Dr Clay…or Dr. J ??

13 June 2013

Clayton Christensen spoke directly to our class today, and as our group is small the conversation felt personal and intimate. He is an incredible man and I have been incredibly lucky to be here at Oxford while he gives his series of lectures to his Alma Mater. It was funny, as I was taking a picture with him, we both laughed at the huge height difference between us. Humorously he knelt down on his knees so that we could be the same height. I just laughed more and put my elbow on his shoulder to prove just how drastic our difference in height was. No wonder he played basketball for Oxford, he is quite tall! He may not be Dr. J on the basketball court, but he sure is Dr. J in the business arena! I can’t wait to speak with him about our unique connection of both playing collegiate basketball. Maybe he can pull some strings for me at Oxford… Wouldn’t that be something, to study and play for the top academic University in the world!

Everyday just seems to get better and better here at Oxford University. We have had stellar lectures from astounding people whom care deeply about our generation and the impact we will have on the world. It amazes me how passionately our elders care about our success in and understanding of the world we will soon enter. Clayton Christensen came and did a question and answer with our class today, and it was truly inspiring. He encouraged us to continue our pursuit for leadership and management positions because they need ethical and compassionate people with high standards and excellent morals to fill their slots.

Listening to such great minds in the location of some of the most cultural outlays of architecture in the world is inspiring and absolutely incredible. This is an image of Magdalen College, one of the colleges we toured today.

We were able to go to the Botanical Gardens today, right outside of Magdalen College. They were some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. It has been a difficult road for me to devise and develop ideas only to have them get bashed and battered to shreds. The amount of humility it takes to present ideas to a group whom you know will tear them apart and ultimately throw them out the window is huge. Like has been stated over and over in this course at Oxford, the first 199 or even the first 399 ideas are not good ideas. One must be able to take criticism or they will never reach that 200th or 400th idea.

We went punting today and it was so hard! We went in groups of five on flat boats meant for the sport, which is very popular all throughout England. The route was about an hour in length, but the loop was actually quite short. We got passed by the same boat at least three times in route. That punter was legit…

Three of the few Aboriginal people studying at Oxford, and probably some of the few in Europe…

In the evening at 8 we had one of the best lectures of the week. It was on indigenous healthcare on Aboriginal people in Australia. It was amazing to hear how much those people have been through, and made me realize how many Native Americans we have in our own country who suffer from many of these same problems. There are a few handful of Aboriginal people at Oxford, but for their numbers they sure are making an impact!

We were each given a stone during the lecture. The stones grant you passport into the tribes of the Aboriginal people in Australia and each has a different meaning. I received a journey stone. The stone is to remind me of the love and support I have back home as I journey off into distant lands…perfect for me, who would of known?

We I thought the night was over I ran into Julie Butler, a third year MBA student at Oxford. She one of the few YSA members at Oxford, and has an incredible spirit about her. She invited a few of us to go out with her for drinks at a local pub. This was my first “pub” experience and it was great! She bought us a round of drinks (drinks as in the traditional Mormon Cocktail), and we sat in the garden and chatted for several hours. It was so great to hear her story on how she got here to Oxford and what she plans to do in the future. One of the most incredible things I have been able to do here at Oxford is to create a diverse network base of astounding people in all areas of study and life.