Studies
I have to thank my parents who prioritised education from my very early years. In addition to a robust curriculum inherited from a famously demanding Soviet educational system, they used their savings to hire tutors to cover subjects where public education wasn’t sufficient. That’s one of the reasons I was able to later apply for and benefit from merit-based scholarships both in Azerbaijan and the US. This focus on education has also cultivated in me a strong drive to constantly keep learning, no matter where I am in life. And of course, as part of my academic journey, I was very lucky to come across and learn from exceptional faculty members and peer students, many of whom later became mentors and friends. A little more on my educational journey in this section.
Harvard doesn't need any introduction; it's world renowned in every educational discipline. I enjoyed every minute of my 2 years as an MBA student at Harvard Business School (HBS), for a myriad of reasons. First and foremost, my peer students, given their diverse backgrounds and motivating aspirations. I am very lucky to have built meaningful friendships still thriving 15 years later. These relationships are even more sincere today, as we’ve not only shared two fun MBA years together on a wonderful campus, but also gone through major life events, bonded on a family-level, and supported each other in truly challenging times. Another reason I enjoyed HBS was the calibre of its faculty and the quality of the curriculum. My favourites were BGIE - Business, Government, and the International Economy, and Finance, taught by Professor Trumbull and Professor Perold, respectively.
This state university in Maine welcomed me in the early 2000's. Despite being in what some people refer to as a relatively remote corner of America's Northeast, this place offered me a superb education and full merit-based scholarship. With its advanced facilities, knowledgeable faculty, and diverse student body, U Maine gave me the ingredients I needed to prepare myself for starting a career in finance. My initial interest in investing was prompted by a student-run investment club. Even though it wasn't large in terms of funds under management, we pitched stocks to each other as if our lives depended on them – it was really fun. As another testament to the quality of the education at U Maine, our MBA class at Harvard had 3 U Maine alumni, including me. It is also thanks to U Maine that I met my mentor, Mr Nick Heymann – a U Maine alumnus with a stellar Wall Street career – who was so kind to speak to me frequently about the vast world of finance and guide me through it by sharing his thoughts on various career paths. He is one of the most instrumental people in my life; to this day, I am delighted to count him as a friend and mentor.
Established in 1919, this is the oldest and largest educational institution in Azerbaijan. I attended BSU in the late 90's, when Azerbaijan as a country was just finding its feet after the economic consequences of the switch from a command to a market economy. The University's budget was limited and we often had to share textbooks and take extensive notes at every lecture due to a lack of sufficient literature. However, these challenges were more than mitigated by our professors' dedication to and passion for teaching. Having lived in challenging times, they wanted us to have a bright future. Today, I am very pleased to know that BSU is a thriving educational center, well-equipped technologically and academically. I am also grateful to visiting professors, interaction with whom would give us opportunities to broaden our horizons and get perspectives from universities across the world.
