100 Best & Brightest MBAs: Class Of 2021

MAKING THE EXPERIENCE BETTER FOR FUTURE CLASSES

Chanel Washington could easily say the same. A Goldman Sachs alum and McKinsey hire, Washington completed her Columbia MBA in a power wheelchair due to suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy. “Every day, I require the assistance of hired help to do tasks like getting dressed or cooking,” she explains. “Professionally, I don’t have any role models that look like me in media, from my workplaces, business school or in the C-suites of major companies. For people with disabilities who have complex health needs, government policies disincentivize us from working at a professional level in order to keep our healthcare. Between battling this system, managing my care team daily, and navigating the workplace as a wheelchair user, I am incredibly proud of where I am. The journey has had countless challenges. While there will be more, I will always pursue my professional aspirations as they have provided me with self-determination and purpose.”

Like Washington, the Class of 2021 came to campus with a mission – and they possessed the gifts and grit to make it happen. Adekolapo Agbede carries a “passion” for diversity and inclusion. The result: he co-founded the London Business School’s first Black-focused student club – and the first among top European programs. At Texas A&M, Nash Porter doubled the size of the Consulting Club to 150 members. Equally impressive, Yale SOM’s Jenn Burka launched the school’s first student-run impact investing venture fund. You’ll find that same instinct to imagine and build with Kaitlyn Wilson. This Vanderbilt grad created the Owen Board Fellows, which places MBA students on the boards of Nashville-area nonprofits. The program has been so successful, says fellow Best &Brightest Ken Barnes, that several incoming first-years told him that it was among the reasons they chose Owen.

“We placed 25 of my classmates on the board of 24 nonprofits,” Wilson tells P&Q. “We also hosted a day-long training on nonprofit governance and brought in a variety of speakers throughout the year on community partnerships, nonprofit leadership, and board service. Since the first year, our applications have more than doubled, and we just launched the second cohort of 30 fellows…When I look back on my time at Owen, I am so inspired by the work my classmates have done on their boards. I am excited to see how the program continues to evolve after I graduate!”

“THE SHOW MUST GO ON”

The Best & Brightest often took their creative impulses beyond extracurricular activities. At Georgetown’s McDonough School, Leena Jube spent a year co-developing a course, Innovation Through Inclusion, with one of her professors. Justin Speller of Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business co-authored a case that will be the foundation for the school’s next diversity case competition. For Dunia Alrabadi, launching a STEM program was the best part of her experience at BYU’s Marriott School. That’s because she was able to leave a legacy that will outlast her time as an MBA.

“I was so passionate about this project that I begged the director of the MBA program, Grant McQueen, to allow me to work on it, even though I had maxed out the 21 credits I am allowed to take,” Airabadi writes. “It took a lot of research, negotiations, phone calls, meetings, searching through government websites, and conducting surveys. I even took a risk of challenging some of the regulations and policies in place to see this goal come to life. This new program is huge for BYU because not only will it help BYU be more competitive with other schools, but a STEM-focused curriculum will help future students learn hard skills like data analytics and coding to find better roles.”

In a year upended by COVID, maybe the class’ biggest achievement was pulling off the same beloved traditions. That was the case for the University of Washington’s Brian Wright. At Foster, he headed up the Challenge for Charity program, where west coast programs compete in community service. By February, his classmates had already chalked up 1,200 student volunteer hours and $50,000 in donations to local charities. At Columbia Business School, Olivia Mell served as the co-president of the legendary CBS Follies – a student-run variety show whose skits and musical numbers have grown into YouTube sensations. With morale down from COVID, Mell’s “ragtag” crew stepped up their game to deliver one of the most memorable shows in recent years – headlined by an unpopular administrator being parodied as Hamilton’s prissy King George to the tune of “You’ll Be Back.”

“The spirit of Follies stayed strong despite everything,” Mell reminisces. “We all worked very hard together to create shows that could not only help us as a club feel connected to our school again, but to help the whole CBS community feel connected back to each other and to CBS while watching the show. Where there were restrictions, we found new solutions and where there was pain, we found the laughter—because the show must go on.”

GEARING UP FOR THE REAL WORLD

As the Best & Brightest complete their finals, it is time for the curtain to come down on these graduates. It was a bravo performance worthy of applause. Over the past year, the Class of 2021 waded through an ever-evolving case study on pivoting amid disruption and prevailing against distance and discontent. In many ways, the pandemic brought students, faculty, and administration together as partners. It forced them to evaluate every aspect of the business school experience to identify areas for improvements. At best, COVID was a reckoning that accelerated best practices and revealed where to best invest time and resources. At worst, the Class of 2021 endured a year-long crash course in Zoom.

Either way, COVID hammered home a unforgettable lesson that often defines lives: Nothing is guaranteed – so don’t assume you’ll have the time or opportunity to do something that matters.

CEIBS’ Kunal Datt had the distinction of being stuck in three COVID hotspots – China, India, and Spain – in 2020. Despite the discomfort, he believes his experiences will only enrich his career. “It’s difficult to prepare for leadership in a crisis and it’s rare to get first-hand experience, especially on a scale like the COVID-19 pandemic. It taught me the value of being rational and not being influenced by the confusion, the unpredictability, and the doubt.”

STRANGERS BECOME FAMILY

…and fear too. That’s what Virginia Pierrie overcame at the University of Maryland. The class president, Pierrie admittedly “artfully avoided” math in college, Despite this, she rose to become an assistant vice president at Bank of America…in corporate communications. Come business school, Pierrie couldn’t escape the dreaded quant quagmires like finance, accounting, economics, and statistics. Pierrie won’t remember her first semester fondly, but the experience transformed her in a way that will reverberate across her career.

“For me, the first semester was a hard-fought competition with myself. My first 14 weeks were about building resilience, growing comfortable with ambiguity, and understanding the value of pushing through challenges instead of avoiding them. I will never be a statistician. I will never have a job in economics or a passion for accounting. I will, however, leave Smith with an understanding that asking for help is never synonymous with failure. My first semester taught me the intangible qualities – such as perseverance and self-assurance – matter more than an exam grade ever could.”

Perhaps the greatest value to the Class of 2021 is each other. A network is more than swapping market intelligence or opening doors to jobs. In reality, classmates represent a shared history and values. The Class of 2021 started as strangers, but coalesced under COVID and emerged as leaders poised to tackle the big issues –  steeled by their shared sacrifices and galvanized by their shared successes.

“To say that my MBA experience was elevated because of my colleagues would be a gross understatement,” adds the University of Pittsburgh’s Bianca Joi Payton. “They have made these two years the greatest of my life. The fact is, I came into this program with 66 strangers but will be leaving with 66 family members.”

See pages 4-5 for 100 in-depth profiles of this year’s Best & Brightest MBAs. 

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