was just a classmate, but now they feel like people, friends, companions.

What was the highlight of the Immersion Week for you?

Kasia: It was wonderful to see everyone in person and meet the startups, but I think the real value came from the small, informal conversations—whether with founders, people we met during visits, or my classmates. 

Lear: The questions my classmates asked during our site visits helped me understand the organizations in a new way. Another highlight was seeing how we all approached the same topic—like education—from completely different angles.

Hailey: There was also this cozy tea room we stumbled upon—we were the only ones there, and we tried all sorts of tea while just sitting and talking for hours. That kind of connection was really special.

Jinhyeok: Meeting real people from the startup scene and venture capital world made a big difference.

Hanchul: Having thoughtful conversations with people who are both instinct-driven and organized was incredibly inspiring.

How has your MDA experience influenced your career so far?

Kasia: I'm an ESG consultant, and data analysis plays a big role in my work. My approach has changed significantly—I now try to connect a very human understanding of how people perceive things with actual data and research.

Lear: I’m a facilitator for an online course on HCs in Taiwan. Since joining the MDA program, I understand HCs much more deeply—not just what they are, but where they come from and how they're designed. I feel like I can apply them much more effectively now.

Hailey: I’ve found myself using frameworks from class in my job. One time I referred to a challenge as a "constraint," and no one else knew what I meant—but I knew exactly how that framing helped shape our problem-solving approach.

Jinhyeok: I started this program while working at a startup, and it’s been special because it connects directly to real-world problems and creative solutions. The experience has made me more engaged with the startup scene. I never expected the startup ecosystem in London to be so vibrant and collaborative, but this week showed me how connected the city is with Europe and how dynamic the startup culture really is.

Hanchul: I’ve always appreciated the insights from our professors and peers, but now I find myself rethinking the principles I use at work through the lens of HCs. And every time I do that, my way of working shifts—just a little, but meaningfully.