From Tokyo, a Contribution to MBA Scholarships

"When I studied for my MBA at SDA Bocconi School of Management, classes were only taught in Italian, not in English like today". Toshikazu Ichihashi was part of the 15^th MBA Class at Bocconi. He had to learn Italian during his months in Milan in 1989-90, and it's in Italian that he explains his decision to donate for the Full-Time MBA Scholarship Fund, one of the two fundraising campaigns involving the annual reunion of SDA Bocconi MBAs. In fact, starting this year, all the MBA Alumni invited to this event organized by the Bocconi Alumni Association (BAA) have the possibility of giving their contribution, and support graduate students enrolled in the Full-Time or Executive MBA Programs.

In Tokyo, Toshikazu Ichihashi spent his career working in one of Japan's largest banks. He now works for a wine-importing company. "In this job, I have covered a lot of positions, first in finance and budget control, than in information systems." The push to support Bocconi came during his first MBA Reunion, responding to a call made by his classmate Laura Cioli to all her colleagues. "I felt an obligation," Toshikazu explains. "At SDA Bocconi, my tuition was paid in full by the company I was working for: education, accommodation, living expenses; everything was covered. I think I repaid my debt in full by working hard for the company after my Master in Business Administration, but I felt I still had a debt with SDA Bocconi, and Italy in general. My donation serves to honor that debt". Toshikazu Ichihachi, who's active in the BAA Chapter in Japan's capital, also thinks he's giving new meaning to his role as alumnus: "I think the best way to thank your old business school friends is to invest in future generations of graduates."