Meet Emory Goizueta’s MBA Class Of 2025

ATLANTA MAGIC

Beyond leadership, Goizueta’s Atlanta digs are another signature of the program. Home to the nation’s busiest airport, the Atlanta metro hosts 18 Fortune 500 headquarters, including some of the nation’s marquee names: Home Depot, UPS, Delta Air Lines, and Sun Trust Bank. That doesn’t count the city’s downtown Tech Square, which features educational institutes for students, creative spaces for entrepreneurs, and innovation centers for firms ranging from Boeing to AT&T. Sasha McNair calls Atlanta “a city of endless growth and opportunity” – a place for “technology, finance, filmmaking, and even fashion.” Her classmate, Samuel Haber, is equally bullish on Atlanta.

“Atlanta is open for business, from the opening of new tech and financial offices from giants like Microsoft and Visa, to fostering new start-ups such as the hypersonic aerospace manufacturer, Hermeus. There is no better place to be during these exciting times.”

Beyond business, Atlanta has earned plenty of acclaim, even ranking as the top place to live by Money magazine in 2022. Tyki Wada hypes attractions like “Chastain Park, the Aquarium, and the Fernbank Science Center” as family-friendly attractions. It is also a “green and breathable city”, adds ’23 alum Peter Danis, who harkens back to its nickname, “The city in the forest.” In addition, Atlanta is a city with very distinct neighborhoods, adds ’23 alum Madeline Davis.

“One minute you could be walking down the wide, tree-lined streets of Virginia Highlands and the next you’re at a cool, pop-up speakeasy in EAV. Atlanta is a vibrantly diverse city full of born-and-raised locals and transplants, alike. Best of all, however, is the fact that I live in the Edgewood/Candler Park neighborhood with all my closest business school friends. The majority of us moved in our second year to the same apartment complex, and it feels a lot like college in the best way. I love going for a walk and passing three friends in the process – it makes a big city feel small.”

A THURSDAY TRADITION

That same small community spirit is fostered through Goizueta’s KEGS tradition. KEGS, which stands for Keeping Everyone at Goizueta Social, is an event held every Thursday afternoon. Call it a wind down to the week, since MBAs don’t attend classes on Fridays. Over food and drinks, the Goizueta community – even families and pets – come together to meet new people and build life-long connections. And these KEGSS aren’t just held during the school year either, adds Madeline Davis.

“[Last] summer, while we were all interning, we hosted a larger “Summer KEGS” event. The goals of Summer KEGS were threefold: reconnect with fellow classmates interning at different companies that summer; integrate the 1-Year MBA candidates with the 2-Year students; and promote cross-business school camaraderie because we were allowed to invite our fellow interns (from other schools) to attend. It was so special to see how many people came out, to hear how everyone’s summers were going and to meet your friends’ new friends from other schools. Summer KEGS demonstrated to me Emory’s deep commitment to community, both intraschool and across the entire business school network.”

In the past year, Goizueta has distinguished itself with a new Master’s in Analytical Finance program, all while expanding the size of its highly popular Specialized Master’s degree in Business Analytics. In recent years, the program has made headlines by rolling out a new DEI concentration, establishing a student-run fund supporting minority entrepreneurs, and launching the John Lewis Case Competition, the premier event in the racial justice space. What’s next on the horizon at Goizueta? Here are some thoughts from Brian Mitchell, Associate Dean of Full-Time MBA Programs and Goizueta Global Strategy and Initiatives.

AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN MITCHELL

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Mitchell: “The two most important developments in Goizueta’s Full-Time MBA Program are the expansion of our Global Experiential Module (GEM) program, and expanding our STEM offerings to become a full STEM MBA program.

The impacts of these developments are exciting for future MBAs, especially those with aspirations of working globally – aspirations which most prospective MBA students have. We continue to emphasize cross-cultural, interdisciplinary learning in our GEMs so MBA students get a perspective on how to do their work in service to humanity. This approach has been exceptionally well received as we have implemented it. And having our entire MBA program as a STEM program means students have our full array of elective courses as options, knowing that the quantitative rigor and tech exposure is central to our curriculum.”

P&Q: Give us your one-minute pitch for your business school. What makes you unique?

Mitchell: “Goizueta provides a world-class academic experience in a small, high-touch environment, with the access and experiences that come with being in a dynamic, global city. For students who lean into this value proposition, it has led to career outcomes that are second to none!”

