MBAs To Watch: Class Of 2024 by: Jeff Schmitt on August 24, 2024 | 14,809 Views August 24, 2024 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit That commitment to service pervades the Class of 2024. During her summer internship, Georgia Tech’s Leah Cabrera worked on developing affordable housing through the City of Atlanta’s Housing Innovation Lab. Working at Adobe, the Foster School’s Kristen Bales conducted workshops on educational technology for 23 South African teachers responsible for over 800 students. As part of AmeriCorps, Arizona State’s Bailey Reynolds devoted 1,700 hours to community service. By the same token, Tom Hutton started his career in the public sector. This included a stint with New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where he financed the construction of housing for the homeless and individuals with special needs. While Hutton has switched over to the for-profit side of real estate, he continues to look out for those less fortunate. “Tom exemplifies Fordham’s mantra ‘Business with Purpose’, explains Alex B. Markle, who teaches strategy and statistics at the Gabelli School. “He is still working to advance housing affordability for people at all income levels. He was recruited by the Related Companies to help them complete the Willets Point development project in Queens, which will deliver 2,500 units of mixed-income housing serving households ranging from 30% to 120% of the area’s median income. The housing will be complemented by ground floor retail, new public open space, a 650-seat school, a hotel, and a soccer stadium for the New York City Football Club.” BRINGING A CLASS TOGETHER Jennifer Adachi, Yale School of Management Arriving on campus in 2022, the Class of 2024 didn’t rest on their laurels. Instead, they maintained the frantic pace that made them high potential in their previous roles. As a second-year at the Haas School, Lizzie Hoerauf helped teach three core courses that she’d taken just a year earlier. While studying at UC San Diego’s Rady School, Nicole Leonard, a U.S. Naval reservist, volunteered to foster and transport dogs for a local rescue. When Julian Gerhart noticed that many hallway conversations didn’t expand beyond superficial greetings at the Saïd Business School, he created the EngageMBA program. Here, six-member groups would meet monthly for three hours to hold structured discussions on their most pressing school, career, and personal issues. “I noticed that many students who were previously afraid to connect with people outside of their bubble started getting more out of their comfort zone and made some meaningful connections. Every time I met someone, who shared their story of how impactful this program is for them; I felt an incredible sense of fulfillment and achievement. This was the exact purpose of EngageMBA.” While the Class of 2024 were hunkered down in class and recruiting, many still left a mark on and off campus alike. As a student at the Asia School of Business, Michelle George Tan presented her research on electric vehicles at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. Jennifer Adachi conducted research in partnership with Under Armour – producing a work product so strong that one of her Yale SOM professors is using it as a case study with her Executive MBAs. To help his CEIBS classmates master consulting fundamentals, Pablo Martinez Pallares authored The Business Framework Pocketbook, featuring over a hundred frameworks from the core courses. At SDA Bocconi, Leonardo Ricci discovered just how knowledgeable his team was in one course. “Recently, we discovered through a newspaper article that a private equity fund executed a deal to delist Tod’s, strikingly similar to the one we had proposed. This was probably the most satisfying reward.” DUKE FOOTBALL GETS THE MBA TREATMENT In many cases, the 2024 MBAs To Watch acted as the class organizers. Shuhua Mou put together the annual TEDxCEIBS event, which wrangled over a million online viewers. Karen Verboski spearheaded Rice University’s inaugural Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) Conference, which attracted over 250 attendees. At the University of Minnesota, Mano Wunnava served as president of Carlson 4 Community (C4C) – a role that included running the 19th annual charity auction. “We had around 225 attendees and collectively raised around $39,000 for Cookie Cart, a local enterprise that teaches life, leadership, and employment skills to teens of color through on-the-job and classroom experiences in non-profit bakeries,” Wunnava writes. “This year, both cohorts volunteered for more than 100 hours over the academic year. Not only did we plan the charity auction, but also further supported Cookie Cart’s mission by bringing their members to Carlson, bonding with them through Family Feud, and helping them picture an innovative future here at our campus. It was heart-warming when the kids told me that our tour was the best campus tour they had and that all the business students they met were cool people!” Akané Lièvre, IMD Business School Yes, the MBAs to Watch were undoubtedly cool. What’s cooler than being a musician? Well, Chino Agulanna released an EP after joining Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School. Most times, athletes rank second on the cool-o-meter. As a “washed-up former college basketball player,” Ben Ferris enjoyed a final hurrah, leading Booth to victory over cross-town rival Kellogg in the UCLA Anderson MBA Basketball Tournament. While Binuk Kodituwakku’s athletic days have long passed, he managed to get back on the field – sort of – in business school. “I was hired by Duke University’s head football coach, Mike Elko, to be his Director of Recruiting Strategy. When Coach Elko left to become the coach of Texas A&M, I was really proud of the way I was able to assist in ensuring alignment between the football team, athletics department, and external stakeholders in the immediate aftermath, when there was an interim coach in place. I am also proud of the way that I helped the new head coach, Manny Diaz, and his staff acclimate to their new roles, providing them with the institutional knowledge they needed to hit the ground running.” For the nerdy set, what could be cooler than visiting the United Nations