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[APPLAUSE] >> I'm in denial.
I don't want to face the reality that my time at the GSB is coming to an end.
But that's what's happened.
That's the harsh reality.
And I have to decide, where am I going to go next?
Perhaps some of you can relate.
I was going to go back to the Midwest, it's where I'm from originally.
I grew up on a farm in Nebraska, enjoyed playing outside,
had a tight knit community that supported me.
I even got to exhibit pigs at the county fair in the summer, what a life.
And later I moved to Minnesota for work, and I fell in love with the culture,
people that are so polite, kind, and reserved.
Even have a special term for it, it's called Minnesota nice, it's a real thing.
But believe it or not,
the Midwest actually hasn't been a popular destination for GSB alums.
>> [LAUGH] >> Now I have been working on my
art skills, and for an illustration here,
I've created an exact replica of the United States.
>> [LAUGH] >> And
I looked back at where last year's class ended up.
>> [LAUGH] >> Right there.
>> [LAUGH] >> You can see the distribution.
We have quite a few in Silicon Valley and New York,
maybe even a few cowboys and cowgirls in Texas, but
a huge hole in between, only about 2% were going to the Midwest.
But I kept hope.
Maybe our class would be different.
So I sent a survey to my classmates.
60 responded, and of that 60, 0 were going to the Midwest after graduation.
Common reasons included things like it's too cold, the culture is too conservative,
there's nothing to do from a social or professional aspect, and
I don't have ties to the region, so why should I go?
I started to reflect.
I mean, was I missing something here?
Should I not be going to the Midwest?
Perhaps people were missing out on an opportunity by not even considering it.
So I decided to take a fresh look at the region in terms of career opportunities,
quality of life, and potential for societal impact.
First from a career standpoint, I know we all have extremely high aspirations,
so I looked at what past alums have done, and
what they did to become the most successful.
For instance, Phil Knight didn't stay in Silicon Valley.
He went to Beaverton, Oregon to build Nike.
Mary Barra, she went to Detroit to work for General Motors,
eventually becoming CEO and Fortune's most powerful woman in business.
So perhaps there is a benefit to going somewhere where everyone else isn't.
For further research I spoke with Robert Hadda, he's a partner at Drive Capital,
it's a VC firm focused on funding Midwest startups.
It was founded by two former Sequoia partners who left Silicon Valley for
Columbus, Ohio, of all places, because of the opportunities they saw in the region.
Part of that is, it's a very big economy.
You have a quarter the Fortune 500 companies in the region.
So for those GSB students who want to work for a large company right away,
there's ample opportunities in broad industries that truly matter.
Things like healthcare, financial services, food and agriculture.
For those who want to do something maybe a little more exciting,
there's even a budding startup scene.
One of the benefits of being the region as a startup is you're close to many
of your end consumers and competitors.
So you're able to respond, and learn from them more quickly.
There's also a lot of top state schools in the region.
So you're able to draw from top talent in computer science and engineering,
without competing with companies like Facebook and Google.
Specifically as GSBs, we have the opportunity to take some of the best
practices that we learned at Stanford and Silicon Valley and
bring them to the region to help grow it.
Things like rapid product development, and scaling, building world class teams,
that because of current technology you can do from anywhere.
So, who knows?
Maybe we can even apply some of those touchy feely skills and
we'll build the first corn unicorn in the region.
Sounds great.
>> [LAUGH] >> I also spoke with David Kit.
He lived in Chicago and Minneapolis and was my alumni interviewer.
He worked in finance and e-commerce.
And he pointed out that being somewhere where there's a relatively smaller network
is actually powerful.
Those who are in the region become closer.
And you can leverage that network more.
As an employee, you become more powerful to your employer.
Because you might be one of the few who can tap into the broader Stanford network.
It's a good situation to be in.
So outside just the career aspects though, there is quality of life to consider.
Fast forward, say, five years.
You're ready to settle down, married, perhaps have a kid.
Hopefully you've even made your first million.
Well, maybe you want to buy a house with that, but if you're in San Francisco-
>> [LAUGH]
>> Something like that,
kind of a fixer-upper.
Instead, say you decide to go to Minneapolis.
You end up with something like this.
>> [LAUGH] >> Prime lakefront property.
Your choice.
>> [LAUGH] >> Now,
it's not just the housing that's awesome.
Recently did a study looking in terms of overall quality of life from the aspects
of affordability, economic opportunity, and work life balance.
All five of the top cities in its study were from the Midwest.
Places like Saint Paul, Minnesota, Lincoln, Nebraska and Madison, Wisconsin.
There is a benefit, too, of going somewhere where there is slightly fewer
people, because it makes activities more accessible to you.
If you want to get reservations to your favorite restaurant, say, it's easier.
Same with concert tickets and sporting events.
It's a great time to be in the region as well for sports.
I mean, you have the World Series champion Chicago Cubs, and as knows,
the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Apologies to the Golden State fans,
I realize you're a little sad your reign's over.
But it's okay.
>> [LAUGH] >> I know we also had
a few foodies in the room.
There's tons of farms in the area, in case you didn't know.
So you can eat farm fresh and local, constantly.
And trust me,
if you're a carnivore like me, there's no better place in the world for steaks.
I love it.
But it's not just about the food.
The thing I miss most, not being in the region now, is the people.
I had the honor of having one of my classmates, Michael, visit,
he's Nigerian, over winter break.
The thing that surprised him most was how open and welcoming the people were in
the region, something Midwesterners pride themselves on.
You say hi and wave to strangers.
It's kind of strange at first, but you get used to it.
If you haven't visited, I suggest you do and you'll notice the difference.
Now, in terms of societal impact, collectively,
I do think our decisions matter.
A popular topic at the moment for
instance is the divide that's developed in our country.
Much of that is geographic based, the coasts and Middle America.
Well, call me crazy, but I don't think that's going away anytime soon,
if we just stay in Silicon Valley and New York.
If you want to see a change in a region, why not move there?
Bring it.
If you think people have been left behind,
try to bring them new economic opportunities.
I realize there might be some resistance,
being like, these people are different from me, I don't know how to connect.
But from my experience in living in both regions,
there's more similarities than differences.
It's also enjoyable to hear a variety of thought.
That's how you truly learn to understand one another and
find common ground to connect.
After talking through and
reflecting on my decision, I am confident that I do want to go to the Midwest.
If you're still deciding and want to be able stand out in your career,
have an exceptional quality of life, and help to unify our country, then join me.
>> [APPLAUSE]
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