Education Is The Key To Success!!
Tyra Banks proves that she is more than a green-eyed model with a coca-cola shape. The American Top Model tv star was recently awarded her diploma from Harvard University’s Executive Education Owner/President Manager Program last week Friday on Feb. 17.
The Owner/President Manager Program is designed for “CEOs, COOs, presidents, and managing directors of companies with annual sales of at least $5 million. With no announcement or word to her friends, Banks enrolled at Harvard in the Fall of 2010 where she took part in three year program which ran in three-week increments. Banks was surely determined, because she coughed up nearly 33,000 per year to earn her diploma.
Banks says that she long desired to go back to school and she strongly considered it during her time with America’s Top Model show as she would soon discover that life was more than being a pretty face and education played an integral role in wealth and success.
After my first term at Harvard, I came back and killed a whole bunch of businesses we were going to go into. We have to say no more often than we say yes, no matter how much money people put on that goddamned table.
It used to be that 80 percent of what I’d hear was about beauty and body image. Now it’s about education and empowerment. It’s an interesting thing when it comes to branding, which we’re trying to figure out as a company.
Banks says she plans on using her knowledge to empower young girls who look up to her as well her fans and staff. Banks went on to say that she learned that making a difference is far more important that than the pursuit of a dollar.
Our leadership professor, Robert Steven Kaplan, was the vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs before he left to become a professor at Harvard. The difference in income he now gets is staggering. He is constantly trying to teach us to not chase the dollar but to make a difference. I thought we’d be taught “profit, profit, profit, win, win, win, go, go, go.” Instead, we were hearing about the importance of exposing vulnerability to your team.
Harvard is all about innovation and being first to market. It’s something I’m constantly bringing back to my team, whether it’s my soldiers or my generals. I give them challenges and homework and brainstorming sessions
I also look at what Lady Gaga is doing and think it’s near-genius. Had I not gone to Harvard, I’m not sure I would have seen it as a marketing play. I would have just said, “Oh, she’s popular.” Now I see how smart she is. It’s a true, clear, executed plan.
Although Banks didn’t obtain a master’s or doctoral degree from Harvard, the university says that she will still receive alumnus status. Congrat’s Tyra Banks!
