Finding impact, finding home

A part-time MBA student travels to Africa, deepening her understanding of social impact while reconnecting with her roots.
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Kellogg
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A group of MBA students holding a large sign standing on dirt ground
Nika Chugh (standing, second left) and her GIM cohort standing on the equator at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

By Nika Chugh ’27 Evening & Weekend MBA Program 
When I began my MBA journey at Kellogg as a part-time MBA student, I hoped the experience would be life-changing, giving me opportunities that I would not have been able to receive otherwise. I wondered about the people I would meet, the professors I would learn from and the skills I would gain during my time here. When I heard about the Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) program, I thought, “maybe that could be for me,” but I truly had no idea the growth and connections that would come next.  

In March of 2026, I joined 33 other Kellogg students across MBA Programs, along with our esteemed Professor Lesley Warner to explore how companies in Kenya and Zambia create shared value for their audiences, despite rapid global economic shocks and shifts. We had spent the prior ten weeks researching the topic.

A rhino in front of a group of students inside a safari truck
A group of students at Ol Pejeta Conservancy with one of the last two northern white rhinos in existence.

I’ve learned that creating shared value means building a framework where companies can generate economic value or profit while also addressing societal needs and challenges. This prompted us to focus on how for-profit corporations integrate social good into the fabric of their businesses, instead of siloing these efforts under a separate umbrella. 

This topic was particularly energizing to me, as I came to Kellogg with a strong interest in social impact influenced by my background as the child — and now sister — of healthcare workers.  I grew up with a strong sense of how we can use our talents and energy to make a difference, and this class gave me the opportunity to dive deeper into this. I was able to explore a specific topic of interest through an experiential and international lens.  

Today, the world is more connected than ever. With information moving at the speed of light, learning core content in the classroom alone doesn’t cut it anymore. GIM gave us the chance to think critically and integrate various perspectives into one project.  

Bringing theory to life 

One highlight of the trip was the opportunity to meet with the team at Safaricom, who have revolutionized how Kenyans earn and build wealth through M-Pesa, a mobile money product.  Many students at Kellogg learn about M-Pesa as a case study in our core Strategy class, so being able to see this case study come to life was an unbelievable experience. That was a huge takeaway of this trip for me: the opportunity to put theory into practice and bridge concepts we learn in class with the realities of the world we live in. 

M-Pesa also taught us that innovation often comes out of necessity, and this was a theme we saw across our conversations on the continent. Often, we think that more resources equal more innovation, when in reality, the companies we met with showed how a lack of infrastructure can provide advantages. We heard time and time again that when the leaders of these organizations saw a great need, they found a way to innovate quickly to fix it.  

For example, the CEO of Zuri Health, one of the companies we met with, mentioned how they converted the entire lab to green energy in just a few days when the power went out in their lab, so they could run blood samples. The familiar adage rings true: necessity is the mother of invention.  

A group of people looking down while taking a picture with the sun above their heads
Capturing a halo in the sky while in Kenya.

This trip gave us all a new perspective and appreciation for the diversity of experiences and countries in Africa. We experienced the hustle and bustle of Nairobi, the quiet of the safari at Ol Pejeta and the laid-back atmosphere of Lusaka. We tried new foods, learned about the local communities such as the Samburu women and the Chikumbuso Project and saw the world through an entirely different lens.  

I also received new perspectives from the other students on the trip, many of whom I had never met before. I shared what my journey has been like working full time while going to school. I learned more about others’ experiences in the other Full-Time MBA and Executive MBA — like the joys of recruiting and the different pressures students across all programs face.  

Without GIM, I don’t know if I would ever have met these amazingly talented, insightful and hilarious people with whom I have more in common than I thought. All these weeks later, our class WhatsApp chat is still going strong.

Reconnecting with my heritage

For me, this trip was about immersing myself in topics related to the social impact space and learning, in real time, how socially minded businesses can grow sustainably. But, in some ways, this trip was also a homecoming. My mother grew up in Zambia, first living in Livingston as a child and then in Lusaka. I always wondered if I would ever be able to see where she grew up, and this trip gave me the opportunity to do so.  

Once the class portion of the trip was over, she even joined me for a trip to Victoria Falls, a place she had not been to in almost 40 years. I left Kenya and Zambia with a newfound appreciation, for the countries themselves and the people, as well as for the one-of-a-kind opportunity that only Kellogg could have provided.  

At Kellogg, we’re taught to think differently, push boundaries, try new things and see what the world has in store for us. GIM gave me the opportunity to do all of that and more, for which I am forever grateful.  

 

Two women with dark hair standing closely to each other in front of green trees
For Chugh, what began as a classroom experience turned into experiential learning and has now become a memory of a lifetime. She visited the villages where her mother (R) grew up as a child.
Two African women standing with a group of American women while dressed in traditional African clothes
Kellogg MBA students with some of the women from the Samburu tribe, an ethnic group in Kenya.

  

 

Read next: Pack your bags: Global MBA opportunities foster life-long connections

 

 

The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Kellogg School of Management or Northwestern University.