Harvard Westlake Society of Global Affairs Presents "Mind the Gap: From Idea to Reality"

A full house in Ahmanson Lecture Hall was wowed on Sunday by an eclectic array of prominent creative leaders as the Harvard-Westlake Society of Global Affairs presented its inaugural symposium, “Mind the Gap: From Idea to Reality.”

Academy Award-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu P’11 ‘13 kicked off the event with an inspiring reflection on the motivational forces that should drive the creative process. That was followed by a moderated panel discussion among Activision CEO Bobby Kotick ’15 ’17 ‘20, Walt Disney COO Tom Staggs ’16 ‘18, and Universal Studio Chairman Jeff Shell, who informed, entertained and advised with anecdotes and wisdom from their experiences at the forefront of the entertainment world.

Following lunch, OPI Nail Polish Founder Suzi Weiss Fischmann P‘15 dazzled the audience with the story of her creation of her cosmetics empire and the vision behind it. The day’s program concluded with the idea-to reality story of Jimmy Shaw and the original Loteria Grill.

This capped a successful second year of the HWSGA. Underwritten through the generosity of the Gunter Gross Global Fund (supported by Keith Gross P’19 and Jeffrey Gunter P’14 ‘14), the HWSGA is a student organization at HW, composed of juniors and seniors who are engaged, interested, and active in issues involving global and societal importance. The group is affiliated with the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and to have had the opportunity over the past two years to attend events with speakers such as Elon Musk, John McCain, and Bill Clinton.