Mayowa Hassan

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

“Mayowa [my-yo-wah] n.: someone constantly growing while enjoying the changing seasons and where the wind blows her.” 

Fun fact about yourself: Mayowa means “brings joy” in Yoruba.

Hometown: Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in Boston, Massachusetts

High School: Boston Latin School

Major: Business Administration with concentrations in Management Information Systems and Business Analytics

Minor: N/A

Favorite Business Course: My favorite business courses have been Business, Ethics, and the Creation of Value (SM131) with Professor Stolow, and my Ascend Fellowship seminars.

Before taking SM131 with Professor Stolow, I debated transferring out of Questrom. As someone interested in social impact, I did not know how I would fit into the business world. SM131 made me realize that everything is a business. It was invaluable to learn that the influence of businesses can and should be leveraged to help others.

Through the Ascend Seminars, I have engaged in thought-provoking conversations with both my peers and my inner self. They gave me the courage to give myself grace as I figure out who I am and who I want to be. I always thank the Ascend community for encouraging me to become my most authentic self.

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work, and Leadership Roles During College:

• IS223 Teaching Assistant (summer of sophomore year to present)
• Resident Assistant (senior year)
• Direct Care relief worker at the Women’s Lunch Place, a “daytime shelter and advocacy center in Boston dedicated to helping women experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty”
• Ascend Fellowship mentor (sophomore year to present)
• Dean’s List (every semester from freshman year to present)
• Beta Gamma Sigma invitee (restricted to the top 10% of undergrads at the world’s most prestigious, AACSB-accredited business schools)
• Thomas M. Menino Scholar
• Thomas Phillips Scholarship recipient
• MLT Career Prep fellow
• @BostonU Black History Month Instagram Takeover co-creator and planner (sophomore year and junior year)
• Black Business Student Organization: Underclassmen Representative (sophomore year) & Vice-President Internal (junior year)
• SM131 Teaching Assistant (sophomore year)
• Questrom Top 100 Event invitee
• JP Morgan Chase Financial Services Institute fellow (2021)
• Accenture Student Empowerment Program fellow (2020)

Where have you interned during your college career?

• 2022: Digital Assurance and Transparency Intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the Boston office
• 2021: Start Intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in the Boston office
• 2020: Program Intern at the Social Innovation Forum in the Boston office. I am very thankful to Professor Stolow for connecting me with this amazing opportunity.

Where will you be working after graduation? Consulting Analyst at Accenture

Who is your favorite business professor? I remember coming to Questrom’s orientation as a recent high school graduate feeling out of place. I sat in a classroom amongst multiple students but felt very alone. I remember having a short conversation with one man who tried to humor me with small talk. I could tell that he sensed my isolation and was trying to make me feel better. Later I learned that the man was Professor Allen. I also gathered that this type of behavior was likely not foreign to him. I have met other Black students at Questrom who looked to Professor Allen as a mentor, a confidant, and a kind soul that brightened up a day. He later became my IS223 Professor, my employer, and someone who always had my back. While I doubt he can remember every conversation that he has had with a Black student at Questrom, I hope he understands that, to many of us, his warmth will always be appreciated and never forgotten.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The Ascend Fellowship has taught me the importance of lifting others as you climb. The world, not just businesses, benefits when we use our knowledge to help others, especially those who have less access to resources.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Do not engage in the cut-throat nature that is stereotypical of business schools. In my opinion, you gain more from the experience by being collaborative and kind to others.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? I was surprised by how much I would enjoy the toughest team projects. I think team projects are hard because you have to navigate different work ethics, schedules, personalities, and interests. Then, when you add tough requirements to the mix, the expectations can be sizeable. However, I have been blessed to work on teams that have risen to the challenge. We were able to bond and share laughs throughout the process. The euphoria of finishing a project with these teams, especially during CORE, made the stress and sleepless nights worth it.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I would have gone to more of the Feld Center’s events to gain a deeper understanding of different industries.

What business leader do you admire most? A business leader I admire is Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, for being an entrepreneur who prioritized impacting the world positively.

Which academic, extracurricular, or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud to be a recipient of the Thomas M. Menino and Thomas Phillips scholarships. Before receiving these awards, I had many sleepless nights in which I wondered how I would pay for college. The scholarships allowed me to focus on my schooling without feeling like a burden to my family or my financial future.

Which classmate do you most admire? Jada Warmington is incredibly smart, hard-working, and ambitious. I love her honesty, humor, and kindness. I do not doubt in my mind that I will be reading about her post-grad accomplishments at some point and will be able to brag that she is my friend. Long story short: I love her so much and am grateful to call her my friend.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I want to thank my mom, who has given so much of herself to so many people. She motivates me to work hard so I can give her and my family at least a fraction of the blessings that she has given others.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

• My favorite quote is “Lift as you climb” so as I begin to increase in rank, I hope to help others from marginalized communities do the same.
• I would like to lead a project from start to finish.

What are your hobbies? I like to read, eat, and imagine stories in my head that I hope to one day place on paper.

What made Mayowa such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2023?

“Mayowa Hassan is not just an Information Systems and Business Analytics concentrator in Questrom; an excellent student and mentor, Mayowa is a highly engaged Questrom Ascend Scholar, part of the Black Business Students organization, Head TA for my IS 223 where I typically teach 4 or 5 sections each semester so there are as many as 225 students to handle.  Her work as a TA over the last 2.5 years has been incredible.  She helping to coordinate my other TA’s allows me to be able to feel confident knowing that students are in great shape when seeking assistance in the course.

Mayowa has interned at Both PWC and Accenture and has an excellent full-time job offer from Accenture here in the Boston area starting in June/July timeframe.  Her personal character is exemplary and her willingness to help others and give back is what strikes me as most important about Ms. Hassan personally. It’s not common for students today to be so willing to share and assist others in helping make their lives easier and being a motivator to them and showing that no matter where you come from, they also can be successful.

Mayowa is bright, hard-working, and engaged in her community having hosted High school students from New Mission High School in Hyde Park close to where she went to school.  She sat on a panel for the Business School for a Day Program and it was inspirational as she spoke with High school freshman, sophomores and juniors about how to prepare for success in high school and beyond.

Without reservation, I can attest to Ms. Mayowa Hassan and her invaluable contributions as a member of the Boston University Questrom Class of 2023. In my 22 years at Boston University, she has easily been in the top 5% of students I’ve taught.  She is a fundamental “Gladiator” who has represented herself, her family, those from her Boston community, students of color in a way unheralded to others.”

Jeffrey W. Allen, Ph.D
Assistant Professor, Information Systems
Boston University Questrom School of Business

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