亚洲AV

Mason鈥檚 School of Business Confers More Than 1,300 Degrees

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2022 School of Business Graduates
2022 School of Business (Photo Credit: John Boal)

This academic year the 亚洲AV School of Business graduated a total of 1,337 students1,106 undergraduates, and 231 graduate students. Faculty and staff posted on the School鈥檚 website.

During his remarks at the School's Degree Celebration on Sunday, May 22, Dean Maury Peiperl commended students for their determination to succeed in this very challenging time. 鈥淟ife is often difficult, and the past two years in particular have been record-setting in their heaviness, and in the many setbacks they have dealt us, as individuals, as families, as a region and a nation, and, indeed, as a world,鈥 said Peiperl. 鈥淢ason Business graduates look for opportunity and contribution. They learn how to build new connections, across disciplines, markets, fields of knowledge, countries and cultures. By bridging and integrating across diverse sets of stakeholders, they create wider opportunities for value creation, for contribution, for partnership and for impact.鈥

Dean Maury Peiperl
Dean Maury Peiperl (Photo Credit: John Boal)

鈥淕iven the amount of change we have recently been through, there is so much opportunity, especially now,鈥 said Peiperl. 鈥淪o go for it. Think big. Make something new and better happen.鈥

Featured speakers at the degree celebration included graduating undergraduate student Willow Dysard, and President of the School of Business Alumni Chapter Scott Hine鈥85.

Dysard, graduating with a bachelor of science in marketing and a minor in entrepreneurship was recently admitted into the School of Business Marketing Honors Program. During her time at Mason, she was a member of the Business Living and Learning Community, and the Mason DECA Chapter. Outside of the classroom, she served as chapter president for Best Buddies, an organization dedicated to the inclusion of people with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, connecting undergraduate students in one-on-one friendships with students from the Mason LIFE program.

鈥淎ttending the School of Business allowed me to thrive in ways that I didn鈥檛 know were possible when I first walked through the doors of Enterprise Hall,鈥 said Dysard. 鈥淔rom the supportive community and infinite opportunities to succeed, I could not be more grateful. Each staff member, from Dean Peiperl to the office administrators, have supported my journey and showed genuine dedication to my success.鈥

Willow Dysard (Photo Credit: John Boal)
Willow Dysard (Photo Credit: John Boal)

鈥淭hroughout my four years, I never once doubted that Mason and the School of Business was where I belong, and now I am so proud of all that this class has achieved,鈥 said Dysard. Dysard also held four marketing internships while at Mason, and plans to continue her career as a junior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.

School of Business Alumni Chapter President Scott Hine鈥85 welcomed the new graduates into the Alumni Association. 鈥淵our journey as a Mason Patriot is only beginning,鈥 said Hine. 鈥淭he School and the University are now entering a new era. And we do so with a clear understanding of what it means to be a Patriot. Our newest graduates and our oldest graduates alike are dreamers who take the initiative to solve the world鈥檚 biggest problems. From problems affecting our planet, people, and economies, our graduates know that it鈥檚 their time.鈥

鈥淲ith our diverse student and alumni bodies, we reflect the direction our nation is trending,鈥 said Hine. 鈥淚t isn鈥檛 just diversity in our racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, but diversity in how we think and in the solutions we discover.鈥

Scott Hine
School of Business Alumni Chapter President Scott Hine鈥85 (Photo Credit: John Boal)

During the ceremony, Dean Peiperl also recognized students and faculty who were recipients of the Outstanding Student and Faculty Awards. Graduating graduate students were recognized by faculty for having demonstrated overall excellence in academic performance. Recipients included William Black (master of science in accounting), Francis Carrow (Federation of Schools of Accountancy), Douglas Chapman (MBA), Jordan Doyle (Master of Science in Finance), George Isaac (MBA), James Neumeister (master of science in technology management), Hannah Picardi (master of science in real estate development), Rishi Vajpeyi (master of science in technology management), Liliana Cardoso Varela (master of science in management), and Richard Williams (MBA).

Graduating seniors were also nominated by faculty and selected for outstanding scholastic achievement, maturity, and excellence in pursuit of their academic and professional career. Recipients included Momina Amir (management information systems), Elan N. Guzman (finance), Natasha Kaka (information systems and operations management), Neha Fatima Kazmi (management), Austin P. Mandrgoc (accounting), Giovanni Rodriguez (marketing), Hyeonjeong Song (business analytics), Andrew W. Soria-Quiroz (operations and supply chain management), and Oanh N. Tran (financial planning and wealth management). Peiperl also acknowledged students who were selected for Excellence in Business. This category recognizes those undergraduate students with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of their class by major or concentration. Students receiving this honor were listed in the .

