Current Class

Rebecca Bearse

Carnegie Mellon University
Tepper School of Business

At Tepper, Rebecca is concentrating on organizational behavior and communications. She serves as the people strategy leader for Carnegie Autonomous Racing, is the professional development leader in the Organizational Leadership Club, and is actively engaged with the Accelerate Leadership Center.

Before Tepper, Rebecca worked as a technical recruiter at Qualtrics where she helped grow the company from 500 employees to over 3,500. She spent seven years in various roles including university and technology recruiting, analytics, and DEI. It was during this time that she gained a passion for people management and coaching.

After Tepper, Rebecca plans to work as an HR business partner and aspires to become a chief people officer. She hopes to dedicate her career to cultivating psychologically safe and inclusive work environments in the technology industry. Rebecca enjoys quilting, cooking, video games, podcasts, and being outdoors.

Connor Bellows

Northwestern University
Kellogg School of Management

As an MBA candidate at Kellogg, Connor is exploring his interests in organizational management, marketing, and sustainability. He is the Kellogg Student Association’s vice president of careers, organizing and managing the student body’s career exploration and recruiting experience.

Connor began his career at Deloitte Consulting’s Government & Public Services practice in Arlington, Virginia, serving defense sector clients. At Deloitte, he specialized in human capital change management, organizational design, and talent strategy. He also made an impact by creating community service events to support D.C.-area veterans and by serving as the head of Deloitte’s U.S. Air Force Education with Industry exchange program.

After graduating, Connor is looking forward to returning to the D.C. region with his wife, Zaynab, and to continue growing as an impact-focused leader. In his free time, he enjoys cooking cuisines from different cultures, exploring U.S. national parks, and traveling.

Patrick Nguyen Burden

University of Michigan
Stephen M. Ross School of Business

At Ross, Patrick is exploring the intersection of entrepreneurship, design, and social impact. He is the Design + Business Club’s co-vice president of experience, co-leader of the Open Road Fellowship Program, and part of Ross’s MBA cover band, Risky Business.

Prior to Ross, Patrick worked in social enterprises and then joined Deloitte Consulting where he specialized in digital product management, human-centered design, and go-to-market strategy. In addition to designing and launching new business and technology solutions, Patrick spearheaded volunteerism across DEI and workforce development initiatives.

Patrick interned at IDEO.org, a nonprofit agency focused on designing products and services for a more just and equitable world. Upon graduating, he hopes to continue catalyzing innovation in the social sector by directing design and investments toward solutions focused on health equity, economic justice, and well-being. In his free time, Patrick loves to experiment with new recipes, sing karaoke, and explore new creative outlets.

Christopher Deitrick

Columbia University
Columbia Business School

At Columbia, Christopher is focused on technology and entrepreneurship. He is the president of AlleyCon, Columbia Business School’s annual tech conference, vice president of careers for the Tech Club, a Career Management Center fellow focused on technology, and an admissions associate. He is building an education technology company through his coursework. 

Prior to business school, Christopher worked as a product manager at Procore Technologies, a SAAS technology company, and at a healthcare technology company. He also volunteered with America Needs You, a mentorship program for first-generation college students.

After Columbia, Christopher plans to join an established technology company as a product manager. He eventually hopes to be a technology entrepreneur in the education or mental health space, bringing together his business skills with his background and interest in psychology. In his free time, Christopher enjoys exploring New York City’s restaurants and workout studios, attending concerts, producing music, and hiking.

Grace Eun Ko

University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School

At Wharton, Grace is pursuing majors in operations, information, and decisions and business analytics and is a participant in Wharton’s Semester in San Francisco program. Grace served on the boards of two student-led clubs—the Technology Club and the Media and Entertainment Club. Grace was part of the student planning team for Wharton’s Future of Work Conference, an annual gathering to discuss the future of work and people analytics. She is currently an Admissions Fellow, meeting with prospective applicants, among other responsibilities.

Prior to Wharton, Grace worked as a political analyst for the U.S. federal government. Grace graduated from the University of Virginia with majors in foreign affairs and Chinese language and literature. 

