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Quick, first and factual.
This is the game call in the news. You run to tell stories before anyone else. Keep the rumors away. Press the fonts. Smell the papers. Divide complex dynamics and conversion into compelling elements. High profile … maximum pressure … difficult hours: a world as exhilarating as it is exhausting.
It’s Elizabeth McLaughlin’s life on ABC News. At just 24, he won the Pentagon Pass. Here, McLaughlin competed with colleagues he had long admired, who boasted much more of the army and foreign affairs. Initially intimidated, McLaughlin embraced the routine, covering stories ranging from Daesh’s defeat to the launch of Space Force. In the process, it has earned the respect of the most influential people in the media and public service.
TRAVELING WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Elizabeth McLaughlin, University of Michigan (Ross)
It was quite a trick, McLaughlin told Poets and Quants. “I never thought I’d fly in a Black Hawk over Baghdad, seek refuge from the disbelievers in a yurt in Nur-Sultan, stop at an airfield in Ho Chi Minh City, or produce an exclusive interview in Kiev. But my role as The Pentagon Reporter has taken me to 18 countries, flying with the secretaries of defense and state as one of the few guest newscasts with those senior leaders. These trips have become the defining moments of my career when I was driven mentally and physically.
Now McLaughlin embarks on a new expandable mission. This fall, it joins the 2022 elegance of the Ross School at the University of Michigan. Ann Arbor excavations have hit Afghan air bases and Arab deserts. However, like all early years, McLaughlin will face a busy schedule with a “drinking fire hose” intensity. It suits you. After all, she has already carried a lot and thrived in high-risk environments as a journalist.
“I am hopeful that this kind of complex and immediate media policy has prepared me for business school by strengthening my ability to make decisions quickly, produce accurate reports, and act professionally in many difficult circumstances,” he adds.
THE NEW NORMAL BRINGS STUDENTS … From FAR
In business school, McLaughlin will come across a popular acronym: VUCA. It means volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. This is precisely the environment in which the 2022 promotion enters this autumn. After the 2008 economic crash, many of high potential went to business schools en masse. On campus, they were safe from the butcher shop, watching a live affair spread from the commons. This is different. In the COVID-19 VUCA medium, the disturbance can hit from any corner. The virus itself has forced many students, teachers, employers and alumni to distance themselves from their screens. Forget about cafes, pub tours, pick-up times and weekends. In many cases, Class 2022 is now grouped into Zoom.
However, this elegance makes the most of its opportunities despite the fewest academics and resources. Harvard Business School, for example, supplies two hundred fewer academics, and some recruits postpone admission. However, opting to stay ended up strongly linking to “COVID elegance,” says Charlotte Lawson, an emergency doctor who already gave birth to a baby in a car. It’s a sign, Lawson says, that the scholars think they were to each other. Elegance was responsible for organizing its own social events. These included poker games, board game nights and movie and e-book clubs, not to mention industry-specific meetings and brainstorming sessions for startups. Although the platform would possibly have changed, MBA’s camaraderie, the product of diversity and capacity, has remained as strong as ever.
Ask Cecilia Rios Murrieta of the Darden School at the University of Virginia. “Although we are thousands of miles from others,” he writes, “we have combined through the ups and downs of the uncertainty and anxiety that the pandemic has caused in our home countries. Together, we are more powerful and honestly I can say that I now have more productive friends in India, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, China and the United States, and I love it! I look forward to see everyone on the user very soon. »
Peter Kiernan, Harvard Business School
Because of your difficulties, you may not realize that the 2022 promotion is taken for granted. “Somehow, starting practically forces us to be more intentional in meeting our classmates,” says Adam Kuebler of Georgetown University. “We are all passionate, committed and willing to help each other.”
FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 FROM THE FRONT LINES
No, VUCA didn’t drive the MBA Class of 2022 into retreat. Instead, the next two years are a strategic reassessment, a time to marshal expertise, resources, and allies. Reality is, many class members have been on the front lines of the rapidly-changing world. Exhibit A: Harvard Business School’s Peter Kiernan. The youngest Marine Raider in Marine Special Operations Command history, Kiernan served as the Deputy Director of Response Operations for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 Task Force. Translation?
“The unprecedented overflow of patients at all-time high acuity levels strained our resources and forced clinicians to stretch like never before,” she explains. “As a nurse, I had to navigate constantly changing research, protocols, and PPE supply to care for patients hovering on the brink of death…I am amazed at how quickly my team successfully implemented new technology to overcome communication and other logistical barriers presented by the isolation requirements for these patients. This pandemic has exposed serious deficiencies in our health care system. This has…renewed my focus on leading change and innovation in the health services space.”
