A week of firsts, a future of leadership: inside the MBA 51 opening week

The Full-Time MBA Class 51 began its journey at SDA Bocconi with a week that was not simply an introduction, but the first step into a transformative experience. From 8 to 12 September, students engaged in lectures, workshops, and activities designed to spark connection, build awareness, and set the foundations of a learning community that will accompany them for the year ahead — and far beyond.

From the very first sessions, the focus was clear: this is not just about acquiring managerial knowledge, but about shaping leaders who are authentic, responsible, and empathetic. The week encouraged students to reflect on their personal strengths, to acknowledge their vulnerabilities, and to explore how individuality contributes to the collective.

What immediately stood out was the variety of perspectives in the classroom, shaped by different cultures, sectors, and experiences. Despite their diverse paths, participants shared the same ambition: to grow as individuals and as a group. The opening week provided the space to recognize this richness as a resource — a driver of learning and innovation when approached with openness and trust.

Building skills and connections

Midweek activities, curated by the Career Development Center, shifted the spotlight onto professional and personal empowerment. Students worked in small groups on workshops dedicated to networking, career strategy, and work modeling. They learned how to build and sustain professional relationships, explored ways to align organizational cultures with personal values and motivations, and engaged in exercises to understand how others perceive their strengths.

These sessions were more than technical training: they invited students to confront their own aspirations, to consider how they want to be perceived, and to begin prototyping future career goals. One-to-one meetings with career advisors added a personal dimension, offering an early opportunity to start building the trust and connections that will prove essential throughout the MBA journey.

The week concluded with a team-building event, designed to spark connection, dialogue and trust by blending playfulness with purpose. The activities centered on games and practical exercises, each followed by a debrief anchored in academic insights that linked lived experience with research-based perspectives. Students explored, for instance, how diversity fuels innovation, but only when supported by psychological safety — when every voice feels heard and respected

As the session unfolded, participants were invited to introduce themselves beyond the surface, listen deeply to one another’s stories, and actively recognize the strengths in those around them. What began as lighthearted exercises quickly grew into opportunities for genuine connection, as the class started to appreciate the wealth of perspectives, cultures, and personalities that will shape their shared journey in the months ahead.

The activities moved from the individual level to the collective experience of the class, and finally to the wider SDA Bocconi community, where students reflected on how to live the School’s values in practice — embracing a global vision, cultivating responsibility, and pursuing both the centrality of people and scientific rigor. These experiences laid a strong foundation for the MBA journey ahead, and the students’ overwhelmingly positive response — marked by energy and enthusiasm — set a powerful tone for the months to come.

A shared path of transformation

By the end of the opening week, what had started as a group of individuals had begun to grow into a community. The class had not only learned about the structure of the program, but had also experienced the spirit of the MBA: a journey of growth where knowledge meets responsibility, where cultural diversity is embraced as a strength, and where leadership is measured not only by skills but also by values.

SDA Bocconi School of Management