Last summer, Grace interned at Amazon Web Services. She hopes to continue in product management in technology. Outside of work, Grace enjoys spending time with her two dogs, traveling, savoring coffee, and binge-watching TV shows.

Praveen Kumar Krishnamurthy

University of Virginia
Darden School of Business

At Darden, Praveen is focused on marketing, product management, and leadership. Praveen is president of Darden’s Technology Club, actively supporting Darden students interested in opportunities in tech. He also represents his peers on the MBA Program Advisory Committee.

Praveen spent last summer in San Francisco as a product marketing manager on Adobe’s 3D and Metaverse team. Over the summer, he devised a strategy for advertising agencies and crafted a fresh product marketing and messaging strategy for his suite of products. Prior to Darden, Praveen spent eight years in India helping run multiple medium-sized businesses across e-commerce, agriculture, advertising, and transportation. He has an MSc in finance from the London School of Economics.

After Darden, Praveen plans to work in product marketing for a technology company in the United States. In his free time, he enjoys reading history and playing snooker and board games (especially The Settlers of Catan).

Eric Saldanha

Georgetown University
McDonough School of Business

At Georgetown, Eric is exploring the intersection of business, K–12 education, and social impact. He is the vice president of academic experience in the MBA Student Government, as well as chief of staff of the Georgetown Graduate Student Government.

Eric was a 2018 Teach For America corps member in Houston. Over three years, he taught seventh-grade English language arts and tenth-grade AP world history, was a campus grade-level chair, was the district course leader for world history, and coached the debate team. Eric earned a BBA in business honors and BBA in management at The University of Texas at Austin.

Last summer, Eric joined Alvarez & Marsal’s education consulting practice in Seattle. He aims to work in public sector consulting with a focus on advising K–12 school districts and state education agencies. Eric loves to cook, play board games, and watch serial dramas.

Aditya Samant

Duke University
Fuqua School of Business

At Fuqua, Adi is pursuing a strategy-finance dual major. He is co-president of the MBA Association (student government) leading a cohort of over 1,000 students. He is also an admissions representative, a teaching assistant, and a mental health first aid volunteer.

Adi was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. Prior to Duke, he worked as a strategy consultant at ZS Associates for more than five years. He began his career as a data analyst, eventually becoming the go-to-market strategy lead at the London office for ZS.

After Duke, Adi wishes to work at the intersection of healthcare and technology in a strategy or finance role to improve patient lives and increase access to affordable medicine. In his free time, Adi enjoys playing soccer, running trails, and exploring restaurants and bars.

Gauri Seth

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sloan School of Management

Gauri is an MBA candidate at MIT Sloan, where she serves as co-president of the Management Consulting Club, co-chair of the DE&I Committee, senator for her cohort, vice president of community for Sloan Women in Management, and teaching assistant for the competitive strategy class. 

Before Sloan, Gauri worked for the head of Single Coverage and co-head of New York at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, focusing on driving growth and expansion. Prior to that, Gauri was in the Financial Sponsors Group at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where she advised private equity principals, partners, and their families. Gauri earned her BS in economics from Tufts University, where she served as student body president. 

After Sloan, Gauri will join Bain & Company’s Boston office. She enjoys traveling, learning about different cultures through food, and cheering for the Indian cricket team, the English football team, and the New England Patriots.

Catherine Wetlinski

Dartmouth College
Tuck School of Business

As an MBA candidate at Tuck, Catherine is exploring her interests in strategy, corporate responsibility, and leadership. Catherine serves as a member of Judicial Board, a part of student government concerned with academic and social integrity.  

Prior to Tuck, Catherine worked as the sole business advisor to the chairman of Covington & Burling, a high net worth law firm headquartered in D.C., providing firmwide advice on business operations and strategy. Before working at Covington, Catherine was a consultant at Mercer, specializing in human capital management and business process design.

After Tuck, Catherine is planning on going back to a career in consulting. She serves on Princeton University’s alumni government and as an admissions interviewer. She is also involved with America Needs You, an organization that provides mentorship to low-income, first-generation college students. In her free time, Catherine enjoys reading, yoga, and playing fetch with her border collie.