Catching the Holiday Spirit

At W. P. Carey, you can’t hide from the holiday party — or can you? The theme for this year’s party was “Masquerade,” and the Full-time MBA students donned a variety of disguises to celebrate the end of the second quarter. “In planning the holiday party, the MBAA wanted to give first- and second-year students an chance to socialize with their peers outside of an academic environment,” said MBA student Janell McClelland. “It's always a fun and relaxing event to close out the quarter before finals start.”

The MBA Association, or MBAA for short, is a student governing organization that plans social, cultural and educational events for the full-time MBA community. My wife and I attended the holiday party and were very impressed with all of the offerings: a photo booth with props, a make-your-own ice cream bar using dry ice to make it in front of you, and a slider and mashed potato bar. And, of course, there was a lot of music (old school hip-hop) to dance to and shake off the previous quarter.

The event was well-attended, and even a few of our second quarter professors showed up to celebrate. “As in years past, the holiday party was a semi-formal event and a great chance to see your classmates outside of their typical classroom attire or business professional wear, as everyone is dressed to the nines for this event,” McClelland said. “The MBA holiday party is a great opportunity to connect, re-connect, and further develop the relationships you have with your classmates, faculty, and staff.

I'm already looking forward to next year's event!” The holiday party, like tailgating, the upcoming MBA Olympics, and even the more regular happy hours, are a real change of pace for us in the W. P. Carey MBA program. While everyone makes friends during classes and team projects, this kind of community-building give us a chance to unwind together and get to know each other a little better, which is just part of the atmosphere at W. P. Carey.