Ask a Student
Get insider information from current Olin MBA students.
Olin student ambassadors are here to answer all your questions. Find out how your experiences will translate to our program, get advice on matching your career goals with a platform, and discover the best places to live around campus. Their insights can help you decide among the best MBA programs.
Our ambassadors come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Email one of the students below for answers to your questions. Click on a button to see only students who speak to your desired topic or career platform. Click "Clear All" to remove the filter.
2021
Susie Bonwich
susie.bonwich@wustl.edu
Community
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Experiential Learning
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Global
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“I've enjoyed getting to understand other countries and business styles. I didn’t have as much culture shock as I thought I was going to. There were more similarities than I had originally thought, both in Spain and in China.”
Hometown:
Chesterfield, MO
Education:
Business Administration, Principia College
Involvement:
Olin Marketing Association, Olin Strategy and Consulting Association, Olin Women in Business
Tim Brandt
tdbrandt@wustl.edu
Entrepreneurship
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Experiential Learning
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Global
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“WashU Olin's MBA drives students to think globally, but act locally with an entrepreneurial mindset. From consulting projects in Spain to business implementation in China to working with nonprofit and startup communities in St. Louis, you will have endless opportunities to gain experience outside of the classroom.”
Hometown:
St. Louis, MO
Education:
Biological Engineering (Biomedical emphasis), University of Missouri
Involvement:
InSITE Fellow, Olin Technology Club, Olin Strategy and Consulting Association
Itohan Enadeghe
itohan.e@wustl.edu
Corporate Finance & Investments
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Experiential Learning
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Global
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“Experiential learning has thoroughly come to life in my time at Olin as a result of the hands-on experience of dynamic business contexts.
Through the global immersion program, I had the opportunity to apply classroom learning to real-world projects by executing business strategies with my classmates. The experience provided me with a global perspective as well as knowledge about diverse cultures and how it affects businesses.”
Hometown:
Lagos, Nigeria
Education:
Marketing, Covenant University
Involvement:
Graduate Business Student Association, Olin Africa Business Club, Olin Women in Business, Olin Finance Club, Olin Technology Club
Flora Fang
jing.f@wustl.edu
Marketing
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Values Based & Data Driven
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“The principle of the values-based, data-driven course was strengthened throughout our projects during the global immersion from DC, Barcelona, to Shanghai. Values-Based, Data Driven has become the foundation every one of us rely on to approach problems.”
Hometown:
Shanghai, China
Education:
English, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Involvement:
Olin Outdoors, Olin Cares, Adam Smith Society
Zach Frantz
zach.frantz@wustl.edu
Global
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“It’s been transformational from a framework perspective and how I view the world. The global immersion helped me understand why businesses make the decisions that they do. Some of it’s really small stuff that I wouldn't have thought about in the past. I found myself thinking about all the ‘whys’ every day as I walked through the cities and talked to people.”
Hometown:
Wheaton, IL
Education:
Psychology, University of Illionis at Urbana-Champaign
Involvement:
Greater China Club, Olin India Club, Olin Strategy and Consulting Association, Net Impact, Adam Smith Society
Irina Grekova
irina.grekova@wustl.edu
Community
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Entrepreneurship
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“Olin is a true family that helps you not only to become a competitive leader, but also to establish your true values, embrace cultural differences and build up a global mindset.”
Hometown:
Moscow, Russia
Education:
Computer Science, Bauman Technical University
Involvement:
Olin Strategy and Consulting Association, Olin Technology Club
Charles Gutierrez
charlesgutierreez@wustl.edu
Entrepreneurship
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Global
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“The global immersion program fostered an entrepreneurial spirit within me by allowing me to think critically about how to solve real-world problems. I now have a mindset to always question how something can be done better, and then to go be part of the solution.”
Hometown:
St. Louis, MO
Education:
Accountancy, University of Missouri
Involvement:
Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, Latin American Business Association
Alex Halfpap
ahalfpap@wustl.edu
Faculty Insights
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“It is so inspiring to learn from faculty who clearly love what they do. Our professors are deeply invested in our success in the classroom and in the business world, and they're always accessible to support us.”
Hometown:
Cary, NC
Education:
Political Science and Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Involvement:
Olin Women in Business, Graduate Business Student Association Social Committee, Olin Cares, Net Impact, Teach for America (2014)
Sumner Hanula
sumner.hanula@wustl.edu
Faculty Insights
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“The faculty at Olin have pushed us to go beyond the traditional way of being a business leader. Through hands on, real world projects and cases we have been able to expand our understanding of the global business world and we have grown tremendously since starting in June.”
Hometown:
Los Angeles, CA
Education:
Environmental Science and Economics, Wellesley College
Involvement:
Olin Wine Club, Olin Women in Business, Olin Outdoors
Alex Ignatius
alexandra.ignatius@wustl.edu
Values Based & Data Driven
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“WashU Olin's philosophy is centered around values-based and data-driven decision making, which is a powerful framework for evaluating today's complex business problems. In our first few weeks of classes, we learned tools to critically evaluate data and explored the intersection of organizational, personal and societal values.”
Hometown:
Washington, DC
Education:
Psychology, Columbia University
Involvement:
Olin Women in Business, Olin Marketing Association, Olin Strategy and Consulting Association
Kendra Kelly
kdkelly@wustl.edu
Career
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Global
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Marketing
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“I was recruiting for summer internships during the immersion. After one interview that was quite late on Barcelona-time, positive feedback from the interviewer helped me realize that I was more than a student abroad-- I was a businesswoman working abroad. The immersion's client projects and support from the Weston Career Center during the trip helped me uniquely position myself during recruiting.”
