Student Experience: MBA Ally Challenge

Written by:
Kellogg
3 minute read
Students crowd into the atrium for Drag TG
Students crowd into the atrium for Drag TG

During the 2013-2014 school year, Friendfactor selected Kellogg to participate in the Friendfactor MBA Ally Challenge. When I learned about this challenge, a sense of excitement overcame me — we now had the chance to show the world what an inclusive community we have here at Kellogg, as well as to help raise awareness of matters impacting the LGBT community. Through the competition, we are compared to the other programs based on the following factors:

  • Membership tally
  • Number of ally activities hosted
  • Awareness of LGBT matters
  • Overall culture

I’m happy to say that as we near the end of fall quarter, we are in second place (out of 12 programs) with only Ross ahead of us. We also are the only school to have been awarded silver status (and gold is definitely within reach for us!).

  • Gold: Have membership of at least 200, host 9+ activities, and be in the top 25% of all programs from expected outcomes
  • Silver: Have membership of at least 100, host 6+ activities, and have an average score of 75% from expected outcomes

Participating in this Challenge has made me aware of a couple of things, which I am hoping to enhance in my tenure as Ally Co-Chair:

  • While we have an extremely supportive ally base, the Kellogg community is not as aware of issues impacting our LGBT peers. One way we are addressing this point is by including an allies section to our Gay and Lesbian Management Association (GLMA) e-mails.
  • Kellogg students love participating in events hosted by the GLMA! To foster this connection more, we are looking to partner with specific student organizations and bring about even greater change.

To learn more about the MBA Ally Challenge, please visit http://www.friendfactor.org/mba-ally-challenge.  I can’t wait to see how things fare throughout the rest of the year!

Nisa Agrawal, 2Y – Class of 2014, is originally from the Chicagoland area. Prior to Kellogg, she was an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers but came to Kellogg with a desire to move into marketing. As an Ally Co-Chair for the Gay and Lesbian Management Association (GLMA), Nisa enjoys helping her fellow peers learn more about issues impacting the LGBT community. In her free time, Nisa enjoys spending time with family and friends, singing, dancing and teaching Zumba.