100 Best & Brightest Business Majors Of 2021

Freshman year can be a real wake up. Everything is faster and heavier – and academics are just part of the transition. For many, the biggest issues involve managing time and money. Sometimes, freshmen just take on too much.

Sven Wollschlaeger probably heard the warnings. That didn’t stop the University of Michigan Business major from co-founding a company as a freshman. Inspired by campus tours he took in high school, he built VenueTourist – which he describes as “a 3D and virtual reality tech company specializing in higher-ed campus tour creation.” Over four years, Wollschlaeger has taken his startup far beyond Ann Arbor – and racked up achievements that’d be the envy of MBA students.

“I am proud that we built and scaled VenueTourist from my dorm room to being deployed at universities all across the U.S. – from campuses like GWU to the University of Miami. We raised <$1M from the co-founder of JetBlue, and pitched to Google Streetview, Bessemer Venture Partners, and A16Z. We were invited to operate out of Dan Gilbert’s Detroit Venture Partners office (2019), and I just recently participated in Y Combinator’s Virtual Startup School. I learned the value of good products, great execution, exceptional teams, and starting!

100 STUDENT LEADERS FROM TOP 50 BUSINESS SCHOOLS

Wollschlaeger is among the 100 seniors honored in Poets&Quants’ Best & Brightest Business Majors of 2021. Entering its 6th year, the Best & Brightest features seniors who personify the best in business education. To compile this year’s list, P&Q invited each of the Top 50 undergraduate business schools to supply two representatives from their programs. The schools were given the flexibility to choose their students using their own selection criteria and process. However, P&Q encouraged the schools to consider students based on factors like “academic excellence, extracurricular leadership, personal character, innate potential, a striking personal narrative, and overall impact on the program.” Overall, the list includes 54 women and 46 men. In addition, 15 students hail from countries outside the United States, including Turkey, Ethiopia, Romania, Thailand, Haiti, and Ecuador.

Despite a sluggish economy, many Best & Brightest are already ticketed to the world’s top employers.  10 members have already accepted offers from Deloitte, with Bain & Company, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PwC scooping up 3 students a piece. In addition, you’ll find future consultants, bankers, and client developers at firms like McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Microsoft, and SpaceX among the Best & Brightest. In addition, 9 graduates are returning to campus to earn Master’s and law degrees.

Upasana Barot

Such students include Leah Wren Hardgrove. A legally blind Marketing major from Washington University, Hardgrove will be joining Google in product management after graduation. At the University of North Carolina, Mary Laci Motley built EATS2SEATS, which enables non-profits to operate stadium concession stands to generate financing for their causes. Not only has Motley survived the pandemic, but has expanded her enterprises to seven venues. At Wharton, Cristina Pogorevici entered a war-torn country to study entrepreneurship. Some students even stepped into the role of leadership. Case in point: Upasana Barot. She developed a 6-module peer mentorship curriculum at the College of William & Mary – one that has been adopted campus-wide.

“It always makes my day when mentees reach out about their positive experience with the program,” she tells P&Q.

Who are some of the most promising Business majors from the Class of 2021? Where have they interned and where will they be working after graduation? Which faculty and classmates do they admire the most? And what were the biggest surprises they faced and lessons they gained on the way to graduation? Click on the links below to learn about the next generation of consultants, financiers, c-suite executives, and entrepreneurs.

