2023 Year in Review-Student and Community

Class of 2023 Caps Off College Experiences, Prepares for a Lifetime of Impact

Anonymous — Fri, 05 May 2023 15:49:10 +0000

Class of 2023 Caps Off College Experiences, Prepares for a Lifetime of Impact Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/05/2023 - 09:49

Amid countless challenges, Leeds grads transformed the school, campus and world through their work. And they’re just getting started.

What started as a project in Olivia McKeen’s marketing class—an online resource for victims of the Marshall Fire—became an impactful guide to the Boulder County community in the wake of the disaster. McKeen was inspired to create the guide after her own home burned down during the December 2021 fire.

College graduates this spring confronted their share of challenges along the way—especially the pandemic and resulting economic uncertainty. For Boulder’s Class of 2023, though, another defining disaster was the December 2021 Marshall Fire, which burned more than 6,000 acres near the ��񱦵� campus and destroyed more than 1,000 homes.

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Olivia McKeen was among those who lost her home in the fire, but instead of being consumed by shock, she rallied to build a community resource—the Marshall Fire Resource Guide—that become a relied-upon, one-stop shop for fire victims unsure of where to turn for donations, rebuilding resources, updates on lost pets and more. It also helped volunteers find useful ways to help.

Now that she’s graduating, McKeen—who will start work as an assistant social media planner at Sterling-Rice Group—hopes those marketing and branding skills she learned at Leeds, and that she used to build the website, will help her create impact throughout her career.

“I wanted to come out of Leeds with a meaningful degree and a meaningful job,” she said. “I would love to use my degree do something that helps people.”

McKeen is just one of many graduates of the Leeds School of Business who have already created impact at school and are hungry to do more. Here are some of their stories.

Chasing the dream—literally

Wes Weber’s original plan was to work a few years after completing his bachelor’s degree before retuning for a master’s. But continuing directly to his master’s degree meant a fifth year with the Ralphie handler program.

Chasing a buffalo during football games definitely involves physical stamina and courage—but for Weber (Mktg, BA’22; MSBA’23) and other runners, the program also teaches leadership, communication, improvisation, confidence and resilience—all vital business skills. He’ll now bring that unique package of skills to CapTech, where he’s been hired as a data analyst consultant.

“You walk out of Leeds feeling prepared for anything,” Wes said. “My professors have given me the confidence and preparedness to help me feel I can do this. And it goes hand in hand with the Ralphie program of being a leader, being able to use my voice and believing in myself to get the job done, whatever it may be.”

‘Making people feel part of the Leeds community’

Anya Aidun (InfoMgmt’23) is no stranger to leadership, having held key roles at organizations such as Leeds Student Government and the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity. So it’s no wonder she was named among ��񱦵�’s Student Leaders of the Year for 2023.

“The award means so much to me because I think it was not about the executive positions I was in, but rather, about making people feel part of the Leeds community,” she said.

Aidun also worked to be a leader in organizations where she didn’t have the title, like Leeds’ student consulting club, which prepared her for an internship with McKinsey that led to a full-time offer as a business analyst.

“Leeds taught me how to quickly take in information and be able to make rapid decisions,” she said. “That’s the key to success in consulting, because you have to be constantly learning.”

The head of her class

Christina Heese (Strat&Entrep, PolSci’23) always thought she’d end her career as a teacher, as a way of giving back to those who inspired her as a student.

But then—why wait?

“There’s so much you can do as a teacher, so much you can give back to a community, especially at a time when there are such shortages out there,” she said.

That’s why Heese is off to Teach for America, where she’ll be teaching math in Washington as she prepares for law school—and maybe a future counseling startups and entrepreneurs on how to create impact through their discoveries.

“I don’t think I’m an entrepreneur—I don’t always have the tolerance for risk—but I’ve found I really like working in these startup ecosystems, and I think I could help support those people who do have great ideas and plans,” she said.

Seeking ‘the opportunity to change the world’

Effective analysts understand that data isn’t about numbers. It’s about how data tells a story that informs a strategy.

