Stories

Stories from the Minerva Community

From classrooms to cities around the world, these are the stories of how Minerva students, alumni, and faculty apply what they learn to real challenges, careers, and communities.

Featured

May 13, 2026

Minerva Students Pitch Big Ideas at Venture Café Tokyo

A recap of an evening connecting Minerva students with Tokyo’s innovation community.

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May 6, 2026

Inside San Francisco with City Director Matthew Paffhouse

A conversation with Matthew Paffhouse, City Director, San Francisco.

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May 20, 2026

Minerva Alum Alexia Benakova on Art, AI, and Creating Her Own Path in San Francisco

Meet Minerva alum Alexia Benakova, whose journey from global classrooms to San Francisco’s art and AI spaces is redefining what a creative career can look like.

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Browse Stories

Explore stories from across the Minerva community—student experiences, alumni paths, faculty perspectives, and insights on learning and leadership.

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2026
April 2, 2026

Building Community Through Leadership: Sonja Monastyrski’s Minerva Journey

Meet M26’s Sonja Monastyrski, Director of Finance at 180 Degrees Consulting Minerva, with roots in Ukraine and Canada.
Student Stories
Alumni Outcomes

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2026
March 25, 2026

The Operating System Between You and AI: A Conversation with M21 Gavin Lee

A Conversation with Gavin (Chia Ta Lee), M21 — the first Taiwanese student admitted to Minerva’s MDA program, co-author of Taiwan’s bestselling book on Habits of Mind, and founder of Worldviews Academy.
Alumni Outcomes
Graduate Programs

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2026
March 18, 2026

How Minerva’s MDA Program Builds Confidence for Any Role

Learn how David’s MDA prepared him to thrive in any role.
Minerva Voices
Graduate Programs

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2026
March 12, 2026

Sustainability Minor Series: Ena Yamaguchi

Meet Ena Yamaguchi, a Social Sciences student from Japan in the Class of 2028, featured in our Sustainability Minor Series.
Minerva Voices
Student Stories
Sustainability & Impact

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2026
March 4, 2026

A Conversation with Manu – From Student to City Director in Hyderabad

A conversation with Manu Jayamohan Nair. Director of Student Life, Hyderabad.
Alumni Outcomes
Global Experience
Faculty & Staff

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2026
February 25, 2026

How Shawn Used Minerva’s MDA to Expand His Career Possibilities

How Minerva’s MDA helped Shawn move beyond a traditional career path.
Alumni Outcomes
Graduate Programs

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2026
February 18, 2026

How to Crush Minerva’s Writing & Expression Challenges

Prepare for Minerva’s Writing and Expression challenges with practical tips to stay focused, organize ideas, and communicate clearly in writing and speech.
Undergrad
Student Stories

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2026
February 11, 2026

Sustainability Minor Series: Mara Iris Dumitru

In this edition of our Sustainability Series, learn how Mara Dumitru uses computational science and sustainability to build AI solutions for environmental impact.
Student Stories
Sustainability & Impact
Computational Sciences

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2026
February 4, 2026

A Conversation with Buenos Aires’ City Director Andres Piacentino

Meet Andrés Piacentino, Minerva’s City Director in Buenos Aires, who designs City Experiences that help students engage with the city beyond tourism.
Global Experience
Faculty & Staff

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2026
January 22, 2026

A Conversation with Graduate Minerva Student Peter Wang

Introducing Peter, a Minerva graduate student.
Graduate Programs

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2026
January 28, 2026

Turning Stigma into Story - Sofia Perez (M28)

Learn more about how Sofia Perez (M28) is turning stigma into story, using comic books to spark bold conversations about menstrual health.
Minerva Voices
Student Stories
Arts & Humanities

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2026
January 15, 2026

Reimagining Leadership for a Changing World

How Minerva and the Nippon Foundation are equipping executives to lead across borders, cultures, and complexity
Executive Education
University News

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2026
January 14, 2026

The Cognitive Advantage: Minerva MDA Alumni on Thinking Smarter in an AI Era

Minerva’s MDA equips professionals like Gloria Kexin Wu to think critically and lead with integrity in an AI-driven world.
Alumni Outcomes
Graduate Programs

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2026
January 21, 2026

A Conversation with Minerva Alum Lydia Etherington

Meet Lydia, a Class of 2025 alumna from Canada.
Minerva Voices
Alumni Outcomes
Computational Sciences

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2026
January 7, 2026

Sustainability Minor Series: Ana Beatriz Campos Carneiro

Meet Ana Beatriz, a Class of 2027 student from Brazil, who discusses what she believes is the most pressing issue of our century.
Student Stories
Sustainability & Impact

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2025
December 31, 2025

Minerva Alumni Book Review: Only Don’t Know by Sanchita Shekhar

Meet Sanchita Shekhar, Minerva Class of 2021 alumna, and her debut avant-garde poetry collection, Only Don’t Know.
Alumni Outcomes
Arts & Humanities

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2025
December 26, 2025

Following a Family Legacy at Minerva: Meet Abdelrahman, Class of 2030

Meet Abdelrahman, a Class of 2030 member from Egypt, and brother of Ali, Class of 2026.
Minerva Voices
Student Stories
Undergrad

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2025
December 17, 2025

Student Initiative: Film Collective at Minerva

Discover the Film Collective, a cross-cohort community where Minervans explore creativity through film, from 24-hour marathons to industry workshops.
Student Stories
Arts & Humanities

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2025
December 10, 2025

The Minervans Who Built an AI That Predicts Food Spoilage

written by Amina Rakhimbergenova, Class of 2027
Student Stories
Innovation & Research
Computational Sciences

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2025
December 4, 2025

A Conversation with Incoming Minerva Graduate Student Na Li

Introducing Na Li, a Minerva graduate student.
Graduate Programs

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