‘The Least I Could Do’
Checking in from her new classroom (her family home in Belmont, Massachusetts), Anna Dibble ’22 answered my call by thanking me, and asking how everything was going for me and my loved ones.
This from a sophomore, who, just last week, was asked to pack all her things, say goodbye to her peers, teachers, and mentors, and prepare to reconnect online for the remainder of Babson’s spring semester.
Gaining Perspective
On Friday, March 13, 2020, Dibble did something not too many others would think of doing when they had their own lives uprooted—she left her worries behind, and jumped in to help students who may be much more impacted than she was so far by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
“Anna is someone who has a strong connection with a number of students and staff, including Global Scholars and the Glavin Office for International Education,” shared Nicole Nicosia, associate director of International Student and Scholar Services at Babson. When these scholars were busy trying to get their belongings to a storage unit and move off campus, said Nicosia, Dibble helped by loading her own vehicle with their boxes, making trips to the storage unit herself, and helping them however she could.
“One of my favorite parts about Babson has been its global perspective and I have gained so much from having close friends from all over the world,” said Dibble. “Helping people pack and move their boxes as they quickly made arrangements to get home safely was really the least I could do.”
“Anna is such a kind and thoughtful global citizen—an embodiment of the Babson student body,” said Amir Reza, dean, Babson Academy, and Global Education. “At a time of frenzy, she demonstrates and role models what we need to do to get through these challenging times.”
“I have gained an even greater sense of how interconnected the systems of our world are, and just how strong the Babson community is.”
Anna Dibble '22
A Digital World
This week, Dibble was actually supposed to be in Argentina and Uruguay for a Babson Elective Abroad course called Regional Economies – Prospects and Tensions in Latin America’s Southern Cone.
Thanks to the quick work of her professor Joseph Ricciardi, Dibble’s class quickly pivoted online, and the group already has connected with global leaders, virtually, including Rafael Hermida, country manager of MercadoLibre in Uruguay, Andrés Cerisola, chairman of Endeavor Uruguay, and more.
“It’s been phenomenal to collaborate with people who are so far away,” said Dibble. “I also was delightfully surprised that we were able to have a really interactive case discussion that was just as lively as one we would have had in person.”
Although the current situation is not ideal, shared Dibble, she has “gained an even greater sense of how interconnected the systems of our world are, and just how strong the Babson community is. … I am so fortunate to be a student at Babson during this historic and trying time.”
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