Colton Marschik (BA, OpsMgmt’23) found an unusual outlet to practice his talents as a storyteller—“The Future of Thought,” a podcast he started and hosts. On the show, he interviews thought leaders for open conversations that explore the growing divide in a polarized society.

“Ultimately, the goal was to understand people from all perspectives in the hope of bridging that gap,” he said.

Marschik interned with Lockheed Martin’s space division. He’s now headed to the company’s Rotary and Mission Systems office as a data analyst.

A fashionable side gig

Who launches her business the same week as final exams?

“I love the chaos,” said Holly Henderson (MBA’23), who created the Free Takeout fashion brand in the fall alongside two of her classmates.

Henderson plans to continue with Free Takeout on the side after graduation—she’s currently interviewing at several places—as it unlocked a passion while serving as a proving ground for the lessons she was absorbing in class. Even more than her classes, though, Henderson appreciated how Leeds challenged her to explore her passion for business. That’s reflected in Free Takeout’s brand, which is centered around the people in your life, not just the journey.

“At Leeds, I found the path for myself and had a self-exploration journey that helped me create something truly meaningful,” she said. “I couldn't have done it without the friendships I made through my MBA.”

Mentorship matters

As she explored possible career paths in real estate, Kyla Thomas (RE, Fin’23) said she benefited from incredible mentorship opportunities that were made possible through the Inclusive City Builder Fellowship, a new rotational program that gave her insights into the industry “from start to finish.”

It also gave her a truly unique set of mentors.

“The biggest part is not only the learning, but the network and connections,” Thomas said. “We learned from the leaders at these companies because they really want to help students break into the real estate industry, and share a mission of encouraging diversity.”

While she remains intrigued about the opportunities to work in urban mixed-use development, Thomas is eager to work as an alternative analyst at BlackRock’s asset management team.

‘It hasn’t always been easy’

For Sandip Bisui (PhD’23), the challenges of doctoral-level study and research were compounded by the difficulty in navigating a new home and culture.

“The past five years haven’t always been easy,” he said. “Moving over 8,000 miles away from home was quite the culture shock, but Boulder quickly became my second home.”

Bisui studied mathematics and scientific computing at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, before heading to Colorado for his doctoral work. He credited his advisors and Leeds faculty for making him a strong researcher and preparing him for his role as an assistant professor at Purdue University.

“My journey here wasn’t just about academic growth,” he said. “I’ve also gained valuable life lessons, such as learning the importance of community, friendship and inclusivity. And it’s hard to find a community as welcoming as the one at ��񱦵�.”

Why Leeds Undergraduate experience Graduate experience

In the face of countless challenges, Leeds graduates transformed the school, campus and world through their work. Here’s what’s next for the Class of 2023.

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Making the Case for Sustainability in Business

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 20:18:15 +0000

Making the Case for Sustainability in Business Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:18

Participating in a case competition offers students an opportunity to take on real-world problems with the knowledge and skills they develop at Leeds. Pictured below are Kathryn Wendell, of CESR; the three MBA students in this year's Net Impact competition, from left, Erin Johnson, Chris Fogler and Austin Plagge; and undergraduate students Kyla Thomas and Colton Marschik.

It was 2010, but Kathryn Wendell still clearly remembers the case competition she entered as an MBA student at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

“It was really intense,” she said. “We had to pull an all-nighter to hone our pitch to the judges.”

Wendell, now executive director of the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR) at the Leeds School of Business, was president of the Haas Net Impact chapter, which gave her a network of aspiring leaders who saw their education as a way to build a more just and sustainable world.

As it turns out, the Net Impact Case Competition (NICC)—a worldwide contest that challenges future leaders to make a positive impact on people and the planet—has always been held at ��񱦵�. That year, the case involved helping Vail Resorts find a profitable way to deal with the effects of climate change on snowfall. Her team advanced to the final round, where they placed fourth overall.

Fast forward to today

While the format has evolved over the years, the NICC remains a rewarding, yet nerve-wracking, experience for students. For the chance to win up to $10,000, they’re required to think on their feet, quickly synthesize ideas, consider the business and moral merits, and put together a compelling pitch in front of a panel of corporate professionals.

