Recently, we were awarded a grant by The David Project to support our initiative to Israel. Abby Sloane from the David Project came from Boston to sit through our class and network with students. We had team presentations which were informational on industries like Agriculture, Defense, High Tech, Sustainability and Life Sciences.Following class, Abby treated us to dinner at Samira's to educate us more on the David Project and its misson and initiatives. To be honest, prior to my participation in this class, I had no idea the magnitude and severity of nonprofits like the David Project but after listening to Abby, I realized these organizations are very necessary.
More importantly, I realized the implications of our class on our small community in the Kelley School. Our students will become pseudo ambassadors for those unfamiliar with Israel. Our experiences have the ability to have a multiplier effect on our network, reaching to hundreds of others who would have not understood the Israeli dynamic. The majority of our students have never been to Israel and prior to our trip, had not planned on going there anytime soon. It is a win/win chance to provide students with the opportunity to consider Israel as an option for business while also educating them on Israel's history and the story of its inhabitants.
Our hope is that KIP Israel 2010 will be the inaugural trip for MBAs at Kelley. We believe that a solid way to increase advocacy for Israel as a state is to teach non-Israelis about the business climate and opportunities within the country. From Life Sciences to Renewable Energy, leading innovative changes are born in Israel. We hope that the David Project and the Kelley School are able to forge a strong relationship and find more projects to work on together in the future. SHALOM!