2021 Best & Brightest Undergraduate Business Majors

Business Student Business School Hometown Post-Graduation Employer
Giselle Enriquez Durazo University of Arizona (Eller) Tucson, AZ GoDaddy
Brennen Feder University of Arizona (Eller) Tucson, AZ Procter & Gamble
James Sorrentino Binghamton University School of Management Oyster Bay, NY Citigroup
Rene Vorilas Binghamton University School of Management West Islip, NY Protiviti
Veronica Escobar-Mesa Boston University (Questrom) Medellin, Colombia The Barthwell Group
Frances Smyth Boston University (Questrom) Alexandria, VA Microsoft
Spencer Russell Call Brigham Young University (Marriott) Omaha, NE Home Depot
Ashtynne Wade Brigham Young University (Marriott) Lindon, UT Boston Consulting Group
Nathan Feyrer Bucknell University (Freeman) Breinigsville, PA Goldman Sachs
Amy Yowell Bucknell University (Freeman) Betterton, MD Bank of America
Aditya Darshan Gandhi Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) Mumbai, India Wolfe Research
Shiwani Pathak Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) Edison, NJ Morgan Stanley
Sarah Brice Cornell University (Dyson) New York City, NY SC Johnson
Carol Wang Cornell University (School of Hotel Administration) Vancouver, Canada Sculptor Capital Management
Eva Chaffin University of Denver (Daniels) Littleton, CO Ernst & Young
Milena Rogers University of Denver (Daniels) Portland, OR Goldman Sachs
Meghan Murray Elon University (Love) Bel Air, MD Ernst & Young
Alexandra Pirsos Elon University (Love) Upper Saddle River, NJ N.C. State (Grad School)
Drew Bullock Emory University (Goizueta) Durham, NC FTI Consulting
Lori Steffel Emory University (Goizueta) Glenview, IL Truist Securities
Zackary Hajjar Fordham University (Gabelli) Brooklyn, NY JPMorgan Chase
Sekai Kaminski Fordham University (Gabelli) Garnet Valley, PA IBM
Michael DuTot Georgetown University (McDonough) Berwyn, PA Anheuser-Busch
Alexandra Hornick Georgetown University (McDonough) New York City, NY HiredScore
Amanda Arboleda University of Georgia (Terry) Dacula, GA Ernst & Young
Zakiyya Ellington University of Georgia (Terry) Allen, TX McKinsey
Jake DiBenedetto Georgia Tech (Scheller) Johns Creek, GA Credit Suisse
Devika Dutt Georgia Tech (Scheller) Douglasville, GA Deloitte
Salman Al-Luqman University of Houston (Bauer) Houston, TX American Express
Micah Olsen University of Houston (Bauer) Swampscott, MA Vivint Smart Home
Jessica Lozano Schmitt Hult International Business School Madrid, Spain Electric Potential
Tumelo Seemule Hult International Business School Francistown, Botswana Hult International Business School (Grad Student)
Bethany Antuna University of Illinois (Gies) Wheaton, IL Google
Markos Christoforou University of Illinois (Gies) Elk Grove Village, IL Deloitte
Brianna Jordan University of Illinois (Gies) Naperville, IL Law School (Undecided)
Sydney Dixon Indiana University (Kelley) Houston, TX Deloitte
Blake Nolan Bradley Indiana University (Kelley) Bourbonnais, IL SpaceX
Andrew Fedun Lehigh University Yardley, PA Citigroup
Jenny Lin Lehigh University Nesquehoning, PA KPMG
Anton Berry Marian University (Byrum) Clarksville, TN Undecided
Rachel Kassing Marian University (Byrum) Maryville, IL Undecided
Alannah Scardino University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Isenberg) Rochester, NY Undecided
Matthew Kassler University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Isenberg) Mansfield, MA PwC
Maddie Krueger Miami University (Farmer) Dublin, OH West Monroe Partners
Grant Stierwalt Miami University (Farmer) Bowling Green, OH Bain & Company
Olivia Dubi University of Miami (FL) Dix Hills, NY Morgan Stanley
Ryan Rebholz University of Miami (FL) Bloomington, IL Boyne Capital
Priyanka Khetarpal University of Michigan (Ross) Saginaw, MI BlackRock
Sven Wollschlaeger University of Michigan (Ross) Monroe, MI Insight Venture Partners
Noah Henry Skrok Michigan State University (Broad) Sterling Heights, MI Undecided

