2026 Best & Brightest Business Major: Krisanta Bolante, University of Washington (Foster)

by: Jeff Schmitt on April 03, 2026

Krisanta Bolante

University of Washington, Foster School of Business

“First-gen Filipina University of Washington Husky devoted to helping others from the bottom, middle, and top of her heart.”

Fun fact about yourself: My favorite video game is The Walking Dead: Season 2 from Telltale. I love all things zombie-related.

Hometown: Fife, Washington

High School: Fife High School

Major: Marketing & Information Systems

Minor: Interdisciplinary Honors Program

Favorite Business Course: IBUS 300 – Introduction to International Business

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

  • Michael G. Foster School of Business – Freshman Direct Admit, 2022
  • Undergraduate Business Council, 2022-2026
    • Dean’s Diversity Subcommittee, 2022-2023
    • Service Committee, 2023
    • VP of Service, 2023-2024
    • President, 2024-2026
  • Foster Undergraduate Peer Adviser, 2024-2026
  • Introduction to International Business Teaching Assistant (IBUS 300), 2024-2026
  • Foster Undergraduate Diversity Services (UDS)
    • Business Bridge, Class of 2022
    • Young Women’s Leadership Summit Mentor, 2023
  • UW American Marketing Association (AMA)
    • Member, 2022
    • AMA Agency Consultant, 2023
    • Case Competition Director, 2023-2024
  • Social Entrepreneurship India Study Abroad, 2024
  • Case Competitions:
    • 2024: 3rd Place Sydney International Business Case Competition (Sydney, Australia), 2nd Place Equitable Futures Case Competition (EFCC), AMA Case Competition Commendable Mention, 2nd Place National Diversity Case Competition (Indiana, USA)
    • 2023: 1st Place Freshmen Direct Seminar Case Competition, 1st Place EFCC, AMA Case Competition Honorable Mention
    • 2022: 2nd Place Business Bridge Case Competition
  • Achievements:
    • AMA Best Spring Consulting Team (2023)
    • AMA “Rising Star” (2023)
    • Foster Leadership Academy Graduate (2023)
  • Scholarships:
    • 2x Mary Gates Leadership Scholar ($10,000)
    • WA Award for Vocational Excellence Scholar ($12,000)
    • 3x Nellie Martin Carman Scholar ($4,500)
    • M. Owsley Endowed Scholarship Fund ($5,750)
    • Norm and Lisa Bontje Study Abroad Scholarship ($1,750)

Where have you interned during your college career?

  • Boost Baseball, Summer 2023-Spring 2024
  • Accolade/Transcarent, Summer 2024
  • All That Dance, Fall 2022 – Spring 2025
  • Okta, Summer 2025 – Winter 2026

Where will you be working after graduation? I have currently not committed to an organization.

Who is your favorite business professor? Professor Leta Beard taught my first Foster class, Introduction to International Business, and it changed how I saw the world. I had never been exposed to global perspectives before, and her class was my first glimpse of how culture and business truly intersect. She challenged the narrow lens I carried into college and gave me the space to dream bigger. Since then, she has supported me as a case competition coach and a mentor I can rely on for both guidance and encouragement. Beyond the classroom, she taught me confidence, curiosity, and the power of believing in my own potential.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? That people matter. Technology can make business faster and more efficient, but it can also tempt us to replace the human parts that create meaning. Being so involved, I learned that cutting corners is non-negotiable. The best outcomes arise from showing up, listening in person, and taking the time to brainstorm with real people in the room. As a new-generation business leader, I believe productivity grows when we connect beyond job titles and deliverables. Business is and always will be built on trust, empathy, and relationships.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? As someone who came into university with no prior experience or network, do not let having “nothing” scare you. Business is a field where connection is everything, and you have to ask to get further. Come into this career path with the expectation that you have a lot of flexibility to follow what your heart desires.

If you’re considering a business major, don’t let the idea of starting with “nothing” hold you back. I came into university without a network, internships, or a clear picture of what business even meant, and that uncertainty felt intimidating at first. However, business is one of the few fields where curiosity and connection can matter more than a perfect resume. Opportunities grow when you are willing to introduce yourself, ask questions, and learn out loud.

Allow yourself to explore. Take classes that scare you, join organizations even if you don’t feel qualified, and talk to professors and peers you admire. The people around you will shape your experience just as much as any textbook. Most importantly, remember that you don’t need to have everything figured out to know you belong. Your background, your perspective, and even your uncertainty are strengths.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? As an Information Systems major, many of my classes focus on technical skills like coding, analytics, and systems design, and AI has been integrated as a learning tool rather than a shortcut. Professors encourage us to use AI as a teaching assistant when we hit blockers, whether that means debugging code, walking through a difficult concept, or generating examples to study from. The emphasis has been on learning to ask better questions and verify outputs rather than accepting answers at face value. The biggest insight I gained is that AI is most powerful when it supports human thinking instead of replacing it. It can help me move past frustration and accelerate understanding, but it still requires curiosity and judgment to use responsibly.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? The achievement I am most proud of is serving as a two-term President of the Undergraduate Business Council (UBC) at the University of Washington, where I had the privilege of supporting more than 30 business clubs and their student leaders. Leading this organization showed me what it means to build community at scale. I worked alongside teammates who cared deeply about creating opportunities for others, and their passion constantly pushed me to think bigger about the impact we could have.

During my time at UBC, our team launched and strengthened initiatives that touched hundreds of students. We expanded our annual BizWeek to host Foster4Fitness and engage RSO (Registered Student Organization) leaders in a spikeball tournament to win prizes that would support their RSO. We partnered with affinity business clubs to host the MOSAIC Case Competition focused on DEI, elevating diverse voices in business. We hosted the Foster Formal, giving students a space outside the classroom to dance the night away and craft memories together. We also grew mentorship programs that paired underclassmen with upperclassmen, giving new students the guidance many of us wished we had earlier.

