"Bringing new ideas and a new approach to the table adds value. That is central to innovation, and it is what Haas has helped me learn to do," says Alexis Green. Two of her experiences at Haas crystallize the school's Leading Through Innovation mindset.

Green was on the implementation team for Haas@Work, a semester-long project that started with a daylong workshop that brought together Haas students and employees at a leading online travel firm. "We brainstormed business ideas from acquisition strategies to risk management to upselling opportunities," Green recalls. "At the end of the day, we presented our ideas to the company's executive board, including the CEO, CMO, and VP of Merchandising." Green was on the team of six students selected to explore whether marketing strategies and tactics—beyond price—could affect customer conversion. "Some of our recommendations are on-line now as part of a pilot plan. Being able to see the results of our work was one of the great things about Haas@Work."

Green also saw results—and got to practice her Spanish—when she worked with a non-governmental organization in El Salvador as a part of the International Business Development program. "We were the first Haas team to go to El Salvador. Our assignment was to develop a strategic growth plan the NGO could use to increase the number of coffee farms in El Salvador obtaining the Rainforest Alliance certification seal. We identified missing information and ways for the NGO to align itself better in the process." Another Haas team returned in the summer to work on a new project for the organization.

Throughout her time at Haas, Green was impressed with her classmates' "open-mindedness about trying things. My classmates really made the Haas experience for me. Everyone was willing to get down and dirty. There was no feeling of pretentiousness or sense of entitlement. People were incredibly bright, passionate, and inspiring."