Meet Georgetown McDonough’s MBA Class Of 2021

P&Q: One tenet of Jesuit belief is Cura Personalis – “Care for the whole person.” What does McDonough do in its coursework and activities to nurture the spirit alongside the intellect of its MBAs?

PM: At Georgetown McDonough, “care for the whole person” takes on multiple facets. On the academic side, it plays out in two ways. First, we create opportunities for our students to be exposed to topics that are at the intersection of business with policy, law, regulation, or diplomacy. This can be in the form of core or elective courses that specifically focus at these intersections; students taking a certificate in “non-market strategies” that is specifically designed to provide such education; or students taking courses at other colleges in the university; or the business school inviting professors from these Georgetown colleges to teach special topic electives at the business school. We believe exposing students to issues at the intersection of business with these non-business topics is critical for them to develop a well-rounded perspective on the impact that business can have on society.

A second way that education that “cares for the whole person” manifests itself at McDonough is by intentionally adopting the Ignatian model of pedagogy. This involves focusing on three things as the curriculum unfolds: give students the opportunity to learn relevant knowledge, then provide them the opportunity to put this knowledge into action, and finally create mechanisms that allow for reflection – particularly self-reflection – for growth and transformation of the individual and peers.

We also are proud of the community that exists in the MBA program and across the university, which believes in women and men being in service to others. We continually seek opportunities to ensure that our students are able to be successful across all aspects of their life. For example, when we experienced a “baby boom” among our MBA community, we created a “mother’s room” for nursing moms and expanded our family-oriented programming to include activities for little ones. As issues of implicit bias continue to surface throughout the business world, our students took it upon themselves to organize implicit bias training for the MBA community to use at McDonough and to take forward with them. Even among our students, we see individuals with prior experience in subject areas helping their classmates study despite how it affects the grading curve. Over time, the desire to care for one another in academic, personal, and professional settings has become a core value of our culture.”

P&Q: McDonough is considered a deeply internationally-focused MBA program. How does the MBA program bring a global mindset into the classroom and beyond?

PM: “As a starting point, in our admissions process, we seek to attract individuals who are eager to and open to developing a global mindset. For this reason, over 75% of our students have extensive experience outside of their home country, either by having lived, studied, or worked overseas. This ensures that each individual brings to any discussion a multitude of perspectives.

Moreover, we believe the best way to learn about global business is to experience global business first-hand. That is why we require all of our MBA students to complete a consulting project with a global company and then travel to that country to meet with their client and refine their final presentation. While they are there, we engage them in company visits and meetings with alumni to provide a view into what it is like to do business outside of the United States.

Additionally, our students organize global career treks around the world, often spending a week engaging in business experiences in locations like Colombia, Israel, Ghana, Mexico, and Tanzania.

Of course, there is plenty we can do from the global capital city of Washington, D.C., as well – from research projects to embassy visits to engaging with global business leaders, our students experience being “global at home.”

All of these experiences enhance the global cases, discussions, and content found within our curriculum.”

GOVERNMENT…EMBASSIES…FORTUNE 500

The McDonough MBA’s global atmosphere is only amplified by its location in Washington, DC. Here, MBAs can take a class from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright or rub elbows with peers like Ximena Gonzalez Rojas, a 2019 grad and former Chief of Staff for Presidential Personnel in the Obama White House. That may be one reason why Samuel Boafo-Arko describes DC as the “intersection of business and policy,” a place where the public and provide collide and collaborate to make a deeper impact. In other words, there are few spots where MBAs can enjoy such access to a wide swath of decision-makers – and the opportunities to make a difference.

“I think one of the things we talk about in D.C. is that it’s one of the most diverse cities in the country,” Prashant Malaviya told P&Q in a 2018 interview. “I mean you literally have every single embassy and so many Fortune 500 companies have offices here. You have more international visitors, from a political perspective than most other cities in the U.S. It’s a place where you can find a like-minded group of people who are reasonable and thoughtful and likely more so than many other parts of the country. So that’s the message we send. And lucky for us, D.C. has really invested a lot in making itself a much more welcoming city.”

