Alumni Reunion - The Wharton School of the University of ...

fun, too. Over the course of the year welearned each other’s strengths and howto be productive by leveraging our differences.Carlos is from Mexico and weused to joke that our team name shouldbe ‘mole,’ like the Mexican sauce madewith chile peppers and chocolate—it’ssomething that doesn’t sound like a goodcombination, but it really is.”These days, the “mole” team continuesto stay in touch through occasional e-mail and phonecontact. Before she moved to Princeton to become a brand managerat Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ryan worked for General Mills inMinneapolis, MN. On one occasion, Carlos and his wife flew infrom Mexico for a Vikings game. (He’s a huge fan.) “I’ve heardfrom Orin Herskowitz since graduation, too. He and his wife had ababy recently,” says Ryan.While reunion was the first time Sánchez, and Jiam were backon campus since graduating, Ryan has visited Wharton a few timesover the past five years, mostly as a recruiter. “But that wasn’tnearly as much fun, because everyone I knew had left by then. Thereunion was wonderful! There was a great turnout from our class,“Once you go through the learning teamexperience, you’re never strangers.”and it was fantastic to be able to catch up with so many classmates.It was fun to see Sean and Carlos again, and it would have been niceto see Orin and Robin, too.”For Sánchez, reunion reinforced the understanding that evenwhen he’s been out of the communication loop, he has a lastingbond with his learning team. “I’m never afraid to get in touch.We’ve been through a lot together and I don’t feel shy emailing outof the blue,” says Sánchez, “Once you go through the learning teamexperience, you’re never strangers.” ◆Elisa Ludwig is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer.JIAM, WG’99, SÁNCHEZ, WG’99, AND RYAN, WG’99C O N N E C T I O N S T H A T R U N D E E P . W H A R T O N A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E . 19