Meet Washington Olin’s MBA Class Of 2027

THE CENTER FOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Olin’s size also doesn’t impact its rankings. In the 2026 Financial Times MBA Ranking, Olin placed 4th for Value for Money and 19th for the scope and quality of its faculty research. Olin also broke into the Top 20 (19th) in Poets&Quants’ composite MBA ranking for 2025-2026, while finishing 18th when c-suite executives were surveyed about business schools by CEOWorld.

Along with intimate size, experiential learning is another defining feature of the Olin MBA according to students and alumni. Notably, the school operates a Center for Experiential Learning (CEL). A mix of customized coursework and real-world projects, the CEL provides MBAs with the opportunity to practice what they learn in areas like market research, financial analysis, and strategy development. At the same time, they can hone their interpersonal and analytic skills, gaining experience in leading teams, managing clients, and solving problems.

Rohit Kumar Gupta frames the CEL as a chance to “work on real, high-stakes business problems from day one.” At the same time, Jabari Chiphe, a 2026 grad, emphasizes that the CEL offered a “growth experience” unlike any other.

“In Olin’s CEL Practicum course, I worked on a consulting project for a startup behavioral health clinic,” Ciphe explains. “My team and I created a go-to-market report for the client, focused on anxiety and OCD services in the greater St. Louis Area. We delivered insights on Missouri’s regulatory environment, state-of-the-market and positioning report, and financial projections. This project was a great opportunity to apply all that I’d learned during my MBA studies to a real client engagement before graduating.”

Ciphe’s classmate, Jasdeep Kaur Dulay, also credits the CEL with providing him with intensive experience with artificial intelligence. “At [CEL], we encourage students to use AI to synthesize project findings and logic-test their assumptions. I have seen AI dramatically enhance the speed and depth of what our teams can research and generate; it allows students to move from a raw idea to a structured draft in a fraction of the time it used to take. Faculty like Michael Wall emphasize that while AI can accelerate this research, and should be experimented with while in the classroom, it also raises the bar for our own judgment and analytical rigor.”

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS

The Class of 2027 also raves about St. Louis – a “big, small city” in the words of Maria Paul. On one hand, St. Louis is an underrated business hub. The Gateway City is the headquarters for eight Fortune 500 companies, including Centene, Reinsurance Group of America, Emerson Electric, and Edward Jones. And that doesn’t include larger operations for Boeing and Anheuser-Busch InBev. This mix of “established industries, emerging ventures, and a tight-knit business community” – in the words of Eric Abeiku Ackom – provides a safety net where Olin MBAs can find partners, mentors, and experts to build ventures.

More than that, it is a great place to spend two years – if not longer. Ginette Rhodes describes St. Louis as a “city of historic charm, a soulful art scene, and emerging innovation.” However, her favorite part is Forest Park, which borders the university.

“[It] is an eight-mile network of winding trails in the heart of the city, connecting the Art Museum, Zoo, the Muny, the Science Center, and the History Museum,” Rhodes continues. “It is also the historic site of the 1904 World’s Fair, which gives the park a sense of legacy and timelessness.”

“We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a large green space close to campus,” adds Kate Wilkins, who studied as an undergrad at WashU, when reminiscing about Forest Park. “[It] offers free activities like the Art Museum, History Museum, and movie nights on Art Hill.”

And the food is an unexpected delight, continues Miles LeBlanc. “100 years ago, St. Louis was the 3rd largest city in the US.  All the immigrants who came to the city brought their delicious, vibrant, and diverse cuisine, creating the perfect setup for a former college football player who loves to eat.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSISTANT DEAN

In February, Olin was named one of P&Q’s “10 Business Schools To Watch in 2026.” The honor stemmed from a variety of factors. Notably, the school rolled out a curriculum revamp that included seven new concentrations (and three new master’s degrees). At the same time, the school unveiled a new strategic plan that placed AI and Healthcare alongside Entrepreneurship as the program’s centerpieces. What else can MBA students, applicants, and alumni expect from the Olin MBA in the future? Earlier this year, P&Q reached out to Luke Bretscher, Olin’s Assistant Dean and Director of Recruitment and Admissions to learn about new program developments, as well as its increased investment in AI. Here are his thoughts on these questions – and many others – in an exclusive interview with P&Q.

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?

Bretscher: “WashU Olin is always innovating and evolving our curriculum to provide students with the foundation they need to explore their interests and succeed in their career goals. Over the last year, WashU Olin announced a new curriculum that empowers students to personalize their MBA journey to their career goals and interests – with 50% of their credits taken from 100+ elective courses.  The individualized MBA curriculum allows students to take elective courses in their first year, pursue one-or- more of 12 degree specializations, and engage in experiential learning opportunities that take them out of the classroom and into the business world.

One of the new specializations is Business Analytics, for which several AI-related courses are required meeting the demand by students and employers for my AI education.

• • Introduction to Python and Data Science
  • Machine Learning Tools for Prediction of Business Outcomes
  • Deep Learning for Prediction of Business Outcomes
  • Deep Reinforcement Learning with Applications in Business
  • AI-Driven Customer Analytics
  • AI for Managers

These classes can be taken as electives for any students not in the Business Analytics Specialization. Additionally, with the development of a new specialized master’s degree in AI for Business, there will be even more AI-focused offerings available on a limited basis to Full-Time MBA students next year:

• Ethics and Responsible AI in Business
• Business-Driven Explainable AI
• AI-Driven Causal Inference with Observational Data
• Generative Artificial Intelligence

P&Q: What do you see as the main differentiator that distinguishes your MBA program from other schools? How does it enhance the student experience and make them more attractive to employers?

