KWEST

Just a few weeks ago, I finally finished what was an incredibly grueling summer. Not only did I take classes with the rest of my JD-­‐MBA classmates, but I also worked full time at a law firm in downtown Chicago.

But in late August it felt great to finally finish work and classes and leave for KWEST after weeks of anticipation. And the good news is that just a few weeks before summer ended, I found out that I would be part of the Mystery Trip.

And what a fabulous experience! Along with about twenty of my classmates from the class of 2012, five second year Kellogg students took us across the globe to the country of Jordan.

We traveled to the Mediterranean basin to float in the Dead Sea. We hiked through the rich archaeological remains of Petra. We did community service on the beaches and snorkeled in the Red Sea. And we took an hour Jeep ride into the desert outside of the city of Amman where we rode camels and hiked in the mountains.

But perhaps more important than the once in a lifetime cultural and social activities we engaged in, we also began the process of making friends with twenty five classmates, many of which are in our sections and could become our best friends over the next two years. In my case I have two Mystery People in my section, and it was a great feeling to know them before ever taking a step in a Kellogg class.

Although the trip was an absolute blast, the week after KWEST was a very busy time for JD-­‐MBAs. The Monday after we returned from KWEST was not only the first day of orientation at Kellogg. but also the day our accounting final. And at the same time, other JD-­‐MBAs had final exams later in the week, some were doing law interviews, and some were still moving from downtown to Evanston during that same period.

But despite the busy summer, our time at Kellogg has been a blast so far. I look forward to soaking in Kellogg for the rest of the quarter.