How a Global Immersion Program Transformed the MBA Experience
Stephen Lee says his four-week GMIX in Bhutan was one of the best experiences of his life. | Courtesy of Stephen Lee
For over 25 years, GMIX has sent students around the world and out of their comfort zone.
When you hear their stories, it’s easy to understand why years later, the excitement bubbles back to the surface. Stephen Lee spent four weeks living in a tiny village in Bhutan, working with farmers who grow hazelnuts. Sara Egozi went to Havana, helping a nascent venture capital firm identify promising Cuban startups. Abhay Jain outlined an expansion strategy in Southeast Asian countries for a waste management company in Dubai.
How did these GSB alumni engage in such life-transforming experiences? They all participated in the Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX), a four-week summer program that sends dozens of MBA students around the world each year. Established in 1997 with a single program in China, GMIX has since sent more than 1,500 students to 92 countries, and established a cohort of hundreds of sponsor partners.
GMIX provides opportunities based on sponsor-submitted projects; students also develop their own ideas and use their networks to find a sponsor. Most of the costs are absorbed by sponsors, while GMIX provides stipends and logistical support. Sponsors range “from a private equity firm in London to a mushroom farm in rural Rwanda, and everything in between,” says Katherine Robinson, director of Global Experiences.
The “Win-Win” for Students and Sponsors
The sponsors are the bedrock of the program. Often they have a Stanford connection, including several whose companies were started by MBA alums. One of those is the Mountain Hazelnuts Group in Bhutan, where Lee, MBA ’13, worked. Co-founded by Daniel Spitzer, MA ’82, it is one of the longest-serving sponsors in the GMIX program.
Lee says his brief time in Bhutan remains one of the best experiences of his life. “Part of my job was to survey farmers, both to collect data — like, how many yaks do you have? — and to get their opinions. I stayed overnight with one of the farmer’s families,” where they served him dinner and a traditional drink.
“I can’t emphasize enough how this experience opened up doors; just precious opportunities,” continues Lee. “What I did shouldn’t be possible; it’s like some crazy fantasy script…. But it happened, and the only reason it happened is because of GMIX.”
Read the full, original story with Stephen Lee and other GMIX participants’ experiences.