Bretscher: “With individualized education as a core pillar, Olin students truly have an opportunity to find their future in the world of business – and then, get hands-on in building it before they graduate. Our curriculum is rooted in flexibility, experiential learning, and innovation; no two graduates have the same experience. At the same time, the intentional small size of Olin ensures that we know each student by name and story—and can be connected on a personal level to our broad network of alumni who are leading the business world today.

Ultimately, Olin students develop the core skills of highly desired MBAs, a clear professional narrative, and practical skill set. As a result, Olin MBA graduates are highly attractive to employers for their focus, adaptability, and ability to deliver immediate impact.”

P&Q: What types of services do you provide to first-year MBAs to ease their transition into business school?

Bretscher: “Olin has an extensive onboarding and orientation process for our full-time MBA students called MBA GO (Gateway Olin)! The experience includes a range of programming, including campus tours, team-building scavenger hunts, tips for success, and leadership and faculty sessions. By the end of MBA GO!, all first-year MBAs have gotten to know their cohort and their go-to resources at Olin.”

P&Q: What types of support do you provide to international students before and during business school to enable them to better acclimate to your country?

Bretscher: “WashU Olin continues to be a sought-after destination for international MBA students. Our intentional small size ensures that the entire cohort is connected, students can be authentic and small class sizes. Additionally, our classes have diverse geography with often close to 50 percent of the class is international students allowing for students to share different perspectives and experiences.

International students are often drawn to the welcoming, affordable community found in St. Louis with a strong alumni presence at events on campus and easy access to alumni as resources and support.

Additionally, Olin has several international student communities including the Africa Business Club, Olin India Club, and Olin Greater China Club that work to welcome and support students as they acclimate to the U.S. Many international students are first welcomed and picked up from the airport from club members who take the time to helps students and ensure they are settled in their new homes. Additionally, the clubs work to foster community throughout Olin with events open to all who want to learn about the culture.

P&Q: How does your program integrate other disciplines, such as the liberal arts and STEM, across your curriculum to provide students with a more interdisciplinary experience in business school?

Bretscher: “WashU Olin has more than 100 elective courses, so students are able to navigate the curriculum across disciplines to have a strong comprehensive foundation that meets their individual education goals. Additionally, four of the 12 MBA specializations are STEM-designated.’

P&Q: What are two ways that your program is incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your programming? How do they better prepare students for the future world of work?

Bretscher: “Olin understands the impact of Artificial Intelligence on society and the importance of understanding its transformative power in business. For the past several years, Olin has expanded AI offerings across all degree programs, including foundational courses such as Machine Learning Tools for Prediction of Business Outcomes, AI-Driven Customer Analytics and AI for Managers. Additionally, Olin is consistently expanding offerings to incorporate the transformative potential of AI-based technology’s impact on jobs across the business landscape. Some of these courses take an in-depth look at topics such as large language models and generative AI.

Beyond these courses, Olin faculty continue to expand upon their AI-focused and AI-embedded research. This research is often recognized as award winning at Olin and includes a range of topics from pharmaceuticals to advertising freelancers. Six of the last eight winners of the Olin Award — established by Olin executive-in-residence Richard Mahoney to honor research with practical business applications — either studied the effects of artificial intelligence or used it as a tool.

Next Fall, Olin is launching a new Master of Science in AI for Business (MSAIB). This new degree program builds upon our current Master of Science in Business Analytics and addresses employers’ requests for graduates with more AI expertise. This program will be an ideal fit for recent graduates wanting to deepen their skills, as well as longtime professionals wanting to upskill their AI experience in an environment that is ever evolving.”

P&Q: What types of educational and career support do you provide to alumni after graduation? How does it make them more valuable to employers during their careers?

Bretscher: “We like to say “Once Olin, always Olin,”—and we really mean it. Our MBA alumni have lifelong access to career support, whether they’re looking for their first career stop or their tenth. We offer personalized career support to alumni via one-on-one meetings with a certified career coach. Additionally, alumni have access to our lunch and learn series and 50% off our Executive Education courses. Having this access means that Olin alumni can stay current on emerging trends, technologies, and new ways of doing business, which is invaluable to their employers.

The Olin alumni community is extremely supportive. Our alumni quickly find they can network, collaborate, and cross career paths with one another.”

Click on the links below for in-depth profiles of members of the first-year class.

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Eric Abeiku Ackom	Pennsauken, NJ	Rowan University	Virtua Health
Aïcha Camara	Baltimore, MD	University of Maryland	Global Refuge
Rah-Nysha Campbell	St. Louis, MD	Jackson State University	St. Louis Education Fund
Joey Griffith	Boston, MA	Harvard University	Shah Family Foundation
Rohit Kumar Gupta	Pune, India	Amity University	ShopUp (APAC)
Miles LeBlanc	Phoenix, AZ	Northern Arizona University	Indigo Partners LLC
Mateo Mendoza	La Paz, Bolivia	Lindenwood University	Ernst & Young
Maria Paul	St. Louis, MO	University of Kansas	Center for the Advancement of Research on Eating Behaviors (CARE)
Ginette Rhodes	St. Louis, MO	Ohio State University	Netty’s Juicery
Justin Traenkle	Sterling, VA	North Carolina State University	Kalera
Kate Wilkins	St. Louis, MO	Washington University in Saint Louis	Pathways to Independence

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