Meet Washington Olin’s MBA Class Of 2025

CONQUERING THE “HOLY TRINITY” OF FEARS

As first-year MBA students, the Class of 2025 has notched a variety of achievements, often geared towards their priorities. Christopher Pitts, an engineering manager from Alabama, started the school’s ETA Club – Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. Phaidra Stanley was chosen by her classmates to represent Olin in the university’s Graduate Program Council (GPC). For Carlos Morantes, the big achievement was ranking among the top 20% of his class while “juggling” his responsibilities as a husband and parent. At the same time, Afia Gyamea Duku Yeboah is most proud of landing a summer internship with Humana Healthcare Insurance, which will accelerate her transition into healthcare.

Alas, Stacy Danika Alcantara-Garcia’s biggest accomplishment is something as modest as it is profound. In her case, she overcame her “Holy Trinity” of Fears: Finance, Accounting, and Economics. “Many years ago, my parents hoped I would follow in their footsteps and venture into business or finance. They initially wanted me to pursue an undergraduate degree in business administration, but somewhere in grade school and high school, someone convinced me that crunching numbers was beyond my capacity. This changed in business school. Exceptional instructors, dedicated effort and a supportive cohort helped me overcome the limiting mindset I had developed over the years.”

Among these achievements, the Class of 2025 also came away with some life-long memories. Christopher Pitts harkens back to meeting with Walker Deibel, a ’04 alum and author of one of his favorite books, Buy Then Build. Ibukunoluwa Martins reminisces about bonding with classmates, whether it was brainstorming solutions or just sharing their differing experiences and perspectives. Of course, it would be Olin without a first-year pointing to one of the school’s most hallowed orientation traditions: the campus Scavenger Hunt.

“This activity required our core groups to locate over 30 designated places on campus within a short timeframe, demanding both thoughtfulness and strategy,” explains Swetabh. “What made it particularly memorable was the composition of my core group—five members hailing from three different nations and boasting five diverse professional backgrounds. Remarkably, this was our first meeting, and we dove into the challenge together. Despite being new acquaintances, our teamwork was seamless and effective. The diversity within our group proved to be an asset as we successfully located all the places within the given time, earning the highest score in the cohort. The entire experience set a positive tone for the rest of our MBA journey.”

A CLASS PROFILE

As a whole, women account for 37% of the Class of 2025. U.S. minorities make up another 34% of the class. Among the 83 students, there are 19 countries represented, with 51% of the class born outside the United States.

The class also averaged a 696 GMAT score, with GRE scores coming in at 160 (Verbal) and 164 (Quant). Collectively, undergraduate GPAs hit 3.6. Before graduate school, 40% of the class earned undergraduate degrees in Business and Economics, edging out their STEM counterparts (39%). Another 22% of the class hold bachelor’s degrees in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET

Already blessed with a Top 10 undergraduate business program, the Olin School has enjoyed the fruits of its investments in 2024. In the 2024 U.S. News MBA Ranking, Olin jumped from 37th to 26th. At the same time, total starting pay for the Class of 2023 rose 8.3%, from $135,456 to $146,711. While some may brand Olin as the entrepreneurship school, employers are increasingly gravitating towards Olin’s experiential, problem-solving approach that’s deeply embedded in the general curriculum and amplified in its Entrepreneurship offerings. That starts with the program’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship course led by Professor Doug Villhard.

“This course emphasized understanding customer pain points through experiential learning, specifically by conducting interviews, and instilled in me the importance of solving their problems directly,” explains alum Voranun Taweerutchana. “It taught me to focus on and appreciate the problem rather than falling in love with a potential solution. This hands-on experience has shaped my entrepreneurial journey and has helped me gain valuable insights to apply to my future endeavors.”

In a 2023 interview with P&Q, Villhard delved into the value of the entrepreneurial mindset – and how it brings value to any stage or size of a business. “[It’s about] how to look for opportunities and to actually do something about them. And that is incredibly valuable in corporate America,” says Villhard. “When I was running companies, the folks promoted to vice president weren’t promoted because they worked really hard or went to the right school. It’s because they started thinking like a founder. They asked how to expand what we were doing and find new markets. They asked how to fix problems and be more efficient. And that’s really what we’re teaching.”

Olin entrepreneurs also benefit from the support of the larger university and St. Louis ecosystem. Notably, the university operates the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which supplies workspace to student startups, as well as support in areas ranging from graphic design to trademarks and copyrights. St. Louis boasts spaces like the Cortex Innovation District, which houses over 400 early-stage enterprises that have collectively attracted over a billion dollars in private investment. The region is also known for T-Rex, which is home to another 200 startups, and Arch Grants, a funding source with connections to over 100 global venture capital firms. That doesn’t count growing accelerators like BioGenerator, Prospect, and SixThirty Ventures.

And let’s just say St. Louis has an impressive track record in nurturing startups, starting from Anheuser-Busch, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Ralston Purina and stretching to Varsity Tutors, Riot Games, and Balto.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH ACQUISITION

At Olin itself, the school has embraced alternative forms of entrepreneurship. Notably, the school has become a leader in Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, or ETA for short. Here, MBAs identify, purchase, and operate smaller companies, such as middle markets, service firms, and family-run businesses. By pursuing ETA, MBAs can hit the ground running, avoiding the risks and pains of starting a business from scratch.

