Did I grow? Not entirely sure, but I am deeply grateful.
First, to my family, who instilled in us the value of education and put a lot of effort to ensure my siblings and I had every opportunity - knowledge is a lifelong voyage.
To my classmates, your diverse professional and vivid personal experiences profoundly enriched my own journey - those are friendships I will forever cherish (not to mention, you now know all my secrets!).
To the (world-class) professors, who, even in the face of multiple Karen's (us, insatiable students!), strive at every instance to give us a platform to succeed.
To China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), which exemplifies the sheer power of collaboration (in case between China and Europe, and one that endures, 30 years on..). Glad all our Deans made it (esp. Katherine Xin!), what an honour.
And to the CEIBS Global Executive MBA Programme team, whose unwavering commitment to excellence has propelled us to the top of the Financial Times rankings as the best hashtag#EMBA in the world (coincidentally while we were there hehe).
The program graduation message: "never say goodbye". I might have taken it to heart as I'll be there next week already.. Surreal, but I find myself longing to return to that classroom eager to continue what was, as our motto goes, a truly transformational global learning journey anchored in China.
So, going back to that question, yes, I definitely grew.
Now, as our Associate Dean Bala Ramasamy said, the future is an empty canvas, and we alone hold the paintbrush.