Best & Brightest Online MBAs: Class Of 2025

BUSINESS BOOT CAMP: WAITRESSING

Want to be impressed? Let’s introduce Bryant University grad Melissa Calise. She ran a national marketing campaign – Times Square billboards and television spots – start-to-finish…by herself! Working in the aerospace industry, Daniel Martinez – a U.C. Davis grad – set production records alongside meeting the industry’s highest safety and quality standards. Lisa Park, a biochemist and geneticist by training, learned something equally important from business school. She discovered that she could contribute far more than scientific expertise after earning her MBA at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler School.

“My proudest achievement was first believing I belonged outside the lab, then intentionally pivoting from “just a scientist” to a leader who bridges research and operations. Countless coffee chats, where I stumbled through business jargon, taught me humility and humbled me. But I gradually discovered my scientific mindset – that relentless “how does this work?” curiosity – wasn’t a weakness in business, but my greatest asset for tackling biopharma’s toughest challenges.”

Looking for a challenge? Erica Kolsrud has competed in over 16 marathons. That number is 18 marathons for Dr. Simita Mishra, a Jack Welch Management Institute grad who can claim another 23 half-marathon finishes. And Shelly Soupir finished the 2022 Boston Marathon alongside her daughter, Samantha. That’s not the only thing they have completed together. They both earned their MBAs from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School this past May!

Away from work and school, Ermal Toto, a graduate of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, restores vintage computers and sails. Han Wai Khor is a wine connoisseur who has sampled over a thousand vintages. There is actually a minor planet – Terbunkley – named after Terrence Bunkley, a Microsoft software engineer and University of Texas at Dallas MBA graduate. And if you’re looking to succeed in business, consider taking on a role suggested by Kristin Brown, a graduate of the Kelley Direct Online MBA program at Indiana University.

“I waited tables for 17 years,” writes Brown, who is now an executive director and chief of staff. “I learned so many priceless lessons – how to engage strangers; how to cultivate empathy; how to make others feel welcome and heard; how to craft a truly memorable experience; how to keep going when it feels impossible to handle the volume; and how to adjust your systems so that the volume is manageable next time. 5 out of 5 – recommend!”

SAME CLASSWORK AS EVERYONE ELSE

For some, graduate school represented a major transition from the Best & Brightest’s undergraduate days. Back then, school was their full-time job. Now, as professionals, there are bills to pay and children to raise, workloads to shoulder and deadlines to meet. And life always intervenes, be it a crumbling marriage or sick parent. Regardless, the Class of 2025 committed to late nights and early mornings, squeezing in anywhere from 12-30 hours a week to meet their school commitments. Along the way, they were exposed to different industries, roles, and geographies – Imperial Business School’s cohort alone featured 46 different nationalities! While classmates may have been separated by time zones – even oceans – the online programs often found a way to connect their students.

At Auburn University, Ashley Spencer completed an international immersion in Montreal with her classmates. Like many programs, UC Davis offered in-person weekend residentials, where students learned about teamwork in Los Angeles and game theory (appropriately) in Las Vegas. At Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School, Hannah Messinger, a senior communications manager at Mars, stayed busy taking with roles often reserved for on-campus students. They included working as a teaching assistant and admissions ambassador and lending a hand to a local nonprofit through her consulting club. All the while, Messinger’s classmate, Juan Andrade-Vera, found time to compete in a case competition sponsored by a Fortune 500 company.

Even more, these Online MBAs completed the same coursework as their Full-time and Executive MBA counterparts. Tenzin Dadul participated in one of the Ross School’s legendary Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP), where students partner with companies on projects like developing go-to-market strategies. Dadul’s team included an U.S. Air Force Officer, Capitol Hill staffer, Fannie Mae financial officer, and CrowdStrike executive. As a team, they practiced what they learned before presenting their findings to company leadership.

“We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the sponsor’s revenue structure, evaluated alternative income streams, and modeled two high-impact growth opportunities,” Dadul writes. “One of our most significant contributions was identifying a revenue pathway projected to generate $4.5 million within five years—fully aligned with the institution’s mission and stakeholder values. More importantly, we laid the foundation for a long-term revenue model with the potential to generate up to $25 million over the next 5–10 years.”

“NO ONE IS PRESSING PAUSE ON THE REAL WORLD”

Not only did Online MBAs complete the same work, but were also taught by the same professors. At Lehigh University, Ian Riccaboni appreciated how faculty would help students customize their assignments to fit what they were doing at work. More than that, adds Shari Rajoo, her professors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst understood that their students were balancing work and other responsibilities with their studies.

“At first, I was not sure how to embrace this extra level of kindness,” Rajoo admits. “I can say that it took a huge weight off my shoulders to know that I could ask for help when needed and my professors would not think less of me for it.”

And the quality of classmates further elevated the experience, adds Kristin Brown. “At Kelley, no one is pressing pause on the real world. You are spending your evenings online with teams of hungry, ambitious people from all over the world – people who come to class after a full day of real work, and who bring that real-world experience to tough and timely questions about what’s happening now and what will happen next. Everyone at Kelley is currently a part of change that is happening under our feet, even as we speak. It’s so exciting to learn alongside people like that.”