FROM A NUCLEAR ENGINEER TO A BROADWAY ACTRESS
BRINGING WOMEN TO THE TABLE
In fact, entertainment is a popular medium for the Class of 2022. Yale SOM’s Brett Davidson – “Southern Charm crossed with SoCal Swagger” – worked on strategy and progression for The Walt Disney Company. In this role, he worked on productions such as John Wick, La La Land, Good Trouble, and Grown-ish. Alexia Sabogal got the best start at Michigan Ross Business School. She recently entered Front Office Sports’ Rising 25 list, and is the only member of Major League Soccer to earn this honor. However, Sabogal is not the only woman who excels in sports. Riley Foreman of MIT Sloan, public relations director for the WNBA Seattle Storm, is waging a low key war on behalf of female athletes.
“I’ve tried to draw media attention to women’s sports by creating a lot of knowledge bases to load an ancient context into one of the most exciting moments in women’s basketball,” says Foreman. “I see my ‘biggest milestone’ more as a series of small milestones: delivering quality knowledge and data leads to more stories, more beat writers, more SportsCenter highlights, and higher TV ratings.
Speaking of data, Foreman will find himself very much in common with his classmate Valerie Kutsch. Growing up, Kutsch lived a non-violent farm life, raising farm animals and horses, and participating in rodeo competitions. In the United States Army, she was an intelligence officer who oversaw their biometric program for Afghanistan.
“My team did everything similar to biometric collection, from registration to quality control. I led the initiative to use data from our biometric knowledge base to gather applicable knowledge and put together a reporting tool to teach base commanders about existing security levels. We turned raw knowledge into practical knowledge that took a step forward in covering American soldiers. This tool has provided critical data to inform security decisions that have affected many lives. “
To read the detailed profiles of MBA applicants from the 30 most sensible business schools, turn to page 4.
Breanna Spurley, Emory University (Goizueta)
PIANO PRODIGY ACQUIRES A FIRST HOUSE AT 2 PM
What does the 2022 promotion do when it’s not working? Breanna Spurley of Emory, meanwhile, is a “claquette” violinist who seeks to improve the world through finance and fair education. His funny story? She made the decision to postpone business school after falling asleep at her first GMAT exam consultation (who didn’t?). She is in a position now, as is Chris Connolly of Michigan Ross, a medical student interested in 3D printing, genetics and disease treatment. And you can bet that Notre Dame’s categories will be entertained by Meghan Lally.
“I’m like the music of a movie: a dynamic storyteller that helps keep the plot exciting,” she writes.
Well, Lally would have a hard time completing this story from classmate Aric Stahly, a seal of the United States Navy. “When I was in the Navy, I had the opportunity to parachute with my K-9 army strapped to my chest. You surely enjoyed the view as we floated over the trees, fields, beach, and traffic below us. Sharing heaven with such an intelligent dog is a pleasure that I hope I will never forget.
What do you think of the forage at cocktail hour? Jerry Hong of MIT Sloan is an officer in the United States Navy and Coast Guard from Singapore. Hong’s classmate Sarah Black made the decision to replace the oil and fuel industry “from the inside out.” Turns out they saw her coming a mile away. “I accidentally ended up running on an offshore oil rig for over two years,” she writes, as the only woman on board to start. And then there’s Samuel Deason from HEC Paris, who received his doctorate in piano. He considers his greatest achievement to have been performing Beethoven’s hour-long “Diabelli Variations,” a test of endurance and technical sophistication. However, many would imply another realization.
“If I could choose a defining moment that would prepare me for business school, it would be to buy a space with the piano festival award when I was 14 years old,” he explains. “Knowing about mortgages, money flow, asset taxes, and statutes at a young age was a learning experience.”
TEACH PRINCE HARRY TO PASS, ATTACK AND KICK
Deason is not the only talented member of the class. Fabiola Diaz Mier of the University of Toronto is a flamenco dancer, while Bridget Greaney of Georgetown University directed an Off-Broadway musical for five weeks. As a teenager, Nataly Garzón of the University of Washington created short films and documentaries, one of which participated in the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011. In Garzón’s class, locate Bryanna Brown, too. Professional dancer, she also danced “Horton, Graham, jazz, African, Gaga, I made them all”. The London Business School even has a celebrity: Alex Parker, quarter-finals of the BBC MasterChef competition. He used his fame to launch a “big living room club”: 4 dishes served at home.
