Meet Cornell Johnson's MBA Class Of 2022

Students sail on Cayuga Lake in summer.

BENEFITS OF A CORNELL MBA

Here are some additional benefits of a Cornell MBA according to first-year students and alumni alike:

1) Leadership Training: “Johnson’s curriculum places an emphasis on building effective and collaborative leadership skills…At Johnson, each student has the opportunity to lead a core team group project through the Leading Teams Practicum and receives feedback on his or her leadership skills. The ability to receive feedback from my professors and fellow students is invaluable. I appreciate that Johnson focuses on building leadership skills that foster teamwork and collaboration.”
Athena Ebinger (’22)

2) Cornell Tech: “Cornell Tech’s technology-focused New York City campus, where the Johnson Cornell Tech MBA program is housed, was an especially alluring value proposition given its pioneering curriculum focused on subjects such as cloud development and artificial intelligence.”
Jeremy Mathurin (’22)

3) Customizable Experience: “The Johnson MBA is more than a business education. It is an opportunity to test out something new. You are encouraged to seek opportunities outside of your comfort zone. The core and immersion learning ensure you have the necessary business acumen. Beyond that, you have the flexibility to explore and grow. You can take courses across campus, at Cornell Tech in New York City, or participate in an international trek. Students tailor the experience to their individual interests, but you’re not doing it alone. In addition to a close-knit first year class, the second year students are coaches and mentors to help you succeed.”
Jordan Hunt (’22)

Cornell Johnson students cheering each other on in ice hockey

4) Sustainability: “The choice was all about globally renowned sustainability research and coursework built around it. That’s why I loved the prospect of studying at Cornell. The commitment of Johnson to its students from the start, to internships and on to career placement, combined with the schools focus on green infrastructure development will allow me room to flourish…The Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise (CSGE) Immersion at Johnson was a vital attraction, providing a wealth of opportunities to students interested in the renewable space.”
Rose Haber (’22)

5) Entrepreneurship: “Johnson has provided us invaluable learning opportunities, from receiving faculty support to work on our venture as class projects to getting the nod to participate in Cornell’s student accelerator program eLab. eLab focuses on starting real companies that have the potential to grow and provide employment and economic benefit to the 15 teams. eLab gave us deep experiential learning in starting and growing a business. The instructors also serve as coaches, guides, mentors, teachers, and assistants to the teams in the program. They frequently coordinate the involvement of several high-profile mentors from the startup and venture capital community.”
Earl Roach (’19)

6) Activities and Clubs: “I am excited to join the Johnson Board Fellowship. The fellowship allows Johnson students to serve as volunteer, non-voting members for a non-profit Board of Directors in the Ithaca area. I aspire to be a member of the Board of Directors for a university or corporation someday, so this is an incredible opportunity to help the Ithaca community while gaining exposure into the role of a board member.
Athena Ebinger (’22)

“The opportunity to host brilliant and engaging Cornell faculty members to discuss their latest work on the Present Value Podcast has been an enormously fulfilling experience. The task of researching the thought leadership of a guest, crafting the narrative flow of the episode, and building a rapport with the faculty member has been a perfect synthesis of academic and extracurricular—each interview is a crash course in a brand-new topic. Managing the podcast and expanding its audience with my fellow executive producers has been a digital media startup experience I never expected to get when I arrived at Johnson.”
Jack Moriarty (’20)

“Johnson Follies is my favorite event and it reflects the easy-going nature of the students and staff while emphasizing the importance of community. The event is a night full of skits, comedy, memes, and roasting of classmates and faculty. The show highlights significant events, trends, and stereotypes in an over-the-top manner. The faculty, including the dean, are involved in the performance. This event highlights the inclusive and easy-going nature of the Johnson community. Students spend a month preparing for the event, and it’s an example of students’ dedication to the community. Furthermore, students take roasting and memes about them in stride, reflecting our camaraderie and calm nature.”
Kevin Shen (’20)

Sage Hall after snowfall

“Sage Social. Every Thursday afternoon, our beautiful atrium is transformed into a space where professors, alumni, classmates, and their families convene for drinks and hors d’oeuvres. At Johnson, you get to know everyone—literally everyone—very quickly, but there is no guarantee that you’ll see them as often as you’d like. Sage Socials are a chance to reconnect and feel “reunion-vibes” every week.”
Deon Provost (’20)

“Our Winter Bowling League. Every Friday during the winter, students show up to the bowling alley in team uniforms ready to bowl their hearts out. It’s awesome to see students from all different walks of MBA life come together in the spirit of friendly competition. The bowling league showcases the Cornell Johnson community’s close-knit nature, the-more-the-merrier attitude, and creative ability to have fun.”
Margot Waldron (’20)

ADVICE TO FUTURE APPLICANTS

What advice do Cornell MBAs have for applicants looking to follow in their footsteps? Here are some final thoughts from the Class of 2020:

“Act. Reflect. Share. Business and leadership are contact sports; don’t be afraid to fail. Johnson is a place full of real people interested in getting to know the real you. Show up authentically and enthusiastically in everything that you do. Find time to reflect on the source of any fear, anxiety, adrenaline, or exhilaration the application process presents. It isn’t the feelings themselves that are noteworthy, but rather we want you to share what you’re learning about yourself and what you will do in the face of competing emotions and priorities in the future. Cornell is a place for “any person, any study.” Lean into it.”
Deon Provost (’20)

“Make sure to do your due diligence into the details of the Johnson curriculum, extracurricular opportunities, and professional strengths. But don’t stop there. One of Johnson’s greatest competitive advantages is its close integration with the wider Cornell University. Understanding what resources across Cornell may complement your professional development goals within Johnson is an essential, though perhaps under-investigated, topic for prospective students to explore in advance of submitting your application.”
Jack Moriarty (’20)

What led the Class of 2022 to pursue an MBA? What was the toughest question they were asked during the application process? What other schools did they consider? Check out the student profiles below for answers to questions and many more.

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Afua Asantewaa	Chicago, IL	DePaul University	IBM
Mary Benman	Utica, NY	American University	Conagra Brands
Christian Castilla	Dublin, OH	Miami University	U.S. Marine Corps
Diego Calvillo de la Garza	Monterrey, Nuevo León. México	Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey	Ternium
Athena Ebinger	Morganville, NJ	Cornell University	Goldman Sachs
Mariana Flores Aguilar	San José, Costa Rica	IDC Herzliya	Procter & Gamble
Rose K. Haber	New York City, NY	George Washington University	Highgate Power
Jordan Hunt	Hurricane, UT	Utah State University	College of William & Mary
Eric Leifland-Berntsson	Stockholm, Sweden	University of Michigan	HSBC
Ming Liu	Hong Kong, China	University of Chicago	Prudential
Jeremy Mathurin	Miami, FL	Hamilton College	Deloitte
Surina Shahani	Dubai, UAE	University of Waterloo	Deloitte