Peiperl also acknowledged this year鈥檚 faculty members who were designated as Outstanding Professor in their area. Faculty included Belal Abdelfattah (information systems and operations management), Matt Cronin (management), Gretchen Hendricks (business foundations), Young Hoon Kim (accounting), Steve Pilloff (Finance), and Gautham Vadakkepatt (marketing).

Prior to the School of Business Degree Celebration, 亚洲AV celebrated its 55th University Commencement ceremony, recognizing more than 10,000 graduates on Friday, May 20. The celebration honored degree and certificate earners from 89 countries, 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and foreign military installations. Of the projected 6,392 bachelor鈥檚 degree earners, 27 percent reported they were first-generation college graduates.

Mason President Gregory Washington
Mason President Gregory Washington听 (Photo Credit: Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/亚洲AV)

鈥淕raduates, your journey has been like no other,鈥 said Mason President听. 鈥淵ou could not have anticipated the challenges that would arise during your time here. None of us could鈥owever, you leave here鈥攕cars and all鈥攎ore prepared than any class before you to tackle and solve the challenges [we face]. Everything that has been thrown at you, you鈥檝e just kept going. And I am proud to have you all be graduates today.鈥

鈥淵ou earned a degree from a university whose campus looks like what America will soon look like.鈥 Washington said. 鈥淭hat is a campus with no clear ethnic majority. You鈥檙e accustomed to working and collaborating across cultures and diversity of origin, identity, circumstance, and, yes, thought.鈥

School of Business alumnus, Sumeet Shrivastava, EMBA 鈥94, welcomed the 亚洲AV

Trishana Bowden, Sumeet Shrivastava and Jennifer Robinson
Trishana Bowden (pictured left to right), Vice President, Advancement and Alumni Relations; Sumeet Shrivastava, president, Alumni Association; and Jennifer Robinson, Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations, Office of University Advancement and Alumni Relations, pose together in the hospitality room before the 2022 Spring Commencement Ceremony at EagleBank Arena. (Photo Credit: Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/亚洲AV)

Class of 2022 into the organization as the 亚洲AV Alumni Association president, reminding them that they are now part of an alumni base of more than 220,000.

鈥淎s you think about that number, I want you to think about the fact that you鈥檝e reached where you are today with [help from] family and friends and professors and counselors and others. But now, you get this new family,鈥 said Shrivastava. 鈥淵ou get this family that has walked in your steps. That means no matter where you go now, or what industry you join, there鈥檚 probably an alum. It means no matter where you settle, there鈥檚 a location with an alum nearby that you can count on.鈥

The student speaker for the University Commencement was School of Business graduating senior, , a first generation American college student. Nair, graduating with a bachelor of science in information systems and operations management (one of the top five undergraduate majors at the university) and minors in business analytics and health information technology, was an active member of the Information Systems and Operations Management Honor Society and Information Systems and Operations Management Association while at Mason.

鈥淲e experienced a pandemic, a war, a change of presidencies, a supply chain disruption, skyrocketing prices, and a ton of all-nighters. And amidst all the chaos鈥e stayed true to our goals,鈥 said Nair. 鈥淣o matter where we came from or the obstacles we faced, our journey and the decisions we made, have brought us here today to celebrate our successes.鈥

Provost Mark Ginsberg (left to right), President Gregory Washington, student commencement speaker Bhagya Nair, commencement keynote speaker Stu Shea, and Rector Jimmy Hazel pose for a group photo in the hospitality room during the 2022 Spring Commencement Ceremony at EagleBank Arena. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/亚洲AV
Provost Mark Ginsberg (left to right), President Gregory Washington, student commencement speaker Bhagya Nair, commencement keynote speaker Stu Shea, and Rector Jimmy Hazel pose for a group photo in the hospitality room during the 2022 Spring Commencement Ceremony at EagleBank Arena. (Photo Credit Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/亚洲AV)

鈥淚 encourage you to take those life lessons and memories with you to your future destination, wherever that may be. And I advise you to always remember the journey when you reach your destination, and to not be regretful, but grateful for the way you arrived,鈥 said Nair. 鈥淲hat is important to remember is that your journey is the souvenir you keep for your accomplishments. Make it a memorable one.鈥

Learn more about the 55th University Commencement ceremony in the article, Mason celebrates more than 10,000 graduates in the Class of 2022, posted on the Mason website.