Alejandro Cadena, University of Chicago (Stand)
The 2022 promotion also includes its fair percentage of athletic prowess. Prior to Dartmouth Tuck, Briana Provancha represented the United States at sailing at the Olympics. Alejandro Cadena of the University of Chicago won a bronze medal at Takewondo at the Youth Olympics, while Raymond Kusch of Notre Dame, a member of the U.S. team’s national status amputee hockey team. Prior to enrolling in UCLA’s Anderson MBA program, Ben Antoine, an industry engineer, a rival American Ninja Warrior television series. As a professional specialist, Antoine’s motion capture paintings gave the impression on Avatar.
That said, Drew McKnight’s best work was restricted to the sidelines. “When 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,” writes the Michigan Ross first-year. “It went well…but not well enough to get invited to the big wedding.”
THE GREAT MOMENTS OF LIFE
An unforgettable event, without a doubt, just like the defining moments that shaped this class. For some, those moments evoke delicious memories. Georgetown McDonough’s Maya McWhorter, for example, improved her GMAT through 110 numbers in 4 weeks. In contrast, UCLA Anderson’s Sami Sciacqua moment came here when he “caught the eye of the room,” when the room “was full of executives, usually men, all with more than 20 years of experience. More.”
That is not to say that those moments were all smart points. Catherine Romero, a senior personal wealth analyst before enrolling in the UC-Berkeley Haas program, has been reshaped through the maximum of other people in her life by wasting it all.
“When I was in school, my parents filed for bankruptcy in our small business and unfortunately our space was repossessed. This time in life piqued my interest in finance and encouraged me to teach money education to my community. Since then, inclusion and monetary representation have been at the center of each and every resolution I make and each and every assignment I take. It prepared me for business school by giving me the confidence to challenge our monetary systems and help align the advantage and have an effect on obtaining advantages for each and everyone equally.
In check, Aric Stahly laid the foundation for his redefinition. Despite an 80% ateeration in SEAL training, Stahly believed he had the intellectual strength and physical endurance to survive. After all, he had succeeded in everything else. After washing up and watching some of his classmates graduate, Stahly overfouted his efforts.
Aric Stahly, Notre Dame (Mendoza)
“That 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. 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. 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.”
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 University’s Sean Ginter launched Amazon’s first fulfillment center in New York City. Impressed? How about this number: Northwestern Kellogg’s 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 School’s Alexandra Lipski founded the nation’s first social enterprise devoted to closing the investment gap between men and women. Partnering with WWF-Australia, MIT Sloan’s Sarah Black developed a roadmap for the government to reduce the use of environmentally-damaging, single-use plastic. At the same time, Tomas Campos – a project manager who joined Berkeley Haas – helped “transform Latin America’s largest coal generator into a renewable energy company.”
That wasn’t the only transformative campaign notched by a Haas first-year. Kokei Otosi worked with Nike to create a social media series to spotlight female Muslim athletes. “This was the first time I had worked on stories that were similar to mine,” Otosi writes. “These athletes were relatable to anyone who’s been the underdog, but to hear their nuances felt like I was hearing my story on the screen for the first time.”
A STORYTELLER AND AN ENTREPRENEUR
Ming Liu, Cornell University (Johnson)
Like Otosi, IESE Business School’s Zhu Shang is a storyteller. In fact, he already has two films credited him. A “culture chameleon,” Shang has even worked with the China Film Group Corporation and been mentored by Zhao Haicheng, whom Shang describes as the “Tsar of the Chinese movie industry.” Despite his accolades and connections, Shang hopes to leverage business school to boost his long-term impact in China and entertainment
“At 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,” he explains. “I could keep on and become a more promising and money-making storyteller, but this kind of role wouldn’t 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.”
One of those big ideas may have come from Cornell University’s 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 nation’s fledgling equestrian industry.
“Understanding 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.”
Lucia Donnangelo, London Business School
ON POLITICS AND POLICY…
Chances are, Lucia Donnangelo absorbed similar lessons. The London Business School MBA candidate was enjoying a comfortable living as a research economist at CERES, Uruguay’s top think tank. And then her boss, Ernesto Talvi, decided to run for President – and she became his policy director. Here, she led a 300 member team to build Talvi’s policies in 50 different areas. While Talvi ultimately lost, the experience proved life-changing for Donnangelo.
“I was entrusted to lead and, in doing so, refined my personal and professional goals. I’m grateful to have met so many people driven by the desire to contribute and impact a country’s development. It is gratifying to know that this policy unit is still active, with some of its members in government roles.”
