Meet some new students at the University of Rochester Simon Business School in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students.
116 students matriculated at Rochester Simon in the fall of 2024. Forty-six percent are women and the students hail from 22 different countries. Thirty-five percent of U.S. students identify as minorities. During their undergraduate years, the new class reported the 80% range of GPAs to be 2.7 to 3.8. Business & commerce were the most popular majors at 27 percent. Engineering and math/science followed at 22 percent each. Seventeen percent had earned degrees in humanities and social sciences while 12 percent studied economics. After college, new Rochester MBA students accumulated an average of 5.2 years of work experience. When it came time to take the GMAT, the middle 80% of scores ranged from 620 to 730. For those who opted to take the GRE, their middle 80% Quant scores came in at 151 to 169 and middle 80% Verbal scores at 151 to 160.
The Rochester Simon MBA Class of 2026 is made up of a diverse and dynamic group of students, each bringing unique backgrounds, experiences, and ambitions to the program. First up, we meet Trisha Akula, a former financial advisor from India, who chose Simon for its focus on analytics and small class sizes, hoping to broaden her expertise and network. Then, Baker Mohammed, originally from Baghdad, sees the program as a key step in his journey to leadership in consulting, leveraging his diverse experiences from finance to his time growing up in five different countries. Santana Deanda, a Rochester native, is passionate about sustainability and making a tangible impact in Native American communities, a cause that motivated her to pursue an MBA to shift into strategy consulting.
Then, former professional runner, Margo Malone, brings a wealth of healthcare experience to the cohort, with aspirations to impact healthcare innovation and women’s health through business strategy and consulting. Kakpindi Jamiru, with over a decade of leadership roles in tech and a unique perspective on emerging markets, aims to pivot into finance and investment banking to drive large-scale projects that impact global economies. Finally, Kelly Alejos Carrion, originally from Lima, Peru, brings her expertise in data analytics and operations to Simon, seeking to advance her career in strategy and consulting within the tech sector.
Together, these students exemplify the global, collaborative, and driven nature of Simon’s MBA community, each eager to not only advance their careers but also make meaningful contributions to society. Read on for their stories.
