Just like it was yesterday, I remember the feeling of the butterflies in my stomach after reading the big bold ‘’CONGRATULATIONS” written on my GBI acceptance e-mail. Three simple words that hold a lifetime of memories and an unforgettable experience. I said it many times before and I’ll say it again, the person I was that first walked into the program is not the same one that got out of it or the one that I am now.
The GBI experience has allowed me to gain a different perspective of looking at things. I had my best and worst moments and I now realize that even if you fail, it is not enough of a reason to give up. You can always get right back up and be even stronger. I also learned how to recognize my errors and turn them into lessons to benefit my team and prepare me ready to face the next challenges.
Since the end of GBI, I’ve started working on the project that I applied with but didn’t get the chance to work on during the feasibility Idea competition. And I can’t help myself but hear every professor’s advice and words resonate in my mind before making any decision. Those great minds that shaped the person that I’ve become, make me stand up even stronger whenever I fail and make me face whatever obstacle that might come my way. At the beginning of the program, I couldn’t help but feel insecure about the fact that I had never taken business courses unlike the majority of the participants, but now thanks to GBI, “Value Chain, Cost Analysis, Strategy, Project Management, Operations Planning” and many other courses that I’ve taken have become my comfort zone.
Business courses? More like life courses. Public speaking, time management, working under pressure, leadership, empowerment and many more skills that I’ve acquired from the GBI experience assist me not only while working at my project and in my professional accomplishments but they also benefit me in my daily life in more than just business scenarios.
While saying goodbye, eyes full of tears of joy from winning the third place in the competition and sadness from leaving our brilliant coaches, professor Fred Schlegel told me: “GBI is not the end, it’s the beginning of a much greater journey” and I couldn’t agree more. GLI is the continuity that I ’ve been waiting and hoping for. I’ve acquired the tools and skills and now is the time to know how to properly use them and especially know how to lead. I am looking forward to learning, challenging myself, having fun and meeting my old family of GBIers and the new one of GLIers. With great determination, motivation and excitement, I’m ready to take things into the next step and raise the bar of what I expect from myself even higher, and the best is yet to come.
-Lamiaa Chnayti, GBI alumnus ’17
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