Meet Chicago Booth’s MBA Class Of 2026

Your MBA experience is only as good as your classmates.

Quality faculty, deep resources, zealous alumni – they matter. In the end, you want to be around amazing classmates who’ve accomplished big things. You want to be exposed to paths that have been neither ordinary nor expected. Over time, you want their confidence to rub off on you, as they introduce you to practices and people that will re-define what’s possible.

Through them, you’ll become so much more than you know.

That’s the Booth School of Business identity – versatile problem-solvers who seek truth through data and results through teamwork. Forget the bookish quant cliché: Boothies hail from every imaginable corner and calling.

FROM THE FBI TO SPACE FORCE

Take Montgomery Miller – or should we say Special Agent Miller from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After interning in the White House, Miller worked as a management consultant for Accenture. In one engagement, he partnered with a non-profit’s executive leadership teams across 50 different regions before spearheading a transition to a new software program. From there, he moved into a strategist role for Uber before becoming a G-Man. Oh – and he’s a licensed pilot who has flown six different types of aircraft too. For Miller, Booth’s focus on evidence-based problem-solving – or “data fluency” in his words – was a driver behind his decision to move to Hyde Park.

“Whether it be building a financial model as a consultant or analyzing hundreds of pages of search warrant returns as an FBI Special Agent, I could not have done my job without a quant-focused background,” he tells P&Q. “I dealt with decisions daily that could drastically affect the lives of investigative subjects and victims, and it was imperative that I was 100% certain that my analysis was correct and could hold up to scrutiny in Federal Court. My goal after Booth is to lead my own venture and I want to know that I have the quant skills to make the best possible decisions for employees and investors.”

Miller isn’t the only public servant hunkered down at the Charles M. Harper Center. Sai Kumar has served in two branches of the U.S. military: the Army and Space Force. With the latter, Kumar worked as a lead engineer involved in electrical and optical infrared weather systems operations capabilities. Before that, he piloted a Black Helicopter as a captain. Now, as a first-year MBA, he moonlights as an investment analyst. Like Miller, Kumar joined the Class of 2026 to immerse himself in the University of Chicago’s unique mix of analytics and economics to deepen his decision-making.

“I believe that data and quantitative analysis skill sets will define the next wave of technology and business operations. Booth’s focus on these skills seems to be the best path forward in preparing for the future. In both my roles as an Army Aviator and Space Force Engineer, we relied heavily on quantitative analysis. In the Army, all of our operations were driven by analysis of maintenance data and fleet readiness. In the Space Force, quantitative analysis was vital to our understanding of spacecraft reliability prior to launching.”

SAVING LIVES THROUGH SERVICE

Rachel Zuckerman pursued a different type of service before Booth. A Schwarzman Scholar, Zuckerman compares herself to Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation for her impulse to “do good” through government (and business). This mission was fulfilled during her time as a special advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Here, she helped with the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act – which she describes as the largest climate bill in American history.

“I had a unique role focused on integrating the President’s goals to create good jobs with strong labor standards into EPA’s $100 billion in new funding. This was a chance to think holistically about our national policy priorities, including how the clean energy transition could expand economic opportunity for workers across the country. I partnered closely with all of EPA’s program offices, colleagues at the Department of Labor, the White House, and other infrastructure agencies. In addition to being proud of what we accomplished, I learned a lot about how we can better collaborate across policymaking silos.”

In fact, you could make the case that Zuckerman’s two-year stint with the EPA was pre-ordained. “I share a birthday with my former employer – the US EPA,” she adds. “[The] EPA was founded by Richard Nixon on December 2, 1970. We also happen to be birthday buddies with other notable figures like Brittney Spears and Denis McDonough.”

Zuckerman is just one difference-maker in a class packed with them. For example, H. Romell Lewis II will raise his hand if you ask, “Is there a doctor in the house?”. He earned his MD at Howard University before becoming a general surgery resident at the University of Chicago Medical Center. In Lewis’ case, the biggest achievements often involve the least publicized moments.

“When you start out as a resident, no one knows who you are and you aren’t sure what kind of difference you are making. Years later, I have had the opportunity to see patients again who remember and thank me. I hear from attendings some of the differences I have made in their patients and that is what helps me continue forward with the path I am walking.”

