Re-Entering University Life
It’s a very high expectation for any high school senior to know what he/she/they wants to study in university. Harry Kenworthy found himself in that exact position. After finishing his A-Levels at a high school in Blackpool, England, Harry dove straight into the workforce in London. He was ready to just “get out there.”
He dabbled in artist management at YMU for three years, first as an intern and finally as a talent manager within its Media Division. His next role was in the sales division of his family’s soft-furnishings company and spent three years on the road selling before the world ground to a halt with the onset of COVID-19.
Not one to sit still, Harry used his newfound spare time and entrepreneurial spirit to help with the fight against the pandemic. He and some friends leveraged their networks in Asia and began importing much-needed PPE.
He says, “We sold in excess of 30 million Type-IIR surgical masks in six months, which was about $7 million U.S. dollars in revenue. The success of this venture provided me with a platform and the confidence to take a calculated leap into entrepreneurship.”
And that’s when the BHGAP dream began. “Although I had some experience in business,” Harry says, “I had very little hands-on exposure to the ‘future of business.’ I wanted to learn about technology and the world of startups, and where better than the Bay Area!
“As a result of my experiences across a handful of industries—with different nationalities and cultures, with ‘old-school’ bosses—and challenges with my own mental health, the idea of ‘Conscious Capitalism’ truly resonates with me,” Harry continues.
“Conscious Capitalism is the philosophy whereby businesses should operate ethically by serving the interests of all stakeholders, not just corporate management and shareholders. While I believe in the benefits of capitalism, I also believe we have outgrown capitalism in its original Industrial Revolution form, and it’s unsustainable. The world has changed and so have people. We are more informed, more connected, more intelligent and, hopefully, more mindful. In order for companies to flourish in the future, they must align themselves with the new realities and embody a more conscious way of being. I felt Berkeley would provide me with the opportunity to explore these beliefs further and to help other future leaders think beyond themselves.”
And you came to BHGAP to become that future leader!
Throwing myself into the environment of UC Berkeley and Silicon Valley following COVID was an incredible opportunity. Businesses are always evolving, but the events of 2020 caused many companies to step back and rethink their operations entirely.
BHGAP initially caught my eye because of its relevance to entrepreneurship and innovation, but the more I studied the program, the more I understood its relevance to much wider areas of business and life in general.
There was no denying that I would be massively out of my comfort zone by returning to the classroom, but this is one of the main reasons I applied. A question I regularly ask myself and others is, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?!”
The curriculum and faculty were of course a huge pull, but the primary reason I chose BHGAP was due to the hugely diverse cohorts. In an average class, there would be more than 40 nationalities represented with students on exchange from some of the best business schools in the world. It was an incredible privilege to sit among such talent, and I feel very fortunate to now have friends in so many different countries. I will be attending a classmate’s wedding in India in January of next year, which is all because of BHGAP!
Which courses did you take?
In Fall 2021, I took:
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Leading Strategy Implementation
Opportunity Recognition: Technology and Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley
Then in the spring, I chose:
New Venture Finance
Changing Climate and Business Strategy
Leading People
Undergraduate Colloquium on Business Topics
I think my biggest learnings came from collaborating with such a diverse group of students. It was hugely inspiring to witness how people from every corner of the world think and operate.
One of my favorite classes was Leading People because behavioral science fascinates me and I am hugely passionate about employees being “human beings before human doings.” I’ve had exposure to brilliant bosses and not-so-brilliant bosses, and the impact this can have on your experience at work is immense.
Overall, the courses definitely helped to fill knowledge gaps around technology and the startup ecosystem. However, I think my biggest learnings came from collaborating with such a diverse group of students. It was hugely inspiring to witness how people from every corner of the world think and operate. It’s very different.
I am passionate about human-first leadership and hope to one day be a business leader myself. Berkeley provided me with some invaluable lessons in how to collaborate with people from all around the world.
Beyond the classroom, did you get to explore the Bay Area?
So much! Life was literally a movie!
My highlights from the year include:
Traveling to Hawaii
Skiing at Lake Tahoe
Trips to Yosemite
Weekends in Los Angeles
Hiking and playing golf in the Berkeley Hills
Visiting the Grand Canyon
Attending concerts in Oakland
Joining house parties in the hills
Exploring San Francisco
Watching football at the California stadium
The football match against Stanford was epic—we won for the first time in 11 years and all of the Berkeley fans stormed the Stanford pitch. Go Bears!
And now you’re back in Europe— how are you bringing BHGAP into your future dreams?
Without wishing to sound clichéd, I regularly refer back to the Haas values of Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always and Beyond Yourself. They really resonate with me and help guide both my personal and professional decisions. I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I know if I stick to these values, I can’t go far wrong!
What advice would you give to someone who is starting BHGAP?
Make the most out of the amazing faculty and courses, but it’s also so important to prepare a bucket list of things to do and places to see. California is a dream and it requires meticulous planning to fit everything in!
Check out more images from my time in Berkeley!
