Learning beyond borders at the MIT Immersion Program

Jump to:

• Why students choose the program
• What the MIT Immersion Program involves
• Learning from MIT academics
• Visiting leading US companies
• Social impact projects
• Final pitch experience
• Reflections from students
• How to get involved

Executive MBA student, Nadish Kariyawasam, Executive Director Governance, Planning and Improvement, Central West Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Health, chose the program’s international leadership stream for that very reason. With a strong interest in entrepreneurship, he saw the stream, and the opportunity to participate in the MIT Immersion Program, as a chance to broaden his perspective and gain global insights he could bring back to the public health sector.

“As part of my Executive MBA, I chose the International Leadership stream to deepen my understanding of entrepreneurship,” said Nadish.

“A key factor in that decision was the opportunity to participate in the MIT Immersion Program.

“Given MIT’s global reputation and consistently high rankings, I was genuinely looking forward to engaging with the program throughout 2025,” he said.

Natalia Curusi, MBA student and Agile Coach at Endava Australia, also saw the MIT Immersion Program as a unique chance to access MIT’s world-class ecosystem and explore its leadership in digital transformation—one of the program’s key focus areas.

“One of my biggest dreams since choosing a career in technology has been to visit MIT - to see with my own eyes the place where innovation and future technologies are born,” said Natalia.

“I had never previously had the opportunity to study at a university of this calibre.

“That’s why I saw this program as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to broaden my technological vision and gain inspiration for my future achievements,” she said.

Inside the MIT Immersion Program

Throughout the two-week intensive program, students attend academic sessions delivered by leading global academics, visit some of the most innovative and influential organisations in the U.S., and conclude with a pitch session where they present a new business idea to MIT experts.

Learning from leading academics

Each component of the program offers standout moments. For Sasha Ryan, Executive MBA student and Strategy Partner at Woolworths Group, the opportunity to learn directly from MIT’s world-renowned faculty was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that challenged her perspective and sharpened her leadership approach.

“Delivered by MIT's world-class faculty, these sessions were designed to strengthen our skills within the MIT innovation ecosystem—with WOW-factor teachers,” said Sasha.

“Lectures by Scott Stern, Bill Carter and Bill Aulet – they were phenomenal.

“The energy, the passion, the way they taught – just incredible.

“Learning in a city like Boston was a once-in-a-lifetime experience—and the best part was being surrounded by your cohort, continuing your growth and journey as a collective,” she said.

Visiting some of America’s most innovative companies

Beyond the classroom, students visited leading-edge organisations including KnitWell Group, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Massachusetts Port Authority, and the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.

Reflecting on the experience, Natalia said, “The MIT Immersion Program was truly a unique experience that expanded my perspective on innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship.”

“We took part in inspiring company visits to organisations at the forefront of deep technology, such as Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which is conducting one of the world’s most ambitious experiments in new energy generation, and NASA, a global leader in space innovation,” she said.

Sasha also highlighted the value of seeing innovation in action, adding, “A critical component was the exposure to a real-life funding project, we experienced seeing Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

“This provided direct insight into how tech startups scale and manage complex challenges.

“We also engaged with the broader startup community by attending events like Venture Café to observe entrepreneurs actively seeking funding,” she said.

Creating social impact through hands-on learning

As part of the MIT Immersion Program, students were given the opportunity to work with external partners—including not-for-profit organisations—applying their newly acquired knowledge from MIT Sloan School of Management to deliver meaningful, real-world outcomes.

Natalia, a participant in QUT Graduate School of Business’s Real Deal Community Initiative (RDCI), an extracurricular, pro bono centre supporting not-for-profit and for-purpose organisations, collaborated with Orange Sky as part of her MIT Immersion pitch project.

“As part of the QUT Real Deal Community Initiative, my team worked with a not-for-profit to develop a mobile application aimed at reducing loneliness among people experiencing homelessness in Australia,” said Natalia.

“The application also helps make essential hygiene services—like laundry and showers—more accessible.”

Natalia reflected on how the MIT Immersion experience provided valuable insights she could immediately apply to her project with Orange Sky.

“Many of our discussions in the MIT Immersion Program were focused on not-for-profit and social enterprise organisations,” Natalia said.

“Much of the insight came directly from our professors or organically through class discussions, as many of our Australian colleagues either work in, or are passionate about, supporting the not-for-profit sector.

“In several sessions, we also explored case studies based on social enterprises, which provided a rich learning experience,” she said.

Working towards something larger and being able to make a positive difference through her studies was deeply rewarding for Natalia.

“This experience was incredibly rewarding, as it allowed us to apply the full entrepreneurship cycle we had learned at MIT.

“This includes ideation workshop, discovery activities, getting real time business stakeholders feedback, identifying unmet market needs to design for scalability, managing budgets, and conducting user testing in a social impact context,” she continued.

“While it was challenging to adapt entrepreneurial principles to a social initiative, it was also very rewarding to see how innovation and technology could drive meaningful change in people’s lives.”

Bringing ideas to life in the final pitch

The program culminated in a collaborative pitch session, where students worked in small groups of two to six to bring their ideas to life in front of MIT faculty and industry experts.

Explaining the process, Natalia said, “Throughout the program, we worked in small teams, collaborating on the development of entrepreneurial ideas.”

“At the end of the program, we had the unique opportunity to pitch our projects to a panel of MIT professors and industry innovators.

“Their feedback was incredibly valuable and played a key role in shaping my entrepreneurial mindset,” she said.

Sasha echoed this sentiment, adding, “The feedback provided was invaluable, serving as a practical application of all the concepts learned during our Executive MBA journey.”

For Nadish, the pitch capstone was one of the most rewarding moments of the program.

“On a personal level, a major highlight was collaborating with my colleagues David and Troy to prepare our pitch,” said Nadish.

“We applied what we had learned throughout the program to shape our concept and were honoured to receive a special mention.

“One of the judges even offered to connect us with further guidance through her network — we are now actively exploring how to build and commercialise the platform,” he said.

From Cambridge to Brisbane: renewed and recharged

Now back home in Queensland, Australia, participants described returning from the MIT Immersion Program feeling refreshed and invigorated, not only armed with world-class knowledge, but with a renewed sense of purpose, confidence, and clarity.

Sasha described the experience as nothing short of transformative.

“It’s an intensive program like no other – get ready to think big,” she said.

“The program fundamentally shifted my perspective from tactical execution to disruptive strategic thinking.

“By learning to 'be passionate about the problem, not the solution,' I am now better equipped to challenge assumptions, and identify opportunities.

“This allows me to guide senior leadership in making greater business decisions for the long term,” she said.

For Nadish, the program was a catalyst for personal and professional growth.

“The program gave me the confidence to explore entrepreneurship and the courage to take more risks,” he said.

“I now feel ready to experiment with my own business ideas—to try, fail, learn, and try again.

Adding to this, Nadish noted the experience also reshaped how he saw innovation and leadership.

“I’ve realised that growth often comes from stepping outside of comfort zones and embracing uncertainty,” he said.

“As one of my favourite takeaways from MIT reminded us: it’s much more exciting to be a pirate than to stay in the navy—or better yet, to combine the best of both worlds: discipline and creativity,” he concluded.

Take part in our MIT Immersion Program

Are you interested in experiencing the MIT Immersion Program for yourself? Applications are now open for QUT’s Executive MBA January intake.