Meet The Rice Jones MBA Class Of 2025

THE BEST MEMORIES

The Class of 2025 also participated heavily in case competitions. Charles Ping-Hsu Chen, a sales manager from Uber, was part of the team that won the Deloitte Case Competition. Another team, which included Chakib Khechai, hoisted the first-place trophy at the National Human Capital Case Competition. However, some victories were more subtle. Diana Katherine Carrillo Romero is a case in point. A mother of two children, she takes pride in balancing family life with academics and recruiting.

“Despite not having any related background in accounting or marketing, I achieved the highest grades, which I consider my biggest accomplishment. Besides this achievement, I have successfully conquered my fear of public speaking in my second language and in front of large audiences.”

In the case of Kiran Putti, the biggest achievement in year one boiled down to mastering time management. “I learned to discern between ‘need to do’ and ‘want to do’ tasks; prioritizing effectively became my strength. It was a transformational shift from juggling responsibilities to strategically managing my time. This new-found skill not only improved my academic performance, but also enhanced my ability to excel in various facets of my MBA experience.”

The best memories for the Class of 2025 so far? Chakib Khechai, an engineer who speaks five languages, was awed by seeing a space rocket when he visited the NASA Space Center in Houston. Charles Ping-Hsu Chen started the MBA program’s “unofficial tennis club.” However, Botagoz Kumasheva would say the most significant moments involved how her core team jelled last fall.

“Whether it’s working late on a challenging project, strategizing for a competition, or simply sharing a meal together, these moments of collaboration and camaraderie have created lasting memories. In these gatherings, we’ve forged strong bonds, leveraged each team member’s unique strengths, and navigated through both triumphs and challenges. The synergy within our core team has not only enhanced our academic achievements, but has also made the overall MBA journey more enriching.”

A CLASS PROFILE

As a whole, the Class of 2025 features 157 full-time students. 45% of the class hails from outside the United States, with women and underrepresented American minorities accounting for 37% and 29% shares of the class respectively. The class also brings a 695 average GMAT to the Rice MBA. Nearly a third of the class also took the GRE, scoring a 162 in Quant and 158 in Verbal.

As undergraduates, the class averaged a 3.45 GPA. 46% of the class hold degrees in Math, Science, and Engineering, with the remainder of the class split between Business and Economics (38%) and the Liberal Arts (16%) of the class hold degrees. Professionally, the largest segment of the class – 18% — last worked in the Energy and Sustainability sector. Healthcare, Biotech, and Pharma (14%), Financial Services (11%), and Technology (10%) also broke double digits, with other sizable shares coming from Consulting, Real Estate, Education, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Nonprofits and Government.

BENEFITS OF HOUSTON

Besides entrepreneurial excellence, the Rice MBA’s Houston location serves as a true differentiator. The fifth-largest metro in the United States, Houston is also home to 21 Fortune 500 firms, second only to New York City. Think Phillips 66, Sysco, Conoco Phillips, Hewlett Packard, Halliburton, and Baker Hughes. Long known as the energy capital of the world, Houston boasts over 4,700 energy firms ranging from traditional oil and gas to alternatives like wind and solar energy. Even more, over a third of the 128 largest publicly-traded energy companies are headquartered in Houston – a region where over a quarter million people work in jobs directly tied to the energy market. Being home to NASA, Houston is also the de facto center of the emerging space industry.

The region includes a cluster of some of the world’s top medical centers, such as the Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and TIRR Memorial Hermann. It also features the Port of Houston, the largest port in the United States in terms of tonnage. While Texas has the reputation for business-friendly low regulation, the city is increasingly being associated with an impressive art scene – including a top ballet company and Grand Opera. The Museum District, just a half mile from campus, ranks among the favorite spots of the Class of 2025. Among the district’s 21 attractions, you’ll find the Museum of Fine Arts and Museum of Natural Science. That doesn’t count Buffalo Bayou Park in nearby downtown, 160 acres for biking, picnicking, or just playing with the family. Personally, Botagoz Kumasheva prefers Herrman Park just south of the Museum District.

“[It] offers a serene escape into nature right in the heart of the city. The lush landscapes, tranquil water features, and inviting walking trails create a perfect balance to the intellectual stimulation of the museums. Whether I seek an inspiring museum experience, or a peaceful retreat surrounded by nature, the seamless transition between the Museum District and Hermann Park makes it my favorite and most cherished part of Houston. The proximity of the Museum District and Hermann Park to Rice University, especially considering my lack of a car, adds an extra layer of convenience and charm to my favorite part of Houston.”

Houston is also considered a city of the future. Look no further than its composition, where 145 languages are spoken. That lends itself to unending culinary delights – even if Tex-Mex remains the region’s marquee attraction. While the Rice MBA can technically be described as an “urban program”, it really doesn’t feel that way, says ’24 alum David Hinojos.