It’s a great place to spend two years too, adds Andres Romero, a 2019 P&Q MBA To Watch whose leadership abilities earned him the nickname “el Presidente.” “One of the biggest myths is that the academic rigor and job search are too intense, so you don’t get to enjoy D.C. The truth is that the school offers a lot of opportunities on and off campus to enjoy the city. For example, the Non-Market Strategy Certificate has a class for which you need to attend at least three events in different institutions including, the Congress, the World Bank, the Wilson Center, among many others. The student clubs also help us to take advantage of the extracurricular activities, such as the growing cultural and gastronomic scene or the different artists that visit the DMV [District, Maryland, Virginia] area.”

A JESUIT MISSION

Ali Toal, who hopes to work in business development or strategy in the health sector, agrees wholeheartedly with this assessment. “The opportunities at Georgetown and in Washington, DC are incomparable to any other city or school. This city is the epicenter of power which dictates what goes on in the business world and Georgetown McDonough is poised to harness that power to launch its graduates into whatever field they choose to pursue. I came to McDonough because I knew it was the place that was going to help get me to achieve my career goals and move into the career I want to go. The community environment, global perspective, and Jesuit values foster a support network that is unlike any other school, which was an important factor to me too.”

Indeed, McDonough’s focuses on the “whole person” – a mission to tend to the intellectual and spiritual needs of the individual. It is a philosophy rooted in 400 years of Jesuit tradition, one that elevates curiosity and faith in the pursuit of excellence. Being a McDonough MBA is a call to responsibility. It is a commitment to bringing out the gifts in others, a devotion to the inherent good in life, a conviction that demands action and ultimately supplies purpose.

“The McDonough MBA program was an easy choice for me because it not only ensures that I am competitive in the workforce but also have the correct tools to generate positive change,” explains Austen Brower. “Georgetown’s collective philosophy of Women and Men for Others is more than a saying. It permeates throughout the program. Professors teach with it in mind, students have been selected through its lens, and recruiters understand this philosophy can positively affect their company. Georgetown students are not only considered the best trained in the world but develop into respectful business leaders. The dual badge of quality training and social impact was influential in my MBA decision.”

What’s ahead for the Class of 2021? For Brower, the plan is to work in the “nexus” of corporate social responsibility, social enterprise, and for-profit partnerships. In contrast, Danya Sherman intends to empower entrepreneurs who follow in her footsteps. For Santiago Zúñiga, a role takes a back seat to an outcome.

“I don’t have a clear idea of where I’ll be in 10 years,” he writes, “but I hope that I’ll be able to say that I’m working to make the world a better and healthier place.”

What led these professionals to enter business schools? Which programs did they also consider? What strategies did they use to choose their MBA program? What was the major event that defined them? Find the answers to these questions and many more in the in-depth profiles of these incoming MBA candidates.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2021: THE GO-GETTERS

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Samuel Boafo-Arko	Accra, Ghana	University of Ghana	Pan African Capital Group
Austen R. Brower	Dayton, OH	College of William & Mary	Global Impact
Lydia Kickham-Dawes	Charlotte, NC	University of North Carolina	Credit Suisse
Daniel Hill	Orlando, FL	Georgetown University	Hill Chemical
Katherine Jo	Hong Kong	Emory University	ALM Media LLC
Santiago Mayoral	Mexico City, Mexico	Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México	Hoteles City Express
Deepak Mishra	Allahabad, India	University of Maryland	Capgemini Invent
Sorin Ovreiu	Pasadena, MD	Morehouse College	J.P. Morgan Chase
Danya Sherman	Scottsdale, AZ	George Washington University	KnoNap, LLC
Alison (Ali) Toal	Madison, WI	Luther College	U.S. Senate
Jennifer Wolock	Baltimore, MD	Georgetown University	Under Armour
Santiago Zúñiga	Monterrey, México	Boston University	Massachusetts General Hospital

 

See The Entire ‘Meet The Class’ Series