Better still, online MBAs were happy to spend time together…even later in the night, says UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Jasmin Randle. “Everyone worked really hard to keep every learning session and discussion lively and engaging. There were lots of stories and jokes shared, colorful commentary in the Chatbox, and creative use of emojis to set the conversations off.”

MANAGEMENT TAKES NOTICE

The online format was equally popular among the Class of 2025. In Melissa Calise’s view, the online MBA “mirror(s) modern workplace dynamics where virtual collaboration” between far-flung team members is the “norm.” For others, such as Baylor University’s Fily Vidrio, the online format represented a better use of time. Rather than sitting through lectures, students often watched them on video, freeing up class time for questions and discussions.

“The online format gave me a new level of control over how I learned,” adds Terrence Bunkley.  “I could pause, rewind, and revisit lectures on the go. Also, I could ask professors pinpointed questions with timestamps on lectures to get clarifications.”

Another benefit? Online students learned the material because they used it – often right away at work.  As a result, they reaped immediate returns from their efforts. Brittany Pitlik, a chief of staff at an energy biotech startup, points out that she used material from every course she took at the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium. Call it a virtuous cycle, where coursework helped students make their organizations more effective and profitable.

“The online MBA experience was far more interactive, practical and immediately applicable to my professional responsibilities,” explains Dr. Simita Mishra. “Unlike my earlier academic experiences where I was a high-performing but relatively inexperienced student, this time I was able to draw upon years of real-world experience to contextualize and apply concepts in meaningful ways. The coursework was deeply aligned with real-time challenges in my role, making the learning more relevant and impactful.”

And their managers took notice. Just ask Carrie Dembeck, who was promoted from an analytics specialist to a business manager while earning an MBA at the University of Texas at Dallas. She attributes this achievement to two factors that tied into her business education.

“First, my leadership team recognized my drive and commitment—despite the demands of the program, I continued to meet challenging deadlines and deliver strong results. Second, the program gave me the chance to have meaningful conversations with leadership about my coursework and how it aligned with my long-term goals. Those discussions led to opportunities to serve as a back-up for a few business managers, which ultimately paved the way for my promotion.”

A STRATEGIC DECISION TO GO ONLINE

More than anything, the Best & Brightest appreciated the flexibility inherent to an online MBA program. The format, many say, enabled them to continue learning without pausing their careers. Rice University’s Ramon Marquez jokes that he took his first online class from a Kmart in Guam. Likewise, Christina Reed was freed up to take 23 trips – including 9 internationally – by studying online.

“I was able to create my own schedule, which includes but is not limited to taking advantage of downtime at airports or setting alarms to complete coursework before breakfast,” Reed adds. Overall, this online program offered a way to integrate school into my life with minimal disruption.”

Daniel Martinez frames the UC Davis online program as the “best of both worlds” – a place where he could tap into proven curriculum, expert faculty, and accomplished classmates while maintaining his leadership role.

“It wasn’t a compromise,” he asserts. “It was the most strategic option for my career and life stage.”

For parents like Ian Riccaboni, the online format gave back those precious family moments that might have been forever lost amid the flurry of work and academic demands. “The online MBA eliminates small things like a 15-minute commute back-and-forth to class, which could be the difference between eating dinner with your family and tucking your kids into bed.”

‘LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT

Before entering the University of Florida’s Warrington Online MBA program, Diego Matayoshi admits that he “wasn’t looking to pause my career – I was looking to elevate it.” In many cases, that translated to a promotion for the Class of 2025. Within six months of graduating from Auburn University’s Harbert MBA program, Rob Crawford was promoted to being his firm’s senior director for digital innovation. Ermal Toto transitioned from a technical role to one that involved managing people and processes. In the case of Carnegie Mellon’s Juan Andrade-Vera, he shared a Tepper MBA connection with a hiring manager. Sure enough, he ultimately landing the job – after spending the interview talking about their business school experiences. And Andrade-Vera’s Tepper MBA continued to pay dividends after graduation.

“I am going to be starting as an associate at McKinsey & Company in September.”

The MBA didn’t just result in a better job. Kelly Rucci was transferred to a project team that she’d dreamed of joining. Similarly, Daniel Martinez saw his involvement in strategy and influence on decision-making increase. Beyond that, several Best & Brightest MBAs lauded how their MBA experience transformed how they view the world – and themselves!

“[It] has reignited my ambition and expanded my vision for what’s possible,” explains Dr. Simita Mishra. “After 11 years in the same role, I’ve been inspired and empowered to actively seek new career opportunities that better align with my growth and capabilities. That alone is a promotion of mindset. I’m now more prepared than ever to pursue a bigger role where I can apply what I’ve learned and continue to evolve.”

Knowledge and confidence – those are two takeaways that Brittany Pitlik gained from her MBA experience. While she believes her program gave her the tools to someday run her own company, she gained something equally valuable from her time in business school: commitment.

“My vision is to have a positive impact on the people and environments around me to make lives better. I have seen in my current role how impactful executives are to this vision and in this program how impactful I can be to this vision. Knowing that the skills I have acquired through my MBA can help improve the lives of those around me makes me wonder what else I could do. One of my high school coaches told me something I’ll never forget: Leave a place better than you found it. The University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium program left me better off, and I hope to do the same for those around me for the rest of my career.”

Next Page: In-depth profiles of 56 members of the Best & Brightest Class of 2025.