Emily Harmon, MBA 25, is one of the proud trailblazing members of the first Evening and Weekend Flex option cohort. In fact, the opportunity to be a part of this first group was one of the reasons Emily chose to enroll in Haas. “I don’t mind being a guinea pig,” she says, “and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be in the inaugural flex cohort.”
While being a member of this class is certainly trailblazing in and of itself, Emily has harnessed the opportunity to put her own pioneering stamp on the program. She and her cohort have been instrumental in helping to shape the student experience and is also a powerful advocate for the program and the values of Haas.
Let’s take a closer look at Emily’s story, the ways she has been shaped by the online MBA program, and the ways she has helped to shape the program.
Emily's journey to Haas
Emily graduated from the University of Michigan with a dual degree in Organizational Psychology and Communications. Since her time in undergrad, she knew she was interested in a career in Human Resources and thought these degrees would form a solid foundation for that career.
After graduating, she was hired as an HR Business Partner at Microsoft and has been there ever since. She has always loved her job and loved her company, but she started noticing she sometimes struggled with the business side of her role. When she would talk to various business leaders about their people strategy, she felt like she had a difficult time understanding their top concerns. She decided to pursue an MBA to become better equipped in these kinds of conversations.
But, because of her love for her company, she didn’t want to quit or have to move to attend a program. So when she started looking for a program, she knew it had to be remote. She’d heard of Berkeley Haas’ amazing reputation as a business school and was thrilled to see they offered a remote Flex option. Initially, she had no idea that it was the first time Haas had offered that option, but being a pioneer in the program made her even more excited to attend.
Berkeley’s network and the opportunity for international connections also sparked Emily’s interest. She thought the expansive West Coast tech network would provide a lot of value in her career. Likewise, being in a remote environment created an opportunity to be in the classroom with students from around the world. This opportunity to gain broader global perspectives was also a powerful draw.
All these factors led to Emily making the leap and joining the inaugural cohort—ready to embark on a pioneering and transformative journey.
Pioneering spirit in the inaugural Flex cohort
Right away, Emily knew she wanted to be as involved as possible in the shaping of the program. So she applied to be an Academic Cohort Representative and was selected. In that role, she’s had the opportunity to collect feedback from classmates, synthesize it, and present it to professors and the program office in compelling ways. She feels this was a perfect opportunity to leverage her strengths in HR and to serve her classmates.
The position has been very rewarding, particularly because the professors and program office have been extremely receptive to her suggestions. Through her role, she has been able to influence the number of electives available online, the formatting of the virtual classroom experience, and advancing more inclusivity in the program for online classmates through recommending online components for clubs and other gatherings whenever possible.
One specific example she cites as a bit silly but also very meaningful was the view options for the virtual classroom. Initially, students could only see the speaker and the last couple of people who had spoken. The class wanted to be able to see each other, so she brought up this concern to the program office. They changed the view so now the class is able to see up to 20 students at one time. In an online environment, even little touches like this make a huge difference in being able to connect with classmates.
There was something special about experiencing the program for the first time together. She says that while she thinks professors would have been open to feedback either way, that they were particularly sensitive to the students in the first cohort. They wanted them to be successful and there were a lot of things they’d never had to think about before since all previous classes were in person.
Being able to serve in such a formative and pioneering role has been a standout experience for Emily within the program. Her love for Haas, combined with her pioneering and people-centered personality, also made Emily a natural advocate for the business school.
Advocacy and involvement at Haas
In addition to serving as Academic Cohort Representative, Emily also highlights her involvement with WELaunch, the Evening & Weekend MBA program’s orientation,as one of her most rewarding avenues of involvement. As a student, she had a wonderful experience there and says it’s where she met her closest friends. Eager to contribute to that same kind of experience for the new class, she took part in the running of the WELaunch weekend for last summer’s incoming cohort. And she had an absolute blast.
She enjoyed “providing her perspective as someone in the first cohort and as someone who just loves Haas and wants each class to have an even better experience than the class that came before them.” She admits that it’s a really high bar to reach, but focused on sharing what she loved about her experience as well as opportunities to make the experience even more stellar than it already is.
Emily has participated in recruitment panels for prospective and admitted students—offering her insights and advocating for Haas. Based in Seattle, she also connects with admitted students in her local area to speak to any of their questions or concerns. And, last but not least, she has also been featured in a series of promotional videos. “I just want to help out the program any way I can,” says Emily. “It’s a fantastic program and a fantastic school.”
Not only a trailblazer for her own class, Emily is passionate about making the Flex program an incredible experience for all future students and about advocating for the school she loves so much.
Advice for future Flex MBA students
Emily’s most common advice to prospective students is the importance of intentionally building connections. “A lot of people ask if you can make connections in a remote class,” she says. “You have to be more intentional about it than your in-person counterparts who are in the same room twice a week.” However, with intentionality, there is great potential to foster incredible friendships.
She recommends starting a group chat right away and immediately introducing yourself to the people in your cohort. Establishing intentional support early on will pay off tenfold and ensure you never feel like you’re navigating the program alone.
On the practical side, Emily advises students to discern what they need to be successful and fully engaged in a virtual environment. For her, that means having a distraction-free office space dedicated to her schoolwork. She thrives in a quiet and focused environment. Emily also suggests blocking out time in your schedule for prep work and homework.
Finally, Emily is passionate about encouraging those who cannot attend on-campus courses. She has taken all of her classes online thus far, and says it’s very likely she’ll graduate having taken all of her electives online. She has no regrets and assures incoming students that they “can still have an incredible MBA experience completely online.”
The Haas community and core values
Emily’s love for Haas and her dedication to advancing its mission shine through in every word she says. When asked about why she loves the school so much and what makes it special, she reflects:
“It really comes down to the Haas Defining Leadership Principles. They are so visible in this community—it’s not just lip service or nice words at orientation. It’s not just a fun thing they share—it really is core to the experience.”
She continues, “I was worried that business school would be very cutthroat, competitive, and individualistic. I’m a very team-oriented person and like to work with others. I was worried that my classmates would feel like my competition. That has not been my experience at all. It is a challenging program, but not because of my classmates. The people here have been incredible, and everyone is willing to share their knowledge and help each other out.”
To sum everything up, Emily reiterates the power of the Haas values and they have shaped her MBA experience and inspired her to be a pioneer and advocate:
“The values that Haas claims are really real and have been my lived experience. And that’s what I have loved most and why I continue to advocate for this program and invite others to join.”
The Berkeley Haas Flex option offers some unique advantages and allows you to get the same top-ranked MBA without compromising your lifestyle.