“[I love] Rice University’s tree-lined campus. Such an outstanding campus and greenery inside the fourth largest city in the United States creates a relaxing effect. The campus allows you to escape the buzz of the city, recharge and even invites you to be outside. Around the campus, you can find a loop filled with runners every morning. I personally trained there for my first 10K.”

A GROWING PROGRAM

Along with hot and hardy Houston, the Rice MBA is often associated with experiential learning. Each spring, for example, first-year MBAs must complete a 13-week Global Field Experience. Here, student teams partner with corporate and non-profit clients in industries ranging from technology to energy. At the end, these teams complete a week-long immersion overseas, culminating in presenting their findings to client executives. Along the way, MBAs gain global exposure and deepen their perspective, and grow their network.

“Rice Business requires every full-time student to engage in a consulting project with a real company abroad,” adds Simon Cormack. “The last couple of years the school has really focused on connecting their student teams with companies in developing economies, mostly in Latin America. I was excited to join a program that didn’t just offer this as an opportunity for their students, but thought it was such an important part of building well-rounded business leaders that it is required. This summer I will be flying to Sao Paolo, Brazil to complete my GFE.”

You can’t say the Jones Graduate School hasn’t been busy over the past year. Six years ago, the school launched an online MBA program, the MBA@Jones, that now ranks as the 6th-best online MBA program in the world according to Poets&Quants. Since then, it has launched a popular undergraduate business program – one that nets 25% of incoming undergrads as majors. Not surprisingly, Rice is busy tacking on an additional 112,000 square feet to McNair Hall to accommodate this growth. All the while, the school is busy rolling out a 22-month Hybrid MBA program. The upshot: You’ll find many more students attending the school’s legendary Partios – Thursday night themed bashes that bring together the Jones community for good times and networking.

“This gathering is an integral part of my weekly routine, allowing me a moment to relax after a demanding week of coursework,” says Anthony Hall. “It is an excellent setting to foster relationships with classmates and connect with professionals from various companies, offering enriching networking opportunities.”

A Q&A WITH RICE MBA LEADERSHIP

What can the Rice MBA do for an encore. This spring, P&Q reached out to the administration to learn more about new developments at the program, along with gaining insights on its offerings in areas like sustainability and leadership. Here are some thoughts from the following members on the Rice MBA leadership team:

Peter Rodriguez, Dean of Rice Business

George Andrews, Associate Dean of Degree Programs

Jing Zhou, Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs and Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Management and Psychology – Organizational Behavior

Barbara Bennett Ostdiek, Senior Associate Dean of Degree Programs and Professor of Finance and Statistics

Kisa Parker, Director, Student Success & Academic Advising

Yael Hochberg, Head of the Rice University Entrepreneurship Initiative and

Ralph S. O’Connor Professor in Entrepreneurship – Finance

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?

Rodriguez:

HYBRID MBA LAUNCH: “We knew prospective MBA students wanted flexibility in their programming to accommodate family, travel and work lives, so our charge, and our challenge, was to give busy students the chance to pursue a high-quality MBA at Rice without being hindered by their location and while balancing their many other responsibilities. It was also important for us to adjust to a market that was allowing people to work from home more-and-more. The result was our hybrid MBA program, which welcomed its first cohort of students in July of 2023. It was the first of its kind at the university and in the state of Texas.

Not only does the hybrid MBA allow students more flexibility, it allows Rice Business to expand our reach nationally and globally. Not long ago, our reach was quite good, but it was relatively narrow geographically. Now we can really expand. I’m excited about the students and the organizations they represent. I’m excited about the ways it will help our faculty become even better teachers. Students and faculty will get to have conversations with people who think about problems from different vantage points — and that will be wonderful for the Rice Business community at large.”

LEADERSHIP FOR THE ENERGY TRANSITION: “The world of business will be heavily impacted by the ongoing energy transition in the decades to come. Our faculty expertise and our location in Houston, the energy capital of the world, will allow us to lead research around the transition and create new knowledge for businesses as they navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead. In addition to our current leadership position of advisor to the dean on energy initiatives, we created a new senior leadership position on the faculty in July: senior advisor to the dean on energy transition. Both roles will be crucial for Rice Business to participate in — and add to — the global conversation around one of the biggest issues of our time.”

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

Andrews: “Our location in Houston, the energy capital of the world and home to the second most Fortune 500 HQs in the U.S., is only part of the Rice Business story. We’re a tight-knit community where professors know students’ names. This attentiveness empowers our students — from nine different programs across all degree levels — to transform themselves through personalized coaching, experiential labs and immersive global experiences. Our focus is to equip innovative leaders with the skills they need to solve the world’s most pressing challenges, including the energy transition. As our dean says, “To a company, you’re worth the size of the problems you can solve.” Students come to Rice Business to shape the future.”

Next Page: Profiles of 12 Members of the Class of 2025