CLOSING A DEAL WITH MARK CUBAN ON SHARK TANK

Looking for a study in contrasts? Before Booth, Lorena Prates once oversaw Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Beer Garage Incubator. Based in Silicon Valley, the incubator nurtured technology-driven prototypes and served as a pipeline for bringing talented professionals into the company. Away from work, Prates is an artist who practices ballet and paints. And she found a unique connection between her art and her work when she completed her first ballet solo after a decade of training.

“The feeling I experienced on that stage will stay with me for the rest of my life: the delight of movement. Creating movement has been my life’s mission ever since, either professionally, by working with innovation and disrupting businesses’ status quo, or by supporting women in tech, by mentoring them in achieving their personal and professional goals.”

The Class of 2026 also includes a mini-celebrity: Daniella Morgan-Pascualvaca. Last year, she appeared on Shark Tank to pitch her pet health startup, Mella Pet Care. “Our episode was fun, featuring a rap and a demonstration with a real dog,” she tells P&Q. “We made a deal with Mark Cuban for $250K, which we are using to develop future products. As the only company making novel monitoring devices, it is thrilling to be on the cutting edge of the pet health industry.”

Shark Tank wasn’t the only time when Morgan-Pascualvaca appeared in the spotlight, either. “My senior year of college, I won gold at a national rowing championship,” adds the DC native. “Four years earlier, I walked onto the team with no rowing experience. In fact, I had no sports experience at all. I became captain to encourage other novices to join and helped the struggling team stay alive during the pandemic. If you had told my first-year self that I would win a championship, I never would have believed it.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PE AND VC

Before Booth, Courtney Fondufe studied Economics and became a researcher for a venture capital firm focused on healthcare. After earning an engineering degree at Stanford, Giovanna Pinciroli headed to London to work in private equity. Her big moment came in 2022, when she was a key part of BC Partners’ $3 billion dollar acquisition of Fedrigoni, Italy’s largest private equity deal of the year. That same year, when Diego Zainos also worked in private equity, he was tapped to co-lead the expansion of a Mexican online university to Southeast Asia.

“After a year of dedicated work, we successfully expanded to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia,” writes Zainos, who once starred in Diapers commercials as a baby. “Today, the university has over 5,000 active students across 5 countries in the region, making it the first Mexican educational institution with a presence there. This project made a significant impact in this region by granting people access to high-quality, flexible, and affordable higher education programs, while it greatly enhanced the university’s market reach and boosted the company’s value.”

Rianna Zhou, a software engineer from JPMorgan Chase, practices six forms of martial arts. Think that’s impressive? She also once integrated 24 legacy applications onto one platform. That ability to bring together disparate and intricate parts was honed at the National University of Singapore, where she co-founded the NUS Global Citizen Conference.

“This pioneering initiative united 150 delegates, 15 NGOs (non-government organizations), and 9 international speakers with the aim of fostering a global citizen mindset and addressing complex global challenges,” Zhou explains. “The entire process, from the meticulous planning to the flawless execution, was not just a professional triumph but also a deeply personal journey… I found a community of like-minded individuals who shared a common goal. The sense of accomplishment coupled with the deep personal connections I developed truly defines why this memory is the best of my life.”

UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS

Many class members enjoyed similar moments. For Sai Kumar, that moment was graduating from West Point, which he describes as “the culmination of a decade of work, not just four years.” In contrast, Rachel Zuckerman’s unforgettable moment came when she earned the University of Iowa’s highest award to an undergraduate, the Hancher-Finkbine Medallion. Like Kumar, her feelings swelled over events long past but no less profound.

“It would be presented at a special dinner in the presence of university leadership, faculty, staff, and other distinguished guests,” Zuckerman reminisces. “The award and the fancy ceremony are not what made this memory so special, however. It is the fact that my mom, my greatest champion and role model, flew to Iowa City for less than 12 hours to be there with me that night. I can still remember her racing into the student union dressed in a work suit with her suitcase in hand. This moment was so special because my parents’ support was such an integral part of me ever being considered for such an award—I felt like my mom got the honor she deserved by being in the room that night. This memory reminds me that none of us get to where we are on our own. We must continue to uplift others and thank those that helped us on our way.”

