Alumni
Leadership
Celebrating Our Black Alumni
By
Awa Koné, MBA ’17, always knew she wanted to get involved in Africa’s business ecosystem to gain more perspective on cultural diversity in the workplace, and her position at the fintech startup Flutterwave gave her the opportunity to do just that. Along with gaining a more well-rounded view of the business world, working in Africa has afforded Koné with many takeaways, including the significance of listening to others and keeping an open mind.
“It’s important to go out there and listen, to seek the truth, and to be open to the fact that there may be more than one side to every story,” she says.
Koné is one of many Black MIT Sloan alumni making a difference in the world every day. From entrepreneurs to founders to CEOs and more, Black alumni continue to be an integral part of the business ecosystem both locally and across the globe. Read on to see what Koné and others have to say about their experiences at MIT Sloan, in the workplace, and in the world.
It’s really important to have somebody who’s standing up for you in rooms where you aren’t there. It’s something that we should do more of.
I am happy that MIT Sloan is not just thinking about the future of work from a technical standpoint but is also shedding a light on communities that are often ignored.
You have to consciously work to reframe your sense of both who you are and what is possible, as well as what you have ruled out as a possibility because others have already framed you in a different box.
These experiences have provided me with opportunities to learn about new things that are happening in the world... and my MIT Sloan connections have put me squarely in line to experience these things.
One of the biggest challenges we experience is thinking that once we get our diploma, everything will be perfect, but in reality, that’s only the beginning. Now, we have to figure out what to do next.
There are going to be a lot of hard times, and you have to believe you can get through them, and really believe in what you’re doing, to set out on a path that you can feel proud of.
We are the means to enable a system of energy that fuels leaders in every sector, in every country, on every continent of the world.
Exposure and access to Black entrepreneurs is crucial.
It’s a gratifying feeling watching a group of people come together with the goal of winning against the odds and succeeding in that goal.
