Meet UCLA Anderson’s MBA Class Of 2026

A law student and a medical student walk into Marion Anderson Hall. There, they meet up with a U.S. Marine who grew up in Haiti and a movie crew member who started out in theology.

Sound like the beginning of a gut-busting joke? Nah, just another day at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. And the MBA Class of 2026 boasts quite a roster of distinctive characters.

A MARINE…WHO DOGGY PADDLES

Let’s start with Lilia Diaz, who’ll be earning her MD from UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine in 2027. A former research director at the UCLA Carceral Ecologies Research Lab, Diaz comes to Westwood with a mission – and a unique skill set to enrich her MBA classmates.

“My background is one of six children from a Mexican immigrant family who grew up in rural Northern California,” Diaz tells P&Q. “That, along with my medical education, enables me to bring a perspective of the deep struggle to receive proper healthcare in the US along with the challenges of providing medical care to patients as a student doctor. It is this perspective that propels me to pursue a career that improves the quality of life for individuals and communities through improved health.”

She is joined in the first-year class by Jeffrey Hamilton, a second-year student at the UCLA School of Law, who notes that he is a “federally-enrolled member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.” His classmate, Clarence Narcisse, jokes that he is a certified open water diver – “who’s still working on mastering the doggy paddle.” He too brings experiences that will raise the bar for his classmates.

“My journey from Haiti to the Marine Corps has cultivated fearless thinking and problem-solving skills. As a retired Marine, I’ve honed the ability to thrive in high-pressure environments and lead diverse teams effectively. My cultural dexterity, shaped by navigating multiple cultures and overcoming language barriers, allows me to bridge gaps and foster inclusive environments. This blend of military experience, cultural adaptability, and commitment to diversity will undoubtedly enrich class discussions and group projects.”

BREAKING INTO ENTERTAINMENT…WITH NO EXPERIENCE

Los Angeles has been dubbed the “Entertainment capital of the world.” Not surprisingly, it would attract the likes of Candace Graham, a Londoner who studied Theology at Cambridge University. After graduation, she reinvented herself in entertainment, most recently working as a production coordinator for BBC Studios. Let’s just say it wasn’t an easy path getting there.

“I went into the Film & TV industry in 2018 with no contacts and no experience,” Graham confesses. “By the time I left to come to Anderson in 2024, I had been continuously employed for over 5 years, primarily as a freelancer on short-term contracts (3-12 months). I had to constantly search for new jobs, build my network, and deliver professionally (you’re only as good as your last job!). It was often hard to have no job security, and frequently face the threat of unemployment, but I learned to rest in uncertainty, and evaluate each job offer on its own merits. Sometimes I look back to when I was first trying to enter the industry, and can’t believe how far I came.”

Long-term, Graham pictures herself working in media consulting before pivoting to corporate strategy with a movie studio or streamer. At Anderson, she says, her special talent is the poise she developed from working in big-budget TV dramas.

“It was incredibly fast-paced and high-pressure, as challenges with large cost implications or high-risk safety concerns would be thrown our way constantly, with an expectation to provide a solid, workable and safe solution within hours. It taught me how to think clearly and logically, considering all options and implications, and I also learned to keep calm under stress. I hope to bring this to my class at Anderson – an ability to problem-solve in difficult situations, and efficiently execute solutions.”

You’ll find the Class of 2026 streaming into Marion Anderson Hall from all walks of life. JP Cannistraro, a Stanford alum and Boston Scientific senior R&D engineer, is the ‘named inventor’ on several patents. Like Graham, he also hopes to leave a mark in the entertainment industry.

“My goal after graduation is to join a leading movie studio in a role centered around content strategy or new business development. I have loved movies ever since I was a kid, and the characters I saw in theaters have always influenced my mentality. I pursued gymnastics because I was inspired by Power Rangers doing flips on the big screen and thought math was cool because Tony Stark was an engineer from MIT. I’ll never forget when I saw Spider-Man – the original with Tobey Maguire – when I was seven and believed I could be a superhero because Peter Parker looked just like me! Throughout my career in healthcare, I’ve been passionate about increasing representation in an industry that significantly affects peoples’ lives. I am motivated to bring that same focus to the entertainment industry because everyone deserves their own ‘Spider-Man moment.’”

Brenna Turner is an entrepreneur who has built her Sake High! Junmai beverage venture into a five-state empire with nationwide shipping. A self-described “natural connector.” she hopes to plug her classmates into industries like “sports, CPG, hospitality, and venture capital.” Kelly Young, most recently a social media and community manager, started a Facebook group for Black content creators that swelled to 700 members. Her goal is to transition into tech product marketing, where she can tap into her storytelling abilities. By the same token, Mariah Montenegro once worked for Sem Parar, which she describes as “Brazil’s largest provider of electronic payments for vehicles.” Here, she designed a cashback program that turned into the company’s most lucrative digital product. Montenegro’s international experience, she says, will enable her to “bridge” the school’s cultural divides.

“Having visited over 40 countries and lived in four, coupled with working with international teams at AB InBev, I developed a deep appreciation for different perspectives and a talent for bringing people together to achieve common goals. At UCLA Anderson, I will leverage this ability to build strong, inclusive teams, both in and out of the classroom. Whether it’s working on group projects, participating in the Global Immersion course, or contributing to clubs like AnderTech or Women’s Business Connection, I am committed to ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and valued.”