That’s exactly what Diego Zainos did when he and his trip flew to Mozambique last summer to support underserved communities. “We visited the people’s villages, schools, and health clinics, sharing in their meals, games, and dances. This experience reminded me of the beauty of simplicity and community, showing that despite our diverse backgrounds and customs; we all share a common humanity connected by universal values and emotions that bridge geographic and cultural differences.”

CLASS PROFILE

With talent like this, you can only imagine the students who didn’t make the cut for the Class of 2026. During the 2023-2024 cycle – when Booth celebrated its 125-year anniversary – the school netted 959 more applications than the previous year. As a whole, the class features 632 students who hail from 66 countries. Their average GMAT came in at 729, up a point from the previous year – with scores ranging from 590 to 780. 38% of the class also submitted GREs, where the average was 324. As undergraduates, the class also produced a 3.6 GPA collectively.

Women make up 42% of the class, with international students accounting for another 35%. In addition, U.S. minority students hold a 52% share of class seats, including underrepresented minorities at 18%. First generation college students and military veterans represent 11% and 10% shares of the class, followed by LGBTQ+ at 9%.

The class also attended 319 undergraduate institutions, with Business-related majors (27%) being the largest segment of the class. They are followed by Engineering (23%), Economics (22%), Liberal Arts (13%), and Physical Sciences (7%). Beyond bachelor’s degrees, 15% of the class holds advanced degrees. Professionally, 27% of the class last worked in Consulting, with Finance (18%), Tech (13%), Nonprofit and Government (11%), Private Equity and Venture Capital (8%), and Healthcare (5%) also encompassing significant shares of the class.

As a whole, the Booth School’s programming is as multifaceted as its students. The full-time MBA program ranks among the Top 5 in most major rankings, along with being the top part-time MBA in the United States according to U.S. News. The Executive MBA program is equally formidable in P&Q’s ranking. In 2024, Booth made headlines by rolling out new  Master In Management and Master of Finance programs – not to mention a new concentration in Healthcare. After collecting a $100 million dollar gift from Ross Stevens in 2023, the Master in Finance program nabbed another $60 million donation in 2024.

THE CHICAGO APPROACH

The Booth School also produces research that ranks among the best in the world by quality and output. That’s hardly a surprise considering the faculty includes recent Nobel prize winners like Douglas Diamond and Richard Thaler. Such success stems from Booth’s embrace of the Chicago Approach, a problem-solving methodology grounded in data- and evidence-driven frameworks from statistics, economics, psychology, and the hard sciences. Here, decision-making follows a process that begins with observing and hypothesizing before moving into experimentation and analysis. Research-heavy, the Chicago Approach teaches students how to frame issues, ask the right questions, sift through data, identify patterns and connections, predict actions, measure impact, and ultimately convey findings in a clear and compelling manner.

In other words, the Chicago Approach teaches students how to think and make sense of data so they can decipher the root causes of behaviors. More than that, the Chicago Approach instills a mindset to never stop collecting and interpreting data, asking questions, or tinkering with ever-changing variables.

“At Booth, the emphasis on quantitative analysis and evidence-based decision-making is particularly compelling to me,” explains Rianna Zhou. “It offers a structured way to tackle complex business problems and reinforces the reliability of decisions through data.”

For Rachel Zuckerman, who aspires to work in the social sector, the Chicago Approach is a means to push out ambiguities and agendas so she can focus on what truly matters. “I want all kids to have a fair shot at achieving their potential, safe communities and a habitable planet, a strong and prosperous middle class, and people to trust in the role of government. These are not easy issues! There is limitless data, confounding variables, and tenacious advocates arguing for their version of the “right answer.” I am drawn to Booth’s strategic, evidence-based approach because effective social sector leaders must be able to untangle these enormous challenges and sort through the noise.”

Next Page: Interview with Starr Marcello, Deputy Dean for MBA and Masters programs

Page 3: 12 Student Profiles from the MBA Class of 2026