Hometown:
King of Prussia, PA
Education:
Political Science and Journalism, Georgia State University
Involvement:
Olin Technology Club, Olin Africa Business Club, Olin Black, Olin Women in Business, Olin Wine Club
Ellen Kenzora
ekenzora@wustl.edu
Entrepreneurship
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Faculty Insights
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Global
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“The professors are absolutely wonderful—brilliant, friendly, cracking jokes in class and really capturing our attention. When traveling, they’ll send us an email days before saying ‘I’m going be in the airport holding office hours, come if you want.’”
Hometown:
St. Louis, MO
Education:
Mathematics and French, Austin College
Involvement:
Graduate Business Student Association, Olin Women in Business, Olin Strategy and Consulting Association
Raphael Kodjoe
ralfk@wustl.edu
Career
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Community
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“It’s intriguing to realize that all the people and organizations within Olin are invested in your success as a global leader. You should see Jennifer and her team at the Weston Career Center already prepping us for the professional world.”
Hometown:
Ghana
Education:
Psychology and Linguistics, Universtiy of Ghana
Involvement:
Olin Strategy and Consulting Association, Olin Supply Chain and Operations Association, Olin Africa Business Club, Olin Black, BranchOut, Olin India Club, Olin Outdoors
Nik Marino
nmarino@wustl.edu
Community
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Global
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“The global immersion was a stimulating cultural experience that gave us the opportunity to engage, consult and present to companies in Spain and China. It was also the best way to get to know and become close with our fellow classmates.”
Hometown:
San Diego, CA
Education:
Science and Management (economics and pre-medicine), Claremont McKenna College; Medical Doctorate, Saint Louis University
Involvement:
Olin Outdoors, Healthcare and Life Sciences Club, Olin Finance Club
Dolapo Ojutiku
dolapo.ojutiku@wustl.edu
Entrepreneurship
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“WashU is well connected to the St. Louis startup ecosystem. Between the Cortex Innovation Community and the T-Rex innovation center, there are plenty of options to help you build your idea from scratch. The entrepreneurship consulting class even places you on teams with individuals across business, law and engineering programs as you work together with companies.”
Hometown:
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Education:
Information Systems, Texas Tech University
Involvement:
Olin Strategy and Consulting Association, Consortium for Graduate Student Management, Olin Africa Business Club, Adam Smith Society, National Society of Black Engineers, National Black MBA Association
Marshall Pollack
marshall.pollack@wustl.edu
Career
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Consulting
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“The Olin advantage is evident before even stepping on campus. The global immersion prepares students to tackle truly global business problems while the approachable alumni, faculty and career coaches provide the support for incoming students as they begin their MBA journey.”
Hometown:
Bedford, NY
Education:
Communication, University of Maryland College Park
Involvement:
St. Louis Impact Initiative, Boeing Center for Supply Chain Innovation Fellow, Olin Strategy and Consulting Club
Prashant Poonia
prashant.poonia@wustl.edu
Career
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Community
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Faculty Insights
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“This small but extremely diverse cohort, with whom I have traveled across the world, has become my second family. Everyone at WashU Olin, be it the faculty, alumni or the Weston Career Center, is fully committed to contributing to my success.”
Hometown:
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Education:
Engineering (Electronics), University of Mumbai
Involvement:
Olin Finance Club, Olin India Clu, Olin Power and Energy Club, Olin Strategy and Consulting Association, Olin Technology Club, Adam Smith Society
Soumitra Surange
soumitra@wustl.edu
Values Based & Data Driven
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“Interacting with different cultures through Olin trained me to appreciate their similarities and bridge the differences between them, while encouraging me to employ available data as I make day-to-day decisions.”
Hometown:
Indore, MP, India
Education:
Mechanical Engineering, Army Institute of Technology, University of Pune
Involvement:
Olin India Club, Olin Strategy and Consulting Association, St. Louis Impact Initiative, National Black MBA Association
Lori Witherspoon
loriwitherspoon@wustl.edu
Entrepreneurship
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“The amount of resources that WashU Olin dedicates to developing and leveraging its connections with entrepreneurs, for the benefit of its students, is unmatched. If your desire is to start your own company, there is no better institution than WashU Olin poised to help you build the connections you'll need to be successful.”
Hometown:
O'Fallon, IL
Education:
International Business, Howard University; Visual Communications, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Involvement:
Specialized Masters Program Council (vice president of MBA relations)
Nitish Yadav
nitish.yadav@wustl.edu
Consulting
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Experiential Learning
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“The global immersion is amazing. We’re combining rigorous coursework with real world projects. We’re seeing first-hand how global apparel retail and supply chain functions.”
Hometown:
Goa, India
Education:
Electrical Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, India
Involvement:
Olin Strategy & Consulting Association, Olin Supply Chain & Operations Association, Olin Technology Club, Olin Women in Business, Olin Outdoors Club, Olin India Club, Olin Power & Energy Club, Olin Sports, Media, and Entertainment Club
Akio Yahiro-Korte
yahiro-korte.a@wustl.edu
Corporate Finance & Investments
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Faculty Insights
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“Olin continues to attract and retain friendly faculty who go above and beyond to make your MBA experience everything you could want it to be.”
Hometown:
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Education:
International Business—Finance, Northeastern University
Involvement:
Olin Finance Club; Olin Strategy and Consulting Association; FCA, Danaher and Pepsi Case Competitions; McGill International Portfolio Competition; CFAR Venture Capital Consulting Projects, CEL Summer Consulting Project
