Lukas Oldenschläger ’23

Society’s current challenges in sustainability, LGBTQ+ rights, and equal opportunity are what matter most to me, and they’re motivating my career journey. Yale SOM’s mission to educate leaders for business and society supports students who want to have this kind of broad impact. The thing that surprised me is the breadth of experts I’ve been exposed to at SOM. I’ve taken courses taught by distinguished professors, company founders, economists, co-creators of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and geopolitical advisors. Exchanging opinions and ideas about how to address the world’s biggest interdisciplinary challenges in this environment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

During the fall semester, I attended the 2022 German American Conference with some classmates. International speakers addressed issues of diplomacy, global competition, and international relations. One of the keynotes discussed competing global powers who also have mutual interdependencies and the potential risks this poses for private companies. This session and follow-up conversations ignited my interest to learn more. So I took two classes at other Yale schools: Great Power Competition & Cooperation taught by General David Petraeus and Emma Sky at the Jackson School of Global Affairs, and Sustainable Development Law & Governance taught by Marie-Claire Cordonier-Segger at Yale Law School. Both classes gave me a bigger picture of the role that organizations play in societies and how they can create change for the better. I have no doubt that these lessons will shape my decisions throughout my career.

The Yale SOM community is one of the most open, bright, socially active, and fun communities I have ever experienced! New Haven may be a small city, but the people here fill it with life. We regularly organize potluck dinners and restaurant outings and attend events to connect with students from other Yale schools. One great way to make friends is by joining SOM’s many student clubs. Some are professionally focused such as the Tech Club or the Media & Entertainment Club, while others focus on hobbies and social activities, like the Ski & Snowboard Club or the Hockey Club. A highlight of my time has been seeing a performance of The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet on a trip with the Arts and Culture Club.