“Startups are really, really hard,” says Brian Wolfe, an attorney and adjunct professor at Olin, in a 2024 interview with P&Q. “Only about 10% of companies ever get to $1 million in sales, and only 1% ever get to $10 million. It’s great that we teach our students how to start a startup. But, the truth of the matter is, they are a viable path for only 1% of students. One of the things I really love about ETA is it allows a lot of our students, our MBA students in particular, to be able to explore entrepreneurship, but within a framework where the likelihood of being successful is just much, much higher.”

Thus far, Wolfe’s Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition has been the best class that Christopher Pitts has taken. “Instead of starting a new venture from scratch, acquisition entrepreneurs focus on acquiring and growing existing small businesses with the aim of selling for a profit,” Pitts writes. “Over seven weeks, Brian guides us through the process of selecting the most effective search methods, crafting a target statement, and analyzing potential deals. We also benefit from insights shared by business owners and current searchers, who provide firsthand perspectives on acquiring and operating businesses each week!”

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN

Earlier this year, P&Q reached out to Evan Bouffides, Senior Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, at Washington Olin. From new developments to leadership and sustainability programming, here is some additional benefits to an Olin MBA.

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?

Bouffides: “One key development of our MBA program is restructuring how we deliver immersive global learning. Students now travel each semester of their first year—summer, fall and spring—instead of five weeks of continuous travel over the summer. This allows our MBAs more time to adjust to student life at the beginning of the program. We’re also able to integrate global coursework with other content, which provides a richer learning experience.

Another program enhancement is the redesign of the core organizational behavior class, now taught by Giselle Antoine. This course has an innovative, community-based learning component that gets teams of students out into St. Louis to positively impact a local community organization. This is consistent with WashU’s commitment to being “in St. Louis, for St. Louis.”

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

Bouffides: “At Olin, we like to say we know every student by name and story. Yes, we have a rigorous program, but we never lose sight of the individual. Faculty and staff get to know our students and support them every step of the way during their academic journeys. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming community that appreciates all for their unique talents and perspectives. And Olin students consider their classmates collaborators, not competitors.”

P&Q: What have MBAs told you is the most memorable, signature experience they’ve had in your program? Why did it resonate so much with them?

Bouffides: “Students continue to cite our approach to immersive global learning as their most memorable experience in the program. When asked—and unprompted—Olin students talk about how the program’s approach to global learning challenged them in new and important ways. They emphasize the amount of personal growth they experienced during their time abroad. They also comment on the unique experience of traveling with their cohort mates, which allows them to network and get to know their peers in a more substantive and lasting way.”

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?

Bouffides: “Our Values Based, Data Driven™ approach to leadership transforms how students view business. To meet the challenges of today’s world, we teach them to be decision-makers with a steadfast commitment to personal and societal values. Our MBA students learn to look beyond the bottom line, as true leadership in business requires delivering business results while staying true to one’s values and responsibilities. Sustainability is certainly an issue important to our students and one they will elevate as they become the leaders of tomorrow.”

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?

Bouffides: “WashU Olin’s four pillars are foundational to the Olin MBA experience, and each pillar contributes a unique dimension to teaching leadership. Our Values Based, Data Driven™ pillar underpins all learning, transforming students into leaders of competence and character who will make a positive and principled difference in their organizations, their communities, and society at large. Global Outlook is another pillar, and it emphasizes familiarity and practice with key global issues, preparing our students to flourish in an increasingly borderless world. Our third pillar, Experiential Learning, gives students opportunities to roll up their sleeves and gain real-world experience. Exposure to senior leaders and involvement in high-profile decision-making gives Olin students confidence and prepares them for a competitive marketplace. Courses through our Center for Experiential Learning and Bauer Leadership Center allow students not only to learn about leadership but also to implement it multiple times throughout the program by working with and leading teams. Entrepreneurial Spirit, our last pillar, instills a creative approach to problem-solving in all students, whatever career path they choose to follow.”

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

Bouffides: “The popular Africa Business Forum, planned and executed by the Olin Africa Business Club, always features a fantastic lineup of educational, informative and entertaining activities with a hybrid delivery featuring speakers worldwide. The Olin Africa Business Club serves to increase the awareness of business opportunities, culture, politics and economic potential of Africa at Olin and WashU.

For 2023, the two-day, on-campus forum included a global collection of speakers, a notable keynote address, multiple panel discussions, a celebratory banquet, a fashion show and a Taste of Africa event. Even students away from campus for global study in Berlin attended virtually and participated in the fashion show. The club’s goal for 2024 is to make the Africa Business Forum the biggest African business conference in the Midwest.”

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Stacy Danika Alcantara-Garcia	Dumaguete City,  Philippines	Silliman University	Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines)
Afia Gyamea Duku Yeboah	Columbus, OH	NA	Apakan Securities
Jacob Hibbert	Edinburgh, Scotland	Durham University	Self-Employed Product Consultant
Ibukunoluwa Martins	Abuja, Nigeria	Covenant University, Nigeria	Fit&Pro Sports Management
Carlos Morantes	Maracay, Venezuela	Lindenwood University	Smurfit Kappa North America
Seyed Hamid Mousavi	Tehran, Iran	Foulad Institute of Technology	HooshmandRisk
Christopher Pitts	Hoover, AL	University of Alabama at Birmingham	Dessert Holdings LLC
Felipe Quaassdorff	Santiago, Chile	Universidad de Chile	Inversiones Security
Phaidra Stanley	Cape Coral, FL	University of South Florida	Ellevest
Swetabh	Varanasi, India	Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT)	Indian Oil Corporation Limited
Jessica Tabb	Lebanon, MO	United States Military Academy	JP Morgan Chase
Helena Valentine	Munich, Germany	University of St. Gallen	Goldman Sachs