Dr. Eileen Daspro, University of San Diego
“My favorite professor was my international business professor, Dr. Eileen Daspro. I share Dr. Daspro’s passion for both international business and global engagement. She has been essential to the success of the Student International Business Council, in which I serve as president, and has shown me how to effectively motivate a large group of multicultural and different-minded individuals. Whether assisting me with my senior thesis or teaching me about global management, she is a great example of what a successful woman in the business world looks like.”
Caroline Murray, University of San Diego
“Monica Worline has been my favorite professor at Ross. This spring, I took an immersion course with her through the Center for Positive Organization called Magnify. The focus of the course revolved around studying concepts such as flourishing and strength spotting through an academic lens. Professor Worline was able to acknowledge the hardships of 2020 and the uncertainly that came in the spring of 2020 in relation to the pandemic and the murder of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In real-time, she was able to wrap the course around the theme “Thriving in Trying Times” as we worked with clients to apply concepts we were learning in the class. Her spirit of positivity, support, and knowledge transcended through the virtual environment and has forever changed the way I look at corporate/team cultures and has given me a group of peers I can call friends.”
Priyanka Khetarpal, University of Michigan (Ross)
“Jana Lithgow is currently the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Honors Programs. Though I was never in a class that she taught, as I am a member of the Gies Scholars program, she has been a part of my college career from the very beginning. As a freshman who didn’t see a clear path for me in business and wasn’t sure if I belonged, Jana had me look up imposter syndrome and told me to never let it get in my way. Throughout college, Jana has been an incredible mentor to me. More than advice, she has always given me the confidence to proceed and has encouraged me to remember that my best is always good enough. With all of the pressures that college students face, I have been so lucky to know Jana, someone who truly understands those pressures and how they can cause more destruction than motivation. She has always gotten me to put my stress in perspective and remember to focus on what is actually important – my personal well-being and development – something that I will take with me far beyond college.”
Bethany Antuna, University of Illinois (Gies)
Rick Nelson, University of Minnesota (Carlson)
“I was fortunate enough to have Professor Rick Nelson for multiple finance classes during my time at Carlson. Rick was the kind of professor that saw potential in his students and pushed us all to perform to our best ability. He’d call on me when he saw that I knew the answer, even if I didn’t raise my hand. He pushed me to answer my own questions every time I attended office hours, and I learned so much from his experience and expertise. I am a better student because of all that I learned from Professor Nelson.”
Kayla Fixel, University of Minnesota (Carlson)
“Professor Mark Shapiro has been somebody that I have looked up to, felt comfortable confiding in, and admired throughout my college career. I was fortunate to be in his Business 101 course my first semester freshman year and was instantly impressed by how he remembered everyone’s name by the second class, in a class of over 60 students! He makes a genuine effort to meet with any interested business student and supports us all throughout our entire college careers. Professor Shapiro connects students with opportunities that may interest them – throughout my college experience he has sent me details about numerous opportunities, saying “Olivia, I thought of you when I saw this – you may love it!”. Almost all of the students in the Miami Herbert Business School consider Professor Shapiro to be their mentor, and he somehow manages to be that for all of us. He is a superstar professor and I aspire to impact people the way he has impacted me.”
Olivia Dubi, University of Miami (Herbert)
“Professor Lisa Szykman. All of my professors at the Mason School of Business have been remarkable and supportive. But Professor Szykman fostered a classroom environment that felt particularly inclusive and welcoming. When I first entered the business school, I hesitated to speak up in my classes – I experienced a bit of imposter syndrome from being surrounded by so many insightful and intelligent students. But, Professor Szykman made her class highly interactive and discussion-based, making it clear that she expected each of us to be part of the conversation. Having that structure and expectation made it easier for me to feel included and motivated to contribute to our discussions. In turn, I began to feel more comfortable speaking up and leading discussions in other classes. Looking back as a last-semester senior, I’m thankful to have had her as a professor considering the impact that experience has had on the rest of my undergraduate business studies.”
William Ryu , College of William & Mary (Mason)
“Kenneth Ford – Professor Ford has been my favorite professor due to his style of teaching and how approachable he is. I had Prof. Ford for two finance classes, and it is safe to say he is responsible for a large portion of my success. Instead of presenting the material in the traditional ways, he taught us the methods that we would utilize in a full-time Finance position. This not only made it easier to absorb but additionally contributed to my success in various internships. Additionally, Prof. Ford went beyond the required curriculum to introduce relevant and useful tools and concepts to us, including assigning us a Python project. Outside of class, Prof. Ford has been a great resource for me to bounce off career ideas, weigh options relating to job offers, and help me prepare for interviews.”
Jeremy Greer, Wake Forest University
Adelaide King, University of Virginia (McIntire)
“My favorite professor is Professor Adelaide King, who teaches Strategy and Strategic Value Creation as part of McIntire’s “Integrated Core Experience” curriculum. Professor King is not only an engaging and phenomenal lecturer but truly has her students’ best interests at heart. It’s really incredible how she marries her interests in mental health and wellness with her lessons, and how she stretches how we as students can think about corporate strategy from a million different angles.”
Jeannie Patrice Hirsch, University of Virginia (McIntire)
“My favorite professor was Jerome Heppelman. He taught Student Managed Funds, a class in which we managed a portion of the university’s endowment through the Villanova Wildcat Fund. Not only did Jerome teach us through slides, but he would relate everything we learned to practical events going on in the markets. Every class, a different student would take a turn being the “CIO” for the day, and do a brief analysis of our fund performance, updates, and teach the class on a topic. Jerome would then enable us every class to have a discussion and challenge each other on what we say and where we heard opinions of other students. Then, we worked to learn and formulate our own. He worked in the asset management industry and would tell us about his experiences and bring in guest speakers to supplement our learning. One of my favorite classes was when Jerome brought in Dan Ives, a regular on CNBC and Bloomberg. As the Co-PM of the Tech sector, we were able to explain our thesis behind holding Apple, and then we’d hear his take – after which we asked him questions and heard his expertise for 20 minutes. Overall, Jerome prepared us really well in many ways for our jobs next year, between improving our writing and understanding markets and investing concepts.”
Rohan Parikh, Villanova University
“My favorite Professor that I have had as a student in Binghamton was Professor Joseph Steflik. Professor Steflik taught BLS111, and prior to being his student, fellow students warned me that the class was “so much work,” and “take it with another professor so that it is easier.” I decided to stick with Professor Steflik, which was one of the greatest decisions of my college career. Professor Steflik was an honest, tough, and smart professor that truly taught me the importance of hard work. I sat in the front of the class each day, in awe of the amount of knowledge this man held. I asked so many questions, all of which he answered without hesitation. I did well on his exams because all that he asked for from his students was to pay attention, be prepared, and you will succeed. His experience at UPenn was so clear in the way he spoke and the passion he held to be a professor while simultaneously continuing to practice law. He made me open my eyes to the possibility of accepting life’s challenges, changing your career path, and that working hard will bring you success.”
Rene Vorilas, Binghamton University
