13 Alumni Quotes from 2023

Andrew Husband

Dec 12, 2023

From explaining the role happiness plays in achieving success to speculating about the possible applications of artificial intelligence, the members of the MIT Sloan alumni community had many poignant and insightful things to say this year.

Here are 13 notable quotes from the MIT Sloan alumni we spoke to in 2023:

“The sky’s the limit if you are grounded … If you are grounded and willing to work honestly and work hard, how can you go wrong?” - Asha Seth Kapadia, SM ’65, Professor Emerita of Biostatistics at University of Texas School of Public Health

“Help [your team] find a way to promote whatever it is that they have built to production so that they can share this with others and bring mission success to whatever it is that you're doing.” - Brian Erickson, SFMBA ’21, Chief Data & Artificial Intelligence Officer at U.S. Coast Guard

“It’s happiness that creates success. And if you make the time and create the space to work on it, happiness can and will pay you back in spades.” - Grace Ueng, SB ’87, Founder and CEO of Savvy Growth

“If we’re waiting for the perfect pathway to decarbonization for all of society, we might never get there.” - Nina Birger, MBA ’17, Vice President of Climate Solutions at CHOOOSE

“Resources are limited, and at this stage of my life, I’ve realized the most limited resource is our time on this planet. We cannot treasure our most limited resource enough.” - Jean Su, SF ’03, Co-Founder and Producer at Broadvision Pictures

“Life is not all about accumulating assets. We all have to do good ... We all have to do something to help other people.” - Fernando Goldsztein, SF ’03, Founder of the Medulloblastoma Initiative

“When you start working on a new idea, you’re starting with nothing. You have got to let it go wherever it goes.” - Brad Feld, SB ’87, SM ’88, Partner and Co-Founder at Foundry

“As leaders in our respective fields, we have a responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality health care, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status.” - Guadalupe Hayes-Mota, SB ’08, LGO ’16, Founder and CEO of Healr Solutions

“I learned the importance of showing up as a human. As a leader, it's okay to be emotional. It's okay to show that things are not exactly how they were supposed to be and letting your team understand that.” - Shawna Young, EMBA ’15, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Ada Developers Academy

“I want to make it my life’s work to use technology to improve people’s lives.” - Apolline Deroche, MFin ’22, Founder and CEO of Cappella

“You have to consciously work to reframe your sense of both who you are and what is possible, as well as what you have ruled out as a possibility because others have already framed you in a different box.” - Ron Williams, SF ’84, former CEO and Board Chairperson of Aetna

“The people who have been the most helpful are oftentimes the people that I would least expect.” - Vivian Graves, MBA ’19, Founder and CEO of Otis

“The fact is you can’t do it all yourself. You’ve got to trust the framework put in place.” - Frank Finelli, SM ’86, Managing Director at The Carlyle Group

For more info Andrew Husband Senior Writer & Editor, OER (617) 715-5933 AHUSBAND@MIT.EDU

Alumni 50 Years of Coast Guard Sloan Fellows

Businesspeople standing on an arrow pointed to the top right.

Alumni Leading the Way at Analysis Group

Students walk outside on MIT Sloan campus

Alumni How ID Lab Creates Connections and Busts Leadership Myths

Which program is right for you?

Executive Programs

recent

13 Alumni Quotes from 2023