Gilbert Bonsu

After visiting Simon for an admission event, I just felt a connection to the school. The students I met were accomplished, talented, highly motivated, and humble. From observations, I could see this was truly a supportive environment. I saw what the school meant when they say #SimonStrong and #Meliora. Students, staff, and faculty worked together to help each other be a better version of themselves.

While I was at Simon, I had the opportunity to co-lead and co-create Simon Business School’s first global immersion program to the continent of Africa (South Africa). As one of the co-leaders of a student group that pitched the South Africa Global Immersion program, I also had the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant for the class. The class-trip exposed 20 Simon students to South Africa’s history, economy, and culture. This was a proud moment for me as a returned Peace Corps volunteer of South Africa.

During my time in the Peace Corps, I was involved in restarting a failed community bakery in rural South Africa. The bakery, which was a high visible project supported by Nelson Mandela Children Fund and Atok Platinum Mines, was in debt and had to shut down. After conversations with the bakery staff, I restructured their compensation package and identified new material suppliers. We began production within two weeks. Within three months, I led the newly formed management team in redesigning marketing strategy, streamlining operations, and repositioning the bakery’s brand. These changes resulted in improved bread quality and 100% debt reduction by the ninth month. I was happy to see the bakery still functioning and maintaining its goal of delivering affordable products to its communities when I visited with my Simon classmates.

After graduating from Simon in 2018, I joined AT&T’s Leadership Development Program as a modernization manager for financial services.