Faith Keza, Harvard Business School MBA Class of 2024
Age: 30
Hometown: Kigali, Rwanda
Undergraduate Institution and Major: MIT – Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): CEO/CTO at govtech company for 5 years, Software Engineer in the Bay Area for 4 years before that.
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I spent the five years before business school building a business and growing it to over 80 people and achieving sustainability for an important public digital infrastructure company. I was hoping to find the right space to reflect on what I had learned and further define what kind of leader I wanted to be moving forward. While I really enjoyed and learned a lot from this experience, it was one experience. At HBS, I will have the time to explore 500+ different cases and learn from and get a broad awareness of many different industries, businesses, leaders and contexts.
It is an awesome way to learn, reflect and explore what new ideas or businesses I could work on next.
Why did you choose Harvard Business School? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Of the various top MBA programs, Harvard is perhaps the most academically rigorous which I was really looking forward to. I was hoping to be stretched to think differently and learn a lot and so far the case method has been everything I had hoped for. I also get to learn from the different and diverse perspectives my classmates have to offer.
Harvard also has a truly global network of alumni. And as someone who wants to continue to pursue a global career that involves work in Africa, it was important for me to find a program that was this international with a good number of African students and alumni.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2024?
Before business school, I was CEO at Irembo, a technology company based in Kigali that digitizes and streamlines government services(think passports, land transfers, visas, marriage registrations and 100+ others) and provides digital payments for the Rwandan government through a single digital platform. I would say my experience as a general manager balancing the various needs of different stakeholders: clients, a board, staff, the government and other stakeholders would be interesting for classmates that are interested in general management and change management in general or in the public sector in particular.
I believe I am also the second ever Rwandan to come to HBS and that enables me to contribute a different context or perspective to the Class of 2024.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
Black is my favorite color and I used to wear it almost all the time. However, my husband challenged me to diversify my color choices while at HBS. So, I have been experimenting with new colors lol
Post-MBA career interests:
Entrepreneurship & Tech.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Talk to alumni and current students. They have a lot of advise and experience to share that can help you decide if business school and the specific program would be the right step for you. They also give you lots of tips on how you can approach the application process.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Probably would try not to stress too much during the process or get too much feedback on my essays. It is important to take all the advise you can get but ultimately share the stories that you think are authentic to who you are and why you want to join the program.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
The GMAT, though I eventually started to enjoy solving the puzzles! It was time consuming and really took the majority of my prep time. But there are many great resources out there to make the process easier. I used Magoosh and GMATClub to prepare and that helped a great deal.
What is your initial impression of the Harvard Business School students/culture/community?
The HBS community is diverse, smart, full of ambitious and down-to-earth people who are all on a learning journey. Professors, staff and students are very accessible and open to helping each other explore and grow. And of course, the HBS campus itself is beautiful and creates the perfect backdrop to all the activity that happens here.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Not anxious, but I very aware that there is so much going on on campus and one has to be mindful about their priorities and constantly optimize for that. It is a balancing act having so much choice and so little time!
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am really excited about learning! Our first-year curriculum includes most core functions of business and does a great job of building everything up from first principles which has been awesome. Beyond class, I am also excited to explore the various clubs on campus and find new ideas to engage with.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?
The pandemic gave me a chance to pause and reflect on what was important to me and how I could design my life and work around my values. Coming to business school became an extension of that exploration and I am glad I had the forced pause to consider the broader picture.