Sometimes, it can be just a kind word from the right person can make all the difference. That was the case for the Yale School of Management’s Ethan Everett Boswell. At the International Monetary Fund, he worked alongside Christine Lagarde to produce presentations to finance ministers and central bank governors around the world – the kind that help shape global policy.
“Mario Draghi, the former president of the European Central Bank, called the presentations “fantastic” and “done with a professionalism I’ve never seen in any other institution,” so it feels good to know they were memorable,” Boswell writes.
REASONS VARY FOR RETURNING TO SCHOOL
Despite such access and accomplishment, the Class of 2022 still streamed back to campus to pursue their MBAs. Roberto Chavez Flores, for one, intended to pursue the executive MBA route. However, he headed to Kellogg’s one-year progam after COVID-19 shut down many of his real estate projects in Mexico. “I quickly realized the impact an MBA could have at such critical time, allowing me to accelerate out of the gates when the initial impact subsides.”
The University of Texas’ Caroline Peterson also shouldered heavy responsibilities early in her career in tech. Her career path also gave her an inside look at both a senior executive’s role and the demands of navigating large and diverse organizations through VUCA environments. That made an MBA degree an immediate requirement over an eventual goal for Peterson.
“I quickly realized that the most effective leaders didn’t just command exceptional business acumen, but also commanded a room and inspired teams to execute on a vision. My most recent role as Chief of Staff to the CEO helped me develop an appreciation for the complexity of managing a growing organization on the executive level.”
Bo Chan’s interest, he says, was piqued when he moved into management – and realized he needed to expand far beyond his area of expertise. “I realized that to be an impactful and compassionate manager, I needed to broaden my skillset and knowledge to lead effectively and confidently,” writes the MIT Sloan first-year. “While I had spent the last five years honing my skills in brand and customer marketing, there were aspects of the business that I needed more exposure to such as operations and finance. Without a thorough understanding, it was impossible to represent both my team and be an effective changemaker within my organization.”
Mehmet Kaan Serdar, Georgetown University (McDonough)
DIFFERENT PATHS TO PREPARATION
The Class of 2022 also adopted a variety of strategies to prepare for the MBA rigors. Georgetown University’s Mehmet Kaan Serdar has spent the summer working closely with school advisors on career-related items like resume and networking strategies. He has also supplemented these efforts by taking online courses on quant areas like finance, accounting, economics, and statistics. Akhil Pawar took on a secondment with the World Economic Forum to increase his exposure to social enterprise before London Business School. To hit the ground running McCombs’ Caroline Peterson enlisted a career coach.
“My coach helped me reflect on my prior experience, identify my strengths, define my values, and roadmap the next few chapters of my professional (and personal) life. These exercises have already proven invaluable as I prep for interviews and fill out my schedule with extracurriculars.”
Then again, Leo Flores decided to take time off before embarking on the Rice MBA. “I know business school is going to be a rewarding but intense experience, so I’ve taken the time to re-center myself as I enter this new stage in life. I spent this summer relocating from the Bay Area to Houston, so I’ve taken some time to settle into the swimming pool lifestyle!”
FACING DOWN UNCERTAINTY AND FEAR
Myryah Nicholas, New York University (Stern)
Chances are, Flores is paddling in the deep end as the core coursework now kicks in. Indeed, there will be plenty of late nights and doubts for the Class of 2022. That happened to NYU Stern’s Myryah Nicholas, who wondered if she could make it in New York City – let alone the beauty industry. That’s when she came across an advertisement…and reflected back on her original purpose — and knew everything would eventually turn out right.
“I stumbled across a Mother’s Day billboard that read, “I didn’t go nine months without chardonnay for you to hate your job.” While the sighting initially provided a good laugh, the message stuck with me. I knew I owed it to the people who supported me and, more importantly, myself to pivot into a career path I loved. On the plane ride home, I vowed to take the risks I needed to achieve my goals. Four months later, I was living in New York—the epicenter of the beauty industry—and one step closer to making my dreams come true.”
Yes, the Class of 2022 arrives to a VUCA world, replete with rivalries and riots, lethal disease and economic disintegration. Who would blame them if they responded by shying away, hesitant to engage and afraid to commit. Frank Thomas was once afraid too when he took a gap year after high school. The Emory MBA moved across the world to New Zealand, “leaving every person and place I know to start an entirely new chapter of my life.” It turned out to be his shining moment, as uncertainty gave way to possibility, changing him into the “fiercely independent, adventurous person” he is today.”