in Switzerland and complete a simulation of a Climate Change Conference (COPP)? Just ask Akané Lièvre, a physician by training, who oversaw the event for IMD Business School. “Between the opening speeches, presiding over the debates, discussing the outcomes with the professors, and presenting the results to the class, I felt proud of having made that experience as realistic and fun as possible for everyone.” PAYING THE BILLS…THROUGH GAME SHOWS Outside work and academia, the Class of 2024 provided a study in contrasts. Jennifer Adachi is a United States Judo Federation female juvenile champion in the 48 kg weight class. The University of Florida’s Kevin A. Campbell is a former professional ballet dancer, while Georgia Tech’s Cadence Martin performed stand-up comedy in New York City. Despite frigid temperatures and treacherous currents, USC Marshall’s Andrew Lung managed to swim from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco beach. His classmate, Karnessia Georgetown, earned some notoriety of her own. “During my undergraduate studies, I worked with a group of talented friends to produce a captivating docuseries called Now, In Color Our series quickly gained traction and was featured by the likes of major outlets such as Teen Vogue, NPR, and the New York Times. This experience was a pivotal moment, confirming my passion for the entertainment industry and sparking my interest in the business side of it.” Peter Bello, University of Toronto (Rotman) On a lighter note, the University of Texas’ Meaghan Morgan once high-fived Taylor Swift during a concert in Washington, DC. Bishal Dasgupta, a University of Pittsburgh grad, gets a tattoo every time he visits a new country. Away from the Carlson School, Josh Hansen-Connell conducts “Small Town Safaris” – where he takes groups into rural Minnesota to “bridge the rural/urban divide.” And how is this for a unique way to earn money… “I funded my college education through an unconventional yet highly rewarding route: competing in and securing winnings from popular trivia TV shows,” says Peter Bello, who earned his MBA through the University of Toronto’s Rotman School. “This action not only showcased my passion for knowledge but also turned it into a financial advantage, enabling me to pursue higher education without incurring a debt burden.” A FAMILY LEGACY At the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College, Ludmilla Groenner has been described as the “glue that held the team together” and the “calm in the midst of the storm.” Similarly, Grant Lewis was honored by one of his professors at Indiana University’s Kelley School as someone who is “doing everything the right way, for the right reasons.” Such high praise is common for the Class of 2024. As they start their new careers, they’re bringing these qualities to realize larger goals. Melissa King pictures herself helping women attain microloans to start businesses. True to her medical roots, Ambika Nautiyal hopes to design supply chains that deliver medicines to rural India more efficiently. The University of North Carolina’s Alejandra del Campo Farro dreams of becoming Peru’s Minister of Energy and Mines, while Karnessia Georgetown is plotting out how to turn her native Mississippi into the next Georgia for the entertainment industry. For Shaivya Hem Thakore, the goal is to start a foundation focused on addressing the needs of women and children. In doing so, he would build on his family’s legacy of philanthropy and empowerment. “My grandfather pioneered the introduction of computers to India in the 1960s and was one of the founding members of the Institute for Social Action and Research (ISAR) in 1991,” writes the University of Texas at Dallas grad. This instilled in us a profound commitment to education and women’s empowerment. In his honor, our family set up the S.R. Thakore Learning Center under ISAR, and my goal is to expand on his legacy across the globe.” “WARM, THOUGHTFUL, AND CARING” Izzi Gonzalez, University of Texas (McCombs) During business school, Izzi Gonzalez landed a marketing job at Nike. It was the perfect fit for Gonzalez, who hopes to partner with an athlete, artist, or musician on a product line and marketing campaign. Kristen Bales intends to build on her 100 Souls Strong project, where she interviews and photographs women involved in intentional acts of kindness in their communities. Thus, far, she has profiled 62 women across 14 states and 7 countries. For Cameron LeJeune, looking ahead starts with looking back. That means taking another shot in an area where he fell short. “[I want] to start my own company again,” writes the Southern Methodist University grad. “Prior to joining Cox, I co-founded a company that shut down within two years. While the experience was challenging, there were many useful takeaways. Now, I aspire to revisit entrepreneurship armed with lessons from the first experience, enriched by the MBA program, and strengthened by my time at BCG. This internal challenge fuels my determination to become a better leader, decision-maker, and operator. The goal is not only to overcome past setbacks but to leverage those experiences to create a more resilient and successful venture, contributing to my personal and professional growth.” No, this year’s MBAs to Watch don’t fit a profile. They followed divergent paths aware of the obstacles and uncertainties ahead. Over the past two years, they found a new family in business schools – their inspirations, confidantes, champions, and kindred spirits. They may not have always been the people they expected, but they turned out to be exactly who they needed to grow and succeed. ‘ ‘{There was a myth] I had about business schools in general before I began my MBA at Carlson: MBAs are cold, calculating, and selfish,” admits Josh Hansen-Connell. “What I’ve found in my experience, is that the vast majority of my classmates are warm, thoughtful, and caring. While our views may vary on how to best serve the world with our MBA degrees, I know that it is something they take seriously and that our shared pursuit of a better world will yield something special.” Page 3 MBA Profiles: Arizona State to Michigan State Page 4 MBA Profiles: University of Minnesota to Yale SOM Previous Page Continue ReadingPage 2 of 4 1 2 3 4