Q&A WITH M.A. ALABBADI

What were some of the main challenges that you encountered on your way? How did your master program and IE help you through these challenges?
Getting a wider view of real-world business environment challenges. The IE program helped in many ways: the relevance of the content, interactions with professors and their experiences, views, and the community of colleagues from so many different industries sharing their knowledge.

How did your experience at IE prepare you for your professional career? In what ways do you think the program changed your life professionally and personally?
Professionally it gave me much broader perspective on business, industries, and deeper knowledge in various fields. Personally, getting to know so many different people from different cultures, backgrounds, and countries. I loved the experience.

What was networking like in the program?
By nature of working in groups, it was great, and the selection criteria and matching helped a lot as well.

What was your favorite memory from your time at IE?
Graduation week. Putting all the learning into practice with our entrepreneurship project, seeing how our classmates also went through their ideas and projects, and celebrating a wonderful and successful journey coming to an end together, I will always cherish it.

If someone was considering going to IE, what would you tell them?
Simply that it will be one of the best decisions of their lives. From a learning perspective, from a community perspective both during and after. You will achieve a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging.

Why did you choose to study this program at IE?
I was looking for many things in my program of choice: Top reputable business school, diverse class intake (nationality, backgrounds, gender, industries), organization that respects different backgrounds and beliefs, quality professors, and enriching curriculum, and I felt that IE business school ticked all those boxes.

What is one thing you wished you knew, when you were a student? What advice would you give to students who are about to begin the program?
Enjoy the journey, there is so much personal development and gain beyond the content. Make sure you can give it the right attention and focus. Anyone can get a degree, not everyone will get a truly rewarding experience.

Tell us about the IE alumni community and the impact they have had in your life and/or career. Why do you think it’s important to engage with the IE alumni community?
The network I have through IE has been very beneficial, it helped me continue to learn via knowing what is happening in so many different fields and with the speed of dynamic change, as well as build a bigger network of relations that I can tap into.

As one of the contributors towards the Illuminated Bricks campaign, how does it feel?
I have been blessed by God to get a chance to study in such a reputable school, and that had a positive impact on my career. Getting a chance to give back and help others achieve such chances is the very least I can do.

What made you decided to give your first gift?
Knowing how life changing this opportunity can be to someone, it wasn’t a hard decision to make.

In your opinion, why is it important to give back? Why does this cause matter to you?
I have always believed in this cause; I work with mentorship groups to give from my time to mentor early in career and have been serving on a board for a charity organization focused on voluntary work. A thriving society only grows further on everyone contributing for benefit when there is no personal gain.

What can we do within our IE Community to create an impact and support education?
I suggest having IE alumni mentorship groups as well, embrace early in career or even university students and work with them on their key challenges as they embark on their professional journeys.

What would you tell someone who was thinking about contributing?
Your decision can change a life, always remember that.