P&Q: Sustainability has emerged as a major attraction to prospective MBA students. How does your full-time MBA program integrate sustainability across its curriculum?

Mitchell: “Sustainability goals, climate impact and the business implications are integrated throughout Goizueta’s curriculum, in general courses such as Corporate Strategy, and in specific courses focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) content such as Impact Investing. Goizueta also has a strong emphasis on sustainability in our co-curricular programming. Our Net Impact chapter was recently awarded Gold Status again. This is a tremendous accomplishment and important recognition for our efforts to develop principled, responsible leaders.”

P&Q: What are some key elements in your teaching of leadership? What types of options does your school offer that deepens student experience with leadership and makes them more competitive in the marketplace?

Mitchell: “Leader development is at the heart of what we do at Goizueta. Leadership is not an option; it is core to what we do. All Goizueta MBA students participate in leadership experiential learning during our onboarding program. Our Leadership core course emphasizes leading with emotional intelligence. And we have programming that extends throughout a student’s matriculation, in the classroom and as co-curricular programming. Each student has opportunities to learn to be a coach, and put that learning into practice by coaching peer teams. Reflection exercises are taught as a fundamental leadership skill and students are facilitated in those exercises throughout the program. Goizueta has also innovated in the area of leadership with our long-standing immersive course, Goizueta Advanced Leadership Academy (GALA). GALA is a semester long deep dive into leadership styles and behavior, with a capstone element where students learn to sail boats and compete in leadership challenges by sailing through the British Virgin Islands. It is truly the highlight of the Goizueta leadership experience!”

P&Q: Two years ago, P&Q asked you to share how you’ve integrated AI, STEM, analytics, and digital disruption into your programming. Since then, what types of enhancements have you made in these areas?

Mitchell: “Since then, our program has become fully STEM, as mentioned. We have also increased our faculty expertise by expanding the team to include additional professional depth in AI, analytics and tech. In doing so, our MBA electives have expanded substantially. So much so that we have launched a dual-degree program with our Master’s in Business Analytics (MSBA) Program. The first cohort just completed their first semester!”

P&Q: How many courses outside the business school can MBAs take during your program? To what extent has your business school embraced coursework from other schools and departments at your university? Are students from other schools and departments at the university allowed to take MBA electives?

Mitchell: “Goizueta is very fortunate to be part of Emory University, which is a world-renowned institution. Our students can take courses at other Emory schools as electives that count towards their graduation. In fact, as a student, I did this myself because of my interest in healthcare. As a Goizueta MBA student I took so many classes at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health that I ultimately graduated with both degrees! We are also part of a program that allows students to take courses at other schools in the state of Georgia. We are fortunate to have some brilliant neighbors!”

P&Q: What is your biggest student-run event of the year and what does it reflect about your school?

Mitchell: “Our biggest student-run event of the year is our Welcome Weekend for admitted students. Each year in April, we engage our entire community to roll out the red carpet for our incoming MBAs. It is an opportunity to show their pride in the special community that we have at Goizueta. As a small school, our students take their role seriously in being champions for Goizueta. Welcome Weekend is their opportunity to “wow” our admitted students who may not know what to expect. Our students bring to life what it means to be an excellent, rigorous academic school with a community that is authentic, approachable, and embracing. They also get to show off some of the great things about and around the city. It is incredible to see our students deliver with such energy and excellence each year.”

MEET THE CLASS OF 2025

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Hashem Amer	Amman, Jordan	University of Jordan	Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund
Sam Batiste	Suwanee, GA	Harvard University	Altice USA
Anaida Hasan	Dhaka, Bangladesh	University of South Florida	Ernst & Young
Samuel Haber	Point Pleasant, NJ	U.S. Naval Academy	U.S. Navy
Betzaira Herrera	Chicago, IL	DePaul University	Allstate Insurance Company
Sasha McNair	Washington, DC	University of North Carolina	Tiffany & Company
Grace Miller	Atlanta, GA	U.S. Naval Academy	U.S. Navy
Collin M. Murphy	West Milford, NJ	Seton Hall University	U.S. Army
Julia Pitino	Littleton, MA	Trinity College	Aetion, Inc.
Prashant Patro	Bhubaneswar, India	Delhi University	Bank of America
Shanika Paul	Baltimore, MD	Smith College	Brown Advisory
Tyki Wada	Tokyo, Japan	Brigham Young University	Coca-Cola Company