2024 in review: Celebrating the MBA journey

After another exciting year at Kellogg, here’s a look back at the moments and stories that continue to build upon our rich legacy of transforming business education and shaping business leaders around the world.
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Celebrating the 2024 MBA journey with the stories that continue to build upon our rich legacy of transforming business education
Congratulations to our Class of 2024!

Always looking ahead, we embrace innovation with every step, and our community brings this journey to life through their actions and interactions. As we wrap up this academic year, we want to celebrate the accomplishments and milestones that enrich our culture of academic and professional excellence. 

Here are some of the stories that capture the spirit of Kellogg, and we look forward to continuing to welcome and support our Kellogg Leaders. 

High-Impact + High-Empathy  

Empathy plays an important role in communication and collaboration — especially when it involves cross-cultural interactions. Two-Year MBA students Hrachya (Ray) Martini Davtyan ’25 and Margaret Mester ’25 participated in a couple of pre-program experiences including Culture Camp to get a jumpstart on building a global community at Kellogg. “I figured Culture Camp could be a good way to meet classmates before KWEST and help provide a welcoming experience for international students new to the States,” said Mester. “Ironically, the experience proved to be more of a welcoming experience for me by the international students.” 

”Kellogg was filled with candid, authentic people – students, faculty and staff who set the bar high and taught me to make the most of what was given to me. Empathy, authenticity and being unapologetically yourself are what’s key to impactful leadership.“
Ben Mand ’02 MBA
One-Year MBA Program

Creative + Innovative  

The projects and coursework students undertake at Kellogg act as blueprints to accelerate professional growth. Just ask Lincoln Holt ’23 MBAi who turned his MBAi Program's capstone experience into a full-time job with John Deere. Collaborating with his peers from Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) program helped him gain diverse perspectives and expertise in AI — vital in the field. 

MMM Program student Maanil Dodani ’25 would agree with Priyanka Toddywala ’24 MBA in that business school is very much “choose your own adventure” — that’s what made his program so lucrative. “The MMM program offered this unique blend of left and right brain thinking and communication,” he shared. “The curriculum is robust and focuses on using a design-centric, creativity-first approach to framing and solving problems and innovating new solutions.” 

Creativity is a gateway to a world of possibilities. The highly engaging learning environment empowered Julia Fitzgerald ’92 MBA to embrace imagination for navigating her career in limitless directions. “Kellogg prepares you for what you want to do, what you think you want to do and for what you haven’t even dreamed of yet,” said the CMO of Build-A-Bear.  

Collaborative + Ambitious 

For Max Lehman ’25 Two-Year MBA Program, his motivation as a senior during his last quarter of college to apply to The Kellogg Future Leaders — the school’s deferred MBA program, has paid dividends. “Securing a future spot at Kellogg was a huge sense of relief. This was heavily influential in my early professional career because it gave me the freedom to take risks and know I had a great landing spot for down the road.” 

Max traveled to Lake Tahoe for the annual Kellogg Ski trip.
Max is building his community through the plethora of social activities like the annual Kellogg Ski trip.

We aim to inspire our students to grow as individuals and together. Kellogg Leaders support one another throughout their career journey and beyond. As Cam Voigt ’24 MBA, a former Army Ranger, transitioned from military to civilian life, he found the school’s community to be one of the key contributors to the successful transition. "I am exceedingly grateful to be here, and I have been able to consistently lean on my fellow veterans in the KVA for support, whether it be through academic, recruiting or even social challenges in the last year.”

Intentional + Purpose-Driven  

Enya Hong ’24 MBA stepped out of her comfort zone leaving her hometown of Taipei to pursue her academic and career ambitions — all in the name of her family. “Raised by a single mother, I saw firsthand her incredible strength as she navigated the challenges of raising three children alone. Her resilience in the face of life’s storms has been my guiding star.”   

“I have appreciated not being ‘boxed in’ to a lock-step order of classes and having a choice to sign up for what is meaningful to me, and because of this I have felt inspired by my coursework because I truly ‘chose’ each class.”
Emily Strack ’23 MBA
Evening & Weekend MBA

Connected + Committed  

“Starting a business with a partner has been invaluable” shared Pauline Kulka ’23 MBA and Aly Schreck ’23 MBA who were peers in the Evening & Weekend MBA Program. After taking Professor Jeffrey Eschbach’s New Venture Discovery course they were inspired and motivated to start their own venture: Aveil, an idea birthed in the classroom that turned into reality. 

Juggling a demanding job, a newborn, two older children, caring for his father’s multiple chronic health conditions and business school, Nitin Chawla ’24 MBA was able to find the silver linings despite the circumstances. “The journey through the school's EMBA program has been one of the most demanding yet rewarding endeavors of my life. One of the most invaluable aspects of my journey has been the opportunity to forge lifelong friendships and establish a strong network of professional connections.” 


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