Now, the process repeats anew for Thomas, as he joins his peers in the MBA Class of 2022. This time, he knows what to expect – and he can’t wait for the journey to begin. “I’ve left a wonderful company and wonderful friends to start from scratch, in a city I don’t know, during a particularly volatile time in the world. It is scary, but as my time in New Zealand – and elsewhere – taught me, uncertainty and fear are the dysfunctional parents of opportunity and adventure.”
To read in-depth profiles from MBA candidates from 30 top business schools, go to page 4.
DON’T MISS: Meet The Class of 2021: The Complete Collection
Meet The Class of 2021: The Go-Getters
MBA Student
Business School
Hometown
Undergrad Program
Last Employer
Joann Praise Emmanson
Arizona State (W. P. Carey)
Lagos, Nigeria
Covenant University
Venture Garden Group
Sevita Qarshi
U.C. Berkeley (Haas)
Alameda, CA
Brown University
Tastemade TV
Elizabeth Barnard
Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
Newport Beach, California
Boston College
Cooperative strategies
Doug bowen
University of Chicago (booth)
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Morehouse College
BDT and company
Kenneth Burchfiel
Columbia Business School
McLean, Virginia
Middlebury College
Evansville Catholic Charities
Ming Liu
Cornell University (Johnson)
Hong Kong, China
Chicago University
Watch out
Amayo bassey
Dartmouth University (Tuck)
Lagos, Nigeria
Villanova University
African Leadership College
Abby larus
Duke University (Fuqua)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Duke university
Damage management
Frank Thomas
Emory University (Goizueta)
Charleston, West Virginia
Ohio University
The variegated madman
Lucas Turner-Owens
Georgetown University (McDonough)
Boston, MA
Wesleyan University
Trail Mix Companies
Peter James Kiernan
Harvard Business School
Babylon, New York
University of Colombia
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office
Samuel Deason
CET Paris
Saskatoon, Canada
The Glenn Gould School
Northwestern University
Zhu Shang
IESE Business School
Hefei, China
China University of Communication
China Film Group Corporation
Morgan Bedan
Indiana University (Kelley)
Grosse Pointe Park, MI
Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN)
White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Simant Goyal
Ivey Business School
Jaipur, India
UC Berkeley
Professional taxpete
Akhil Pawar
London Business School
Mumbai, India
BITS, Pilani
Yunus social enterprise
Elizabeth mclaughlin
University of Michigan (Ross)
Manhattan beach, california
Michigan University
ABC News
Valerie kutsch
MIT (Sloan)
Bozeman, MT
U.S. Military Academy
the American army
Jackson Keyes
North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)
Chesapeake, Virginia
Old Dominion University
Deloitte Consulting
Roberto Chavez Flores
Northwestern University (Kellogg)
Morelia, Mexico
Tec de Monterrey
[Family Affair]
Aric stahly
Our Lady (Mendoza)
Scottsbluff, NE
U.S. Military University
us navy
Ishan taneja
New York University (Stern)
Gurgaon, India
St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi
Pwc
Pedro Martinez-Berrios
Rice University (Jones)
Caracas, Venezuela
LeTourneau University
Hertz Corporation
Caroline peterson
University of Texas (McCombs)
Escondido, California
Stanford University
Wall
Michaela eckel
University of Toronto (Rotman)
Sudbury, MA
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Johnson and Johnson
Ben Antoine
UCLA (Anderson)
Brooklyn, New York
Carnegie Mellon University
I sociétéed Boeing
Katie may
USC (Marshall)
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginie University
Accenture
Cecilia Ríos Murrieta
University of Virginia (Darden)
Mexico City, Mexico
Itam
Mezcales Murrieta
Amanda Pearson
University of Washington (Foster)
Atlanta, Georgia
Georgetown University
Washington MedStar Hospital
Bryanna brown
University of Washington (Olin)
Decatur, Georgia
Georgia State University
Teach For America
Ethan Everett Boswell
Yale School of Management
East Cobb, Georgia
University of Southern California
International Monetary Fund
Editor’s Note: This fall, Poets and Quants will provide some of the most promising MBA academics in more than 40 business elementary schools, adding the systems provided above. Please note that INSEAD and Wharton School were unable to provide a student who provided information before the deadline. Stanford GSB introduces the elegance of 2022 applicants in January.
The message Meet The MBA Class Of 2022: The COVID Cohorts made the first impression on Poets & Quants.