On June 17, 2023, the commencement ceremony for the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) was held at Frost Amphitheater. The event was marked by an encouraging and optimistic speech from Henry A. Fernandez, MBA ’83, chairman and CEO of global finance firm MSCI.
Fernandez urged the graduates to maintain an “unshakable belief in the future,” emphasizing the importance of a longer-term perspective that highlights the arc of human progress. He shared his personal journey, from immigrating to the U.S. from Nicaragua at age 16 without speaking English, through failed business enterprises, to his successful leadership of MSCI.
In addition to Fernandez’s address, Stanford GSB Dean Jonathan Levin shared thoughts on living a “good life,” emphasizing new experiences, happiness, and a sense of purpose, all of which he argued the GSB prepares its students for.
The graduating class of 2023 consisted of 513 students, with 411 MBA, 81 Master of Science (MSx), 20 PhD, and 1 Master of Arts in Business Research degrees awarded. Forty-two MBA students earned joint degrees.
Certificates in Public Management and Social Innovation were awarded to 137 graduates, and various academic and contribution awards were given to outstanding students.
Fernandez ended his speech with a reminder of the graduates’ responsibilities, urging them to use their privilege to change the world, live purposefully, and to remember to “do the dishes,” a metaphor for the essential, unglamorous work that underpins success.
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