I am especially proud of the rebrand our team led for UBC. Using my background in marketing and strategy, I helped shape a clearer mission that better amplified student organizations. That work strengthened relationships between staff, faculty, and students and made resources more accessible to clubs that previously felt overlooked. This role taught me that leadership is less about titles and more about creating spaces where others can thrive.

Which classmate do you most admire? I want to shout out Amber Haiwen. We first met while volunteering at a local food bank with the UW American Marketing Association, both of us searching for community and purpose. What started as a simple service event became the beginning of a friendship rooted in shared values and leadership.

Amber is a leader I deeply admire in the Foster Business community. Her dedication to innovation has reshaped how we support student organizations and the people behind them. She played a key role in the Undergraduate Business Council (UBC) rebrand during my first Presidential term, helping create a platform that better amplifies UBC to help our student leaders. As the former President of Undergraduate Women in Business, she has inspired countless women to step forward with confidence and claim space in business.

More than her titles, I admire her integrity and heart. She leads with intention, always thinking about how to lift others as she rises. I am grateful to know her, to learn from her, and to call her a friend!

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I am so grateful for my support systems: my boyfriend (Thomas), family, and friends. In particular, I want to thank my older sister, Kianna Bolante. From sharing bunk beds in our princess bedroom to becoming college roommates, she has seen every version of me. I feel emotions very intensely. When I am passionate, I am on fire, and when I struggle, I can fall into heavy slumps. Throughout it all, she has been my steady ground, guiding me with honesty, patience, and love as I figure out who I am.

We grew up side by side through challenges our family did not always talk about, and somehow we both made it this far. We inspire each other to be better than we were yesterday. She is not only my biggest supporter, but also my example of resilience and grace. She will always be my best friend. Thank you, Ate Kianna!

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? My first goal is to work in international business within the entertainment industry. I grew up in a sheltered community, and media like film, television, books, and video games became windows to a world far bigger than my own. Those stories shaped how I understood possibility, culture, and even my future. I want to be part of creating entertainment that reaches across borders and helps others feel seen the way I once did.

My second goal is to run and own my own agency dedicated to supporting social impact–oriented organizations. I love problem-solving when the mission is bigger than myself, and I want to use business strategy to amplify causes that deserve more attention and resources. Leading an agency that helps nonprofits and purpose-driven companies tell their stories would allow me to combine creativity, service, and entrepreneurship in a way that directly uplifts communities.

What made Krisanta such an invaluable member of the Class of 2026?

“Krisanta Bolante has been a consistent and exceptional student leader from the moment she stepped onto campus. Her energy is truly infectious; she brings enthusiasm, curiosity, and joy into every space she enters, elevating both the people around her and the initiatives she leads. What makes Krisanta such a standout leader is her ability to be thoughtful and intentional without ever feeling stilted or performative. She leads with warmth and authenticity, creating environments where people feel genuinely seen, welcomed, and included. Her leadership style is rooted in care for others, and it is evident that she prioritizes community over recognition in all that she does.

Beyond her natural ability to connect with others, Krisanta is a proactive and innovative leader who consistently takes initiative to turn ideas into action. She has launched multiple new events and programs, always with an eye toward strengthening community and expanding access and belonging. Krisanta actively seeks feedback, welcomes diverse perspectives, and demonstrates a rare openness to learning and growth. Perhaps just as importantly, she brings a sense of fun and levity to her leadership, reminding those around her that meaningful impact and joy are not mutually exclusive. Krisanta represents the very best of what the Poets&Quants Best & Brightest distinction seeks to honor, and I can think of no one more deserving of this recognition.”

Christina T Fong
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Michael G. Foster Endowed Professor of Management

“Krisanta is a force in the Foster School, being directly admitted out of high school. I have known “of her” her entire college career. But I have worked closely with her for the past year and a half. Her reputation preceded our day-to-day interactions, and she exceeds all wonderful things I had heard about her. In autumn 2024, she joined the Undergraduate Program Office (UPO) as a peer adviser. As a student staff member in the UPO, Krisanta was reliable, always willing to go the extra mile, and is the one I leaned on to do tough, ambiguous projects. In addition, for six months in 2025, I was her adviser while she was co-president of the Undergraduate Business Council (UBC). It could have been a challenging interim time: Krisanta knew her role better than I knew how to oversee it, and she could choose to simply do what she knew needed doing without involving me. Instead, we were able to build a collaborative relationship in which I could learn what the UBC needed from me, and she (and the other officers) was receptive to my advice. We truly learned from and listened to one another. That would not have been possible without Krisanta’s leadership, which is not tied to a title but to her people skills and ability to be a quiet leader.

Krisanta jumped into the UW and the Foster School with intent, enthusiasm, and a desire to leave the campus better than she found it while growing as an individual. If there was an opportunity to gain experience outside the classroom, Krisanta took it (Business Bridge, Foster Leadership Academy). If she could give back to fellow students, she made time (serving on the Dean’s Committee for Diversity, as a mentor for the Young Women’s Leadership Summit, and consistently being the first to volunteer when we need a student to speak at a recruitment event). She participates in multiple student organizations within Foster as an active member, not simply sitting in the background. And of course, as a Foster student, she has added experience to her resume through many work experiences and internships. She is ready for what comes next after graduation.”

Vikki Haag Day
Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Program

DON’T MISS: 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS MAJORS OF 2026

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.