Meet The MBA Class Of 2022: The COVID Cohorts by: Jeff Schmitt on August 30, 2020 | | 25,730 Views August 30, 2020 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Breanna Spurley, Emory University (Goizueta) PIANO PRODIGY BUYS FIRST HOUSE AT 14 What do the Class of 2022 do when theyāre not working? Emoryās Breanna Spurley, for one, is a ātap dancing, violinist trying to better the world through finance and equitable education. Her funny story? She decided to push back business school after falling asleep during her first GMAT study session (who hasn’t?). She is geared up now, as is Michigan Rossā Chris Connolly, a medical student with an interest in 3D printing, genetics, and disease treatment. And you can bet Notre Dame classes are going to be entertaining with Meghan Lally around. āIām like a movie scoreāa dynamic storyteller who helps to keep the plot exciting,ā she writes. Well, Lally would be hard-pressed to top this story from classmate Aric Stahly, a U.S. Navy Seal. āWhen I was in the Navy, I had the opportunity to skydive with my military K-9 strapped to my chest. He absolutely loved the view as we floated over the trees, fields, beach and traffic below us. Sharing the skies with such a great dog was an experience I hope to never forget!ā How is this for cocktail hour fodder? MIT Sloanās Jerry Hong is a commissioned officer in both the U.S. Coast Guard and the Singapore Navy. Hongās classmate, Sarah Black, decided to change the oil and gas industry āfrom within.ā Turns out, they saw her coming from a mile away. āI accidentally ended up working on an offshore oil rig for over two years,ā she writes, often as the only female aboard to boot. And then there is HEC Parisā Samuel Deason, who earned his doctorate in piano performance. He considers his greatest achievement to be performing Beethovenās hour-long āDiabelli Variationsā, a test of both stamina and technical sophistication. However, many would point to a different achievement. āIf I could pick one defining moment which prepared me for business school, it would be purchasing a house with piano competition prize money at the age of 14,ā he explains. āLearning about mortgages, cashflow, property taxes, and city bylaws at a young age was a fantastic learning experience.ā TEACHING PRINCE HARRY TO PASS, TACKLE, AND KICK Deason isnāt the only artistically-gifted member of the class. The University of Torontoās Fabiola Diaz Mier is a flamenco dancer, while Georgetown Universityās Bridget Greaney directed an Off-Broadway comedy musical for five weeks. As a teenager, Washington Universityās Nataly Garzon created short films and documentaries, with one being included in the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. In Garzonās class, youāll also find Bryanna Brown. A professional ballerina, she has also danced to āHorton, Graham, jazz, African, Gaga ā I have done them all.ā The London Business School even boasts a celebrity: Alex Parker, a quarterfinalist in the BBCās MasterChef competition. He used his celebrity to launch a āliving room super clubā ā four course meals served in his home. Alejandro Cadena, University of Chicago (Booth) The Class of 2022 also includes its fair share of athletic prowess. Before Dartmouth Tuck, Briana Provancha represented the United States in sailing at the Olympic Games. The University of Chicago Boothās Alejandro Cadena finished 2nd in Ecuador’s Karate National Tournament, while Notre Dameās Raymond Kusch made Team USAās National Standing Amputee Hockey Team. Before enrolling at UCLAās Anderson MBA program, Ben Antoine — an engineer by trade — was an American Ninja Warrior competitor TV series. As a professional stuntman, Antoineās motion capture work appeared in Avatar. That said, Drew McKnightās best work was restricted to the sidelines. āWhen I was an undergraduate, I was part of a small team that put on a private clinic to teach Prince Harry the basics of American Football,ā writes the Michigan Ross first-year. āIt went wellā¦but not well enough to get invited to the big wedding.āĀ THE BIG MOMENTS IN LIFE An unforgettable event, no doubt ā much like the defining moments that shaped this class. For some, those moments evoke pleasant memories. Georgetown McDonoughās Maya McWhorter, for one, increased her GMAT by 110 points over four weeks. In contrast, UCLA Andersonās Sami Sciacquaās moment came when she ācommanded the attention of the roomā ā when the room was āfull of executives, majority male, all with 20+ more years of experience.ā Thatās not to say these moments were all bright spots. Catherine Romero, a senior private wealth analyst before enrolling in U.C.