What does this Wharton Effect mean to Rod Robinson? He sums it up in three ways: transformational, change in mindset, and desire to change the world.

After coming to Wharton, Robinson experienced a whole new world where he was “surrounded by great minds left and right” and emerged from campus connected with a tremendous alumni network. Although Robinson arrived at Wharton with big aspirations, he confesses, his time there changed him to start believing that anything really was possible and that he could truly change the world.

Now 20 years after graduating with his Wharton MBA, Robinson has launched a company that is doing exactly that. ConnXus is a technological startup that connects qualified supplier companies owned by women and minorities with Fortune 500 companies seeking to diversify their supply chain.

Editor’s note: Learn more about Robinson by reading his regular contributions to the Wharton Blog Network.

Wharton Alumni, Submit Your Wharton Effect Story

Wharton Magazine is still collecting tales of the School’s profound impact on alumni’s lives. Have a story to share? Want to have it appear here or in the pages of the magazine? We are looking for people willing to be interviewed, share their story in first person or even submit a video of themselves explaining Wharton’s transformational power in their lives. Here’s how to submit:

Posting it online at http://whr.tn/wharton-effect
Sharing it on social media with the hashtag #WhartonEffect
Emailing it to magazine@wharton.upenn.edu

Then enjoy additional Wharton Effect stories, shared by alumni both in video and in long form, here.