LFM ’05 Class
Experiences Orientation Week and the Universe Within
By Monica Nakamine
June 16, 2003
The first week in June always marks the beginning of a new cycle for the Leaders for Manufacturing program as the new first-year students congregate at MIT for their introduction to LFM. From June 2-6, 2003, the 48 members of the ’05 class reconvened (some of them met at the Open House in April) to officially get down to business as full-fledged LFM students. Filled with energy, optimism, and ideas, they are eager to become better acquainted with each other as well as the program.
Minja Penttilä, LFM ’05
“I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone better as the summer progresses. I foresee lifelong friendships,” said Justin Ging, LFM ’05. “I’m also excited about hearing stories related to people’s work experience. Already I’ve heard useful ideas and impressions. There’s so much energy, enthusiasm, and positivity radiating from the group.”
“I am both excited about and scared of the ‘hard core’ engineering classes,” said Minja Penttilä, one of 14 LFM ‘05 female students. “But, I know I will be challenged. I’m also looking forward to meeting a whole new community of students in the Sloan MBA classes.”
As in years past, the new class spent the majority of their first week with Professor John Carroll, who took them through the Universe Within. This component of the LFM program allowed new students to get to know each other better while providing a different perspective on leadership and team-building. Through various exercises, students learned to value each other’s differences, listen with an intent ear, and function with efficiency and creativity.
The week in the Universe Within is always highlighted with two very unique activities: a day at Outward Bound and the Egg Drop exercise. Students took the ferry out to Thompson Island where they were greeted by Outward Bound facilitators who guided each team through “games” that involved strategy, communication, teamwork, trust, and oftentimes, physical strength. From climbing 50-foot walls to lifting a long stick from the ground on the tops of 16 sets of fingers (easier said than done), each activity ended in a moment of reflection on what worked, and what could have been done better.
The Egg Drop exercise, on the other hand, required another kind of endurance. With only paper towels, manila folders, rubber bands, and paper clips, each team designed contraptions intended to keep an unboiled egg insulated and cushioned enough to survive a seven-foot vertical drop onto a hard surface. Though many of the LFM ‘05 teams were successful in keeping their eggs intact, previous classes have not always duplicated this feat, Carroll commented. However, this exercise is not so much about the function of the design as it is working as a team toward a common goal.
“This first week has been busy with long days, but it has been great fun,” said Minja. “The Universe Within has provided a good framework for getting to know our new class and summer team.”
“What I hope to get out of LFM is a lifelong impression on how I approach work and work situations,” said Ryan Chase, LFM ’05. “I’m also looking forward to establishing an incredible network of people whose experience I can draw from and contribute to.”
Ronak Shah, LFM ’05
Christopher Kilburn-Peterson, LFM ’05
Christine Cheung, LFM ’05