Meet The MBA Class Of 2024: Influencers & Innovators

GETTING COCA-COLA PRODUCT TO THE SHELVES

You’ll find the Class of 2024 has already posted some major W’s. Spandana Palaypu is the founder of ZoEasy, a social enterprise that she describes as “a social enterprise that educates and matches blue-collar job seekers to dignified employment opportunities.” Recently, ZoEasy was selected among the 10 winners for the Lead2030 Challenge, which was established by the United Nations and One Young World to honor leaders who are making a difference in Sustainable Development Goals. Palaypu’s long-term vision is to scale ZoEasy into the “global go-to platform for the blue-collar workforce.” And the early returns appear promising for the London Business School MBA.

“I have helped establish over 20+ global partnerships with purpose-driven employers, and organizations such as One Young World and Area 2071 (Dubai Government Innovation Programme) to drive training and ethical recruitment, was named as a Forbes 30 Under 30, raised global awareness via prominent platforms such as World Economic Forum and Financial Times, and raised funding from Credit Suisse via the United Nations Lead 2030 Challenge and Expo 2020 Dubai’s Innovation Impact Programme.”

Indeed, the Class of 2024 has been deeply involved in high profile activities. At L’Oréal, HEC Paris’ Michael Moison’s team launched over a dozen skincare products globally. Abdur Rahman, a first-year MBA at the UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, led a drilling feasibility study that ultimately revealed one of Pakistan’s largest gas reserves. Before enrolling at Columbia Business School, Alana Blaylock produced a documentary, “Caught on Camera: Race and Justice”, for MSNBC. Two months ago, Coca-Cola launched its Simply Spiked brand – and Lucy Mitchell designed its supply Chain, despite facing bottlenecks like a trucker shortage.

“It was incredibly rewarding to see Simply Spiked on shelves this summer since I spent so much time working on this new product launch,” writes the Emory Goizueta MBA. “I loved this project because it was externally facing, so I worked with the AIMs every day. I always like a role or project that is externally facing because it adds a layer of accountability. Plus, you get exposure to the ins and outs of another organization. Also, the alcohol business was a brand-new endeavor for Coke, so it had a lot of leadership attention.”

WARP SPEED FIGHTING COVID

In water polo, the goalkeeper is the “backbone” of the defense. That was the position that Gabby Stone played for Team USA. It was a role that enabled the University of Texas MBA to collect a FINA World Championship. At JP Morgan, Shriya Kumar was tasked with “expanding” the firm’s equities business in South Asia – a role that required the Wharton MBA to manage multi-billion-dollar portfolios. Sure enough, her team beat the benchmark by 28%, notching a five-star rating in ESG along the way. Gabriela Mayer, a civil engineer who became a Georgetown MBA, managed the steel erection portion of the Kosciuszko Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Queens. At the same time, USC Marshall’s Cody Wei led a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial for the South American Clinical Research team.

“[I was], managing data and developing data solutions for thousands of study participants in Brazil and Argentina. I was very proud of my work and it was amazing to be able to help so many people and lift economies around the world. Rarely do you get to see the direct impact of clinical trials in real-time. Clinical trials can be very slow and normally take years to complete. Because we were doing everything at hyper-speed, we were able to see our work translated into results very quickly. I will never forget the weekend where we reported our interim study results – on a Friday we reported our results and on Monday our CEO was on CNBC announcing the efficacy of our vaccine.”

And that’s one of the defining virtues of the Class of 2024: They get results. Looking for a thankless and near impossible task? Ask Jan Debets how he did this: “Convinc[ed] 19 leading angel investor networks from 13 different countries (each having an average of 215 angel investors, investing on average approx. €3.5 million per year) to start sharing their dealflow and investors with each other.” When Cornell University’s Ian Cairns took over as culinary director for a Los Angeles restaurant group, he quickly boosted revenue by 35% and Yelp ratings to 4.5. After a stint with Teach for America, Dartmouth Tuck’s Adrian Heneveld boosted revenue by 1000%. Of course, some achievements can’t be quantified – and their dividends may not be known for decades. That’s the case for Jason White, a teacher and coach in Tulsa.

“I’ve coached students to state and national debate tournaments,” explains the Carnegie Mellon first-year. “I’ve helped students apply for college and given them rides to work, I’ve consoled students while they’ve grieved, I’ve fed students when they were hungry, and I’ve listened to students when they needed someone to talk to. Teaching was incredibly tough, but I know I made a meaningful impact on my students and I’ll always be proud of that.”

