Student Voices & Experiences

Several students in the One-Year, Two-Year, and Johnson Cornell Tech MBA programs were individually recognized for their contributions and achievements at the annual Dean’s Awards Brunch on Friday, May 25.

A spinoff of Johnson’s year-round REDtalks, GRADtalks offers MBA students the chance to share their personal stories with classmates moments before the last Sage Social of the year.

Faculty, staff, and students gathered in early May to celebrate the end of a dynamic and productive academic year at the Hotel School.

Cornell’s cross-functional offerings helped Josefina Hamren, MBA ’18, dive into her interests and grow as an innovator at two different times in her life. After graduating with a Johnson Cornell Tech MBA—she’s officially a “double Red.”

Last summer I was offered the opportunity to join charity: water—a non-profit organization leading the charge to solve the global water crisis—as their first MBA intern within the partnerships team.

Although I’m well aware of how powerful the Hotelie network is, this trip really reaffirmed it for me. We were 2,631 miles away from Ithaca, but still somehow felt like everywhere we went, Cornell and SHA was with us.

Professor Russo mentioned the common phrase of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.”  What struck me was what he said next, which was something along the lines of: “and the only way you can do that is if you take your shoes off first.”

Entering Johnson at the age of 20, I was apprehensive of being labeled the ‘baby of the class.’ But I was amazed at how my classmates treated me with the same respect and love as they did any another student.

Growing up, Symone Williams, MBA ’19, experienced the influence of environment on education. Now, she’s giving back to her community and beyond.