Before they became familiar names on a screen, they became classmates in person. On October 16–17, 10 working professionals beginning their RPI at Work MBA came together at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the RPI Leadership Experience (RLE). Over two days, they explored what it means to lead, learned about one another, and began building connections within the Lally School of Management.
The in-person experience gave students an opportunity to meet their professors and peers before continuing the rest of the program virtually. Through team activities, shared discussions, and time together beyond the classroom, they began building relationships that will carry through their MBA journey.
For Jair Linan, meeting classmates from different parts of the country was a highlight. “It’s amazing because people came from all over the country, including Georgia and Florida, and some are local. They have different perspectives and personalities, so I’ve enjoyed talking with them and spending time together. It’s been great.”
Building a Foundation for Leadership
For these students, leadership is already relevant to their daily lives. As working professionals, they bring experience from organizations navigating significant change, including digital transformation and the growing influence of artificial intelligence. RLE asks them to draw on those experiences while considering how they lead today and who they want to become.
The experience anchors the leadership thread that runs through the entire RPI at Work MBA,
where every course is framed around “Leadership & ….” Through four central areas: emotional intelligence, core values, leadership vision, and ethics. Students begin developing their self-awareness and perspective to approach leadership more intentionally.
Friday opened with introductions and a team-building exercise, giving the cohort an early opportunity to work together. Students then examined transformational leadership through the examples of established leaders, preparing and sharing presentations that provided a starting point for discussing leadership in practice.
Those discussions also turned inward. In exploring their core values and leadership visions, students began considering the principles that guide their decisions and the impact they hope to have on others. This reflection marked the beginning of a development process they will continue throughout the program.
Connecting with the RPI Community
Becoming part of an MBA cohort also means getting to know the community behind the program. During Friday’s lunch, students were introduced to Lally team resources. After, a campus tour led by Michael Hughes, Associate Dean and Director of Faculty Development for RPI at Work gave them an opportunity to explore RPI together and connect their virtual learning experience to a physical place.
The day also made room for a different kind of teamwork. That evening, students headed to Houston Field House to cheer on the RPI men’s hockey team against Long Island University. The Engineers’ win gave the new cohort another shared experience to take home.
Jessica Skinzera, Senior Administrative Coordinator, described students as full of RPI spirit and enthusiastic about the outing. Faculty member Christine Ye even caught a puck, a memorable moment made especially fitting by her son’s enthusiasm for playing hockey.
For students who will spend much of their MBA experience connecting online, these moments offered time to get to know one another beyond coursework. A campus walk and an evening in the stands became part of their introduction to life at RPI.
Putting Leadership into Practice
When students returned to the classroom Saturday morning, they explored emotional intelligence and authentic and ethical leadership through discussions of how leaders make decisions and work with others. Ethics cases challenged them to consider different perspectives, while revisiting the leaders they had studied offered a chance to apply what they had learned.
The afternoon brought an engaged leadership team simulation, giving classmates an opportunity to apply what they had been learning together. The shift from reflection and discussion to shared action helped bring the weekend’s leadership themes into practice.
By Saturday’s closing session, the cohort had begun work that would extend well beyond its time on campus. Students will carry their leadership development through the MBA, revisiting it in Course 5 before completing the program in Course 6.
They also left with the beginnings of a community. As these 10 professionals return to their workplaces and join their virtual classes, they bring shared experiences, new connections, and an emerging vision of the leaders they want to become.
For those considering the RPI at Work MBA, Kaleigh Griswell’s experience highlights the opportunity to build connections from the start. Her advice for making the most of the in-person experience is simple: “Jump on it. Make the most of it. Explore the area. Get to know the people in your program.”
Written By: Emilee Saunders