“GLOCAL CITIZEN” TACKLES THE BIG ISSUES

Before business school, Jose Mendez lived in Chile and worked in engineering for a clinic, where he was responsible for reopening operating rooms during COVID-19. Back in the states, Katie Lee – who earned her master’s in Public Health at UCLA before joining Anderson – handled strategic projects for Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Center in Southern California. As an MBA student, she has also been busy scoping out growth opportunities for her Anderson classmates – an impulse she has followed throughout her career.

“Growing up in an immigrant household instilled in me the invaluable quality of resourcefulness,” she explains. “This mindset allows me to maximize existing opportunities and identify new ones. A prime example of this is the partnership I established between the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA). As an MPH Candidate, I organized speaking engagements and networking dinners that facilitated interactions between CHLA executives and students. This initiative led to the launch of a monthly career series, providing students with valuable recruitment insights and resulting in several internship and job opportunities.”

In India, Smruthi Swaminathan was tapped to lead Chennai’s Global Shapers Community, an initiative sponsored by the World Economic Forum that addressed local, regional, and international issues. “In recognition of my projects, I received a momentous invitation as one of the few representatives from India to the Annual Global Shapers Summit in 2022, which was held at the Headquarters of the World Economic Forum and United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. I had the privilege to be one of the youngest speakers at the workshop on strengthening civic engagement. During the workshops and interactions with WEF founder Klaus Schwab, I discerned that from Johannesburg to Chennai, people’s issues were similar”.”

When Swaminathan worked for Teach for India, she was nicknamed the ‘Modern day Rapunzel’ for her 2.5-foot-long hair. That’s just one of the unique tidbits about the MBA Class of 2026 at Anderson. Rex Sungyoon Yi has written a science fiction novel he hopes to publish as a second-year MBA. The same goes for Jose Mendez, who developed a soccer board game alongside friends that is currently in production. JP Cannistraro is a former collegiate All-American in sailing. And how is this for a horror story?

“I spent one summer running camps in the Canadian mountains, and had to deal with 15 teenagers, a bear, and a tornado in one night,” jokes Candace Graham.

THE THREE PILLARS

Culturally, the Anderson School is driven by its Three Pillars – a foundational set of expectations that lay out the standards for MBAs to fulfil. In some ways, as students have said, the pillars are like oxygen. The pillars are something that students are exposed to everyday – virtues that graduates reflexively adopt in their own careers.

The first pillar is to Drive Change. It is a daily commitment to make a difference, to ask questions and commit to action, always looking to leave something better than what it was. For JP Cannistraro, disrupting the status quo is exactly what is needed in society.

“Large institutions – like companies, industries, or even nations – need catalysts for change. I am inspired by extraordinary leaders who have fearlessly acted as these catalysts, regardless of the obstacles, and positively impacted so many lives because of their actions. At Anderson, I want to acquire the skills and confidence to be a catalyst in my own unique way.”

Think Fearlessly is a pillar closely associated with Clarence Narcisse. Think of it as a call to push past personal boundaries, focused on the future and remaining open and optimistic. This spirit led Narcisse to come to the United States – without understanding English – to embrace a difficult path knowing he would ultimately prevail. As a U.S Marine, he accepted his first challenge: accepting a post in Okinawa, Japan at 19 – just three years removed from arriving in America. Two years later, Narcisse was promoted to sergeant and began pursuing college during his service – an effort than enabled him to graduate with honors on active duty.

“Thinking fearlessly has been my guiding principle and superpower,” he adds. “It enabled me to turn seemingly impossible situations into opportunities for growth and success. It’s what brought me to UCLA Anderson and will continue to drive me forward in my post-MBA career and beyond. In essence, my journey is a testament to how far fearless thinking can take you, making it not just a pillar I resonate with, but a way of life I embody every day.”

Share Success may be the pillar that the Class of 2026 gravitates towards most. At Anderson, success is a group effort where results stem from harnessing each person’s strengths at the right time. One example of this, says Mariah Montenegro, is how class members stick up for each other.

“Whenever an Anderson student sang (no matter how off-key), the whole group joined in from the first row! This is our everyday life in and outside of class: we support and cheer one another. You will see students preparing together even when applying for the same job offer, sharing resources, and offering constructive feedback. The second-year students are also deeply involved, mentoring first-years. It’s so much easier to navigate this journey knowing you can count on the people around you. It is a true sense of community.”

A CLASS PROFILE

As a whole, the MBA Class of 2026 features 305 students from 39 countries. 43% of the class consists of women, with another 41% being international students Another 8% are LGBTQ+, while military veterans make up 4% of the class. They possess 5.4 years of professional experience and average 29 years of age – with the oldest class member being 38. In an eye-opening number, 87% of the class intends to switch careers.

The class also brings a 714 mean GMAT to Westwood, along with a 327 GRE average (162 average on Verbal and 165 average for Quant). In addition, the class’s undergraduate GPA came in at a 3.5 mean. As undergraduates, 34% of the class majored in Business-related fields, supplemented by another 11% who studied Economics. STEM majors accounted for 30% of the class between Engineering (22%) and Biology and Physical Science (8%). The Humanities and Social Sciences represent another 14% of the class.

Professionally, 21% of the class last worked in Finance. Technology and Consulting professionals hold 16% and 12% of class seats respectively. The remainder of the class includes professionals from Government and Education (9%), Marketing and Consumer Packaged Goods (8%), Media and Entertainment (5%), Manufacturing (5%), Retail (5%), and Real Estate (4%).

Next Page: An Interview with Gary Fraser, Associate Dean

Page 3: Profiles of 12 Members of the MBA Class of 2026