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE CLASS OF 2024

Career trajectories only tell part of the classes’ story. NYU Stern’s Albert Williams Jr. was once interviewed by Diane Sawyer – and enjoys the notoriety of catching four balls in the stands of Yankee Stadium. At INSEAD, you’ll find Hadeel Jaradat, who was featured on 60 Minutes, and Jack Arkwright, who once auditioned for Harry Potter. UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Aidan McConnell has taught ballroom dancing, while Wharton’s Steffi Katz is a former Paris pastry chef. Sofian Kerrou isn’t fretting over HEC Paris’ foreign language requirement: he has mastered seven languages already! And Duke Fuqua’s Ruoxi Shi personifies prolific. She has already published 200 articles in China – and she isn’t a journalist, either!

 

As an undergrad, Wale Lawal won back-to-back NCAA heavyweight boxing championships. Patrick Forrestal played Nose Tackle for the U.S. Naval Academy before joining the Marines. Now, he is a triathlete and Emory Goizueta MBA whose claim to fame is swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco – a rugged two-mile jaunt through chilly and choppy waters. The University of Michigan’s Akbar Ariswala once ran a whole marathon dressed as Scooby Doo – the punishment for losing a bet. Then again, why compete when you can own? Just ask Yale SOM’s Joe Calafiore, co-owner of a pro soccer club, the Hartford Athletic.

And how is this for serendipity? “I graduated with my bachelor’s and master’s degrees with my wife,” notes Gabriel Sanchez. “Now both of us are pursuing the MBA program at Georgetown McDonough.”

WELCOME BACK TO CAMPUS

In many cases, the Class of 2024 has already started classes. Admittedly, it has been “a difficult change of pace,” admits USC Marshall’s Miles Jackson – but exhilarating as well. At MIT’s Sloan School, Grant Windom has been wowed by his classmates’ “energy and excitement” around starting their own ventures. And he has been equally in awe learning about the successful startups launched by his second-year counterparts. Still, it is that sense of community – that pull to quickly connect and gel together – that has stood out to first-years like Adrian Heneveld.

“Upon arriving in Hanover, I participated in a three-day backpacking trip with fellow Tuckies,” he tells P&Q. “The Appalachian Trail goes right through Dartmouth, so we met at Tuck Hall and walked right onto the trail. The Dartmouth Outing Club is responsible for maintaining over fifty miles of the Appalachian Trail and owns numerous cabins along the way. Our group, which was given the trail name “Fresh Laundry” by a thru-hiker who started in Georgia, became very close during the experience. The long days of hiking provided a valuable opportunity to get to know each other and was the perfect way to start my business school experience.”

That’s just one of the ways that MBAs have bonded. At Northwestern Kellogg, students pursuing a dual MBA-Design degree held a summer event that “resembled a murder mystery dinner” says Tyler Hamilton. Of course, there are always summer pre-classes to get first-years up to speed before the real work begins too.

“I have already taken part in some of Darden’s consulting prep programming while recruiting for internships as part of the pre-MBA recruiting cycle,” writes the University of Virginia’s Victoria Velasquez. “Getting to participate in the Consulting Club’s Summer Case Camp and having access to dozens of second year students for mock interviews have helped me secure four summer internship offers for 2023 before even starting classes at Darden.”

LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER

Not surprisingly, alumni get into the act on early on as well. Before leaving Indonesia for MIT Sloan, Michael Christian participated in a “Crack the Code of Attending MIT” event, which included a “talk show” followed by a “sendoff lunch” – all organized by Sloan grads and second-years in the country. In some cases, alumni provide a very personal touch to support incoming first-years.

“During a Ross Consortium webinar, an alumni, Tony Rice II, offered to schedule 30-minute chats with applicants to review their resumes and essays ahead of round two deadlines, recalls Robin Baker, a University of Michigan first-year. “I took him up on his offer and was blown away by his sincerity and willingness to assist me with my application process. Our 30-minute chat easily turned into a 90-minute discussion where he helped me master my elevator pitch, brainstorm career aspirations and prepare for interviews. Time-and-time again, the Ross community has proved to be eager to help and gracious with their time and resources.”

That includes classmates. Shriya Kumar describes hers as “ambitious yet collaborative.” Their support was deeply personal for Kumar, an international student living far away from her family and friends, who quickly found herself in “fight for survival mode” without a means for transportation.

“For the first week, I was trying to do it all myself,” she admits. “I felt anxious, overwhelmed and alone. Endless trips to target, Ikea and Walmart without a car can be exhausting. One evening, on a casual stroll with a classmate, I casually told her how I felt. The very next day I see her and two of her friends, also at Wharton, at my door. They had rented out a car so that they could help me settle in. Community building is second nature at Wharton. I never thought people who I was competing with for the same jobs would become my Wharton family.”

Next Page: Profiles of 26 MBA candidates from the Class of 2024, including Harvard ,Wharton, INSEAD, Chicago Booth, and more.