“Case competitions present wicked problems. ... You’re expected to maximize the positive sum outcome for the largest number of stakeholders, while necessarily harming a chosen few. This is incredibly tough to do.”

Chris Fogler (MBA’23)

“You cannot win by answering the questions the case raises narrowly,” said Justine Roberts, formerly the program manager at CESR and NICC’s co-organizer with MBA students. “Instead, it requires creativity, clarity of thought, thoroughness, compassion and a strong values decision-making framework.”

Today, many MBAs are driven by a passion for sustainability and social impact, including Erin Johnson (MBA’23), a Leeds student whose team made the finals this year.

“I wanted to apply my academic knowledge and passion for sustainability to real-world problems, including the complexities and challenges faced by businesses in the transition to clean energy,” she said.

The case for coal

This year’s challenge centered on the transformation of the coal mining industry. Executives at Westmoreland Coal Company, one of the nation’s oldest independent coal companies, asked students how to reinvent the company in order to stay profitable as new regulations and shifting public sentiment give weight to clean power sources.

Johnson’s team proposed converting a coal-fired power plant into a geothermal power facility.

“Balancing stakeholder needs with community impact was particularly important,” Johnson said. "Our solution had to satisfy shareholders focused on profit, the local community seeking economic benefits and job opportunities, and the broader concerns of nature and future generations.”

Chris Fogler (MBA’23), one of Johnson’s teammates, described the most challenging part of participating in NICC and other competitions: “They present wicked problems that require creative, critical thinking,” he said. “You're expected to come up with a recommendation that maximizes the positive sum outcome for the largest number of stakeholders, while necessarily harming a chosen few.”

That’s a tough balancing act, said Austin Plagge (MBA’23), another member of the team.

“We placed a strong emphasis on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion throughout our proposal to ensure that the local community and all people were included in the transition,” he said.

What does it take?

The student experience at case competitions appears to be universal, regardless of the subject matter. Kyla Thomas (Bus’23) is candid about what it took to participate in the Mulroy Real Estate Challenge in February.

“You’re getting up in front of these real estate industry professionals who know what they’re talking about, and have been doing this for years,” she said.

“They grill you because they want you to learn from it. They’re not going to say, ‘Wow, you worked really hard on this’; they’re going to say, ‘Where did you get these numbers?’, and you better be able to say where you got them from. It teaches you to really know what you’re talking about.”

Colton Marschik (Bus’23), who’s participated in a variety of competitions, said, “A strong competitor is one who learns from themselves as much as they learn from their competition. Every time you lose, you have a chance to emulate what the winner did.”

Payoffs of participation

The diversity of thought on multidisciplinary teams can be a revelation. Fogler, a former and future energy professional, found his experience at NICC enlightening.

“Seeing a problem that I thought I had a decent grasp of, from four totally different perspectives, made me critically aware of the importance of diversity of thought and backgrounds when trying to make decisions,” he said.

For Johnson, “it was an invaluable experience that honed my skills, expanded my professional network, and reinforced my commitment to promoting sustainable solutions.”

“Some competitions do have prize money,” Marschik said, “but what matters more is furthering those skills that our time during the COVID pandemic took away from us: communication and public speaking.”

The experience clearly left its mark on Wendell, whose work at CESR is just her latest role in a business career where she’s been a tireless advocate for sustainability.

“I bonded with students from around the country with the same values, learned to pitch ideas crisply and received feedback from executives,” she said. “It was fun, and it introduced me to this wonderful place called Boulder, where I now live.”

Why Leeds Leeds MBA Undergraduate case competitions

Why does a Leeds education emphasize case competitions? Students share how their experiences helped them ace job interviews and prepared them to create impact at work.

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Heads of the Class

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 17:33:05 +0000

Heads of the Class Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/30/2022 - 10:33

Meet five students who’ve honed their personal leadership styles by heading up student clubs at Leeds. Their stories are different, but their approaches share a common thread: Next-gen leaders will seek to understand rather than command.

Meet five students who’ve honed their personal leadership styles by heading up student clubs at Leeds.

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