Business School Hometown Post-Graduation Employer
Lydia Whipple Michigan State University (Broad) Mason, MI Cisco Systems
Kayla Fixel University of Minnesota (Carlson) Germantown, WI Deloitte
Nate Taye University of Minnesota (Carlson) St. Paul, MN Deloitte
Dimitri Pun New York University (Stern) Port-au-Prince, Haiti Twitter
Jessica Wang New York University (Stern) Collegeville, PA PwC
Gino Esposito University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) Milford, CT University of North Carolina (Graduate School)
Mary Laci Motley University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) Asheville, NC EATS2SEATS
Karan Kishorepuria Northeastern University (D’Amore McKim) Kolkata, India Undecided
Abigale Purvis Northeastern University (D’Amore McKim) Woodinville, WA Undecided
Tyler Ancona University of Notre Dame (Mendoza) East Setauket, NY KPMG
Megan Whelan University of Notre Dame (Mendoza) Munster, IN University of Notre Dame
Abenezer Mechale University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Bain & Company
Cristina Pogorevici University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School) Bucharest, Romania Bain & Company
Rohil Chada University of Pittsburgh Hillsborough, NJ Deloitte
Katie Gerber University of Pittsburgh Fairview, PA Deloitte
Mateo Godoy Providence College North Providence, RI PwC
Anna Russo Providence College Huntington Station, NY New York University (Graduate School)
Chloe Jenkins Purdue University (Krannert) Zionsville, IN Amazon
Ariana Loor Purdue University (Krannert) Quito, Ecuador Graduate School (Undecided)
Rachel Perry University of Richmond (Robins) Chiang Mai, Thailand Undecided
Lizzie Reedy University of Richmond (Robins) Marietta, GA Perella Weinberg Partners
Ankita Kodali Rutgers Business School (New Brunswick) Union, NJ Deloitte
Kurt Vogl Rutgers Business School (New Brunswick) Middlesex, NJ Microsoft
Ross Meldrum University of San Diego Chelmsford, UK Graduate School (Undecided)
Caroline Murray University of San Diego Dallas, TX Undecided
Aysegul Ates Southern Methodist University (Cox) Izmir, Turkey Jefferies
Cameron Police Southern Methodist University (Cox) Frisco, TX PJT Partners
Scott Mueller Syracuse University (Whitman) Ogdensburg, NJ Deloitte
Ruth Yehyun Bang Syracuse University (Whitman) Parkland, FL Undecided
Samantha Bryant University of Texas (McCombs) Austin, TX Undecided
RJ Finley Texas Christian University (Neeley) Tustin, CA JPMorgan Chase
Ashley Servais Texas Christian University (Neeley) Medina, MN Dell Technologies
Alanna Austin Tulane University (Freeman) New Orleans, LA Law School (Undecided)
Matthew Shernicoff Tulane University (Freeman) Freehold, NJ Sterling Associates
Rohan Parikh Villanova University Marlboro, NJ Bank of America
Kelsea Wong Villanova University Malvern, PA Blackstone Group
Jeannie Patrice Hirsch University of Virginia (McIntire) Rochester, NY Warburg Pincus LLC
Samuel R. Lisner University of Virginia (McIntire) Virginia Beach, VA Deloitte
Anabel Cordano Wake Forest University Ridgefield, CT Wake Forest (Grad Student)
Jeremy Greer Wake Forest University Suffield, CT Truist Financial
Sharae Ratliff University of Washington (Foster) Spanaway WA Undecided
Noah Reyna University of Washington (Foster) Bellevue, WA Andersen
Lucas Dionisopoulos Washington University (Olin) Lincoln, NE Financial Technology Partners
Leah Wren Hardgrove Washington University (Olin) Orlando, FL Google
Upasana Barot College of William & Mary (Mason) Suffolk, VA KPMG
William Ryu College of William & Mary (Mason) Seoul, South Korea Accenture
Jessica Anton University of Wisconsin Sussex, WI Undecided
Jake Shenkenberg University of Wisconsin Bloomfield Hills, MI Accenture
Berkan Delareyna Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Foisie) Istanbul, Turkey Undecided
Matthew Iaconis Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Foisie) North Attleboro, MA TJX Companies

DON’T MISS:

BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS: CLASS OF 2020

BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS: CLASS OF 2019

BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS: CLASS OF 2018

BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS: CLASS OF 2017

BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS: CLASS OF 2016