We head to Seattle, Washington, for this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students to meet some new members of the University of Washington Foster School of Business MBA Class of 2026.
The Washington Foster MBA Class of 2026 is a cohort brimming with diverse backgrounds, skills, and ambitions, all drawn together by Foster’s tight-knit community. 118 students matriculated at the business school in the heart of Seattle’s tech and innovation hub this fall. Thirty-two percent are women and 46 percent are international students. Fifty-nine percent of U.S. students identify as students of color while 37 percent are underrepresented minorities. Twenty-nine percent of U.S. students come from a military background.
During their undergraduate years, the new Foster MBAs had an average GPA of 3.4. Twenty-eight percent earned degrees in engineering and 19 percent in business. Thirteen percent had pursued studies in math/computer sciences while 10 percent studied economics. Eleven percent had earned degrees in social and behavioral sciences.
The new Foster cohort brought an average of six years of pre-MBA work experience to campus. When it came time to take the GMAT, they landed an average score of 700, and an average score of 675 on the GMAT Focus edition. The students who opted to take the GRE earned average scores of 159 Verbal and 160 Quant.
As we look beyond the class profile, we meet veterans like Gareth Farrell, who is transitioning from a nine-year military career to tech product management, and Mai Dang, a former commodity trader from Vietnam. Each student brings unique expertise: Olivia Haines Shetty, with a background in career advising, leverages her experience to guide classmates in their professional development; Jacqueline Meza Tapia uses her knowledge in customer success to support Foster’s tech community, particularly those venturing into product roles; and Izaiha Ellis, a former strategy consultant, shares his insights on consulting and corporate strategy.
Foster’s Class of 2026 is a cohort deeply committed to collaboration, enriched by the unique perspectives each student brings from industries as varied as healthcare, agriculture, and global trade. Together, they are poised to leverage Foster’s extensive network, robust academic offerings, and the inspiring Pacific Northwest setting to redefine their careers and forge lasting connections. Read on for their stories.