-Berkeleyās Haas program, was transformed by the most important people in her life losing everything. āWhen I was in college, my parents declared bankruptcy on our small business, and unfortunately, our home was foreclosed. This life event sparked my interest in finance and pushed me to teach financial literacy to my community. Since then, financial inclusivity and representation are at the core of every decision I make and every project I take on. This prepared me for business school by giving me the confidence to question our financial systems and help align profit and impact to benefit everyone equally.ā Falling short actually laid the groundwork for Aric Stahly to re-define himself. Despite an 80% quit rate in SEAL training school, Stahly believed he possessed the mental toughness and physical stamina to make it through. After all, he had succeeded in everything else. After washing out ā and watch a select few of his peers graduate ā Stahly re-doubled his efforts. Aric Stahly, Notre Dame (Mendoza) āThat moment in my life defined me. I had let myself down by giving up on the one goal that had motivated me in life. I was determined not to let that personal failure define my future.Ā After serving elsewhere in the Navy for a couple years, I returned to the basic SEAL training school determined to succeed. I committed to doing everything in my physical and mental power to overcome every challenge.Ā That mindset carried through training and on to graduation. Since then, I have applied the same mindset to every challenge that stood in the way of my goals, and I have enjoyed many other successes as a result.ā TRANSFORMATIVE TALENT You could say the same about the rest of the Class of 2022. Before enrolling at the University of North Carolina, Dan LaSorte was managing $190 million dollars of investable assets for high-net-worth clients. Georgetown Universityās Sean Ginter launched Amazonās first fulfillment center in New York City. Impressed? How about this number: Northwestern Kelloggās Roberto Chavez Flores was charged with opening 1,501 retail stores Anheuser-Busch InBev in one year. He ended up beating the mark with 1,514 stores! In New Zealand, the London Business Schoolās Alexandra Lipski founded the nationās first social enterprise devoted to closing the investment gap between men and women. Partnering with WWF-Australia, MIT Sloanās Sarah Black developed a roadmap for the government to reduce the use of environmentally-damaging, single-use plastic. At the same time, Tomas Campos ā a project manager who joined Berkeley Haas ā helped ātransform Latin Americaās largest coal generator into a renewable energy company.ā That wasnāt the only transformative campaign notched by a Haas first-year. Sevita Qarshi worked with Nike to create a social media series to spotlight female Muslim athletes. āThis was the first time I had worked on stories that were similar to mine,ā she writes. āThese athletes were relatable to anyone whoās been the underdog, but to hear their nuances felt like I was hearing my story on the screen for the first time.ā A STORYTELLER AND AN ENTREPRENEUR Ming Liu, Cornell University (Johnson) Like Otosi, IESE Business Schoolās Zhu Shang is a storyteller. In fact, he already has two films credited him. A āculture chameleon,ā Shang has even worked with the China Film Group Corporation and been mentored by Zhao Haicheng, whom Shang describes as the āTsar of the Chinese movie industry.ā Despite his accolades and connections, Shang hopes to leverage business school to boost his long-term impact in China and entertainment āAt a certain point of my career, I realized that if I continue to do what I was doing, I may eventually meet my ceiling in my 40s,ā he explains. āI could keep on and become a more promising and money-making storyteller, but this kind of role wouldnāt fulfill my wish to really have an impact on the foundation of the industry. When I pulled myself out and observed the whole business with a more objective view, I found that there is so much more we could do to improve the industry. An MBA may provide some solid answers to my questions, while opening doors to new tech, new industry ecosystems, and new ideas for entrepreneurship.ā One of those big ideas may have come from Cornell Universityās Ming Liu. In China, she started a business which served children with disabilities through therapeutic horseback lessons. For Liu, the enterprise was means to reduce the stigma around being disabled along with giving a shot in the arm to the nationās fledgling equestrian industry. āUnderstanding the demands of the local market and adapting our approach accordingly, identifying common interests across different stakeholders, and continuing to push against the status quo were some of the most important lessons I learned from the experience.ā Previous Page Continue ReadingPage 2 of 4 1 2 3 4 Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.