| David Foehl, Zerubbabel Johnson, Edward Sawyer, Lisa Seemann, Philip Shutler, and Jaclyn Wolfson
Kogod Leadership Fellows
Kogod fellowship nurtures future business leaders
BY ADRIENNE FRANK
The Kogod Leadership fellows are an elite group.
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2004–2005 Kogod Leadership fellows, from left: Philip Shutler, David Foehl, Edward Sawyer, Lisa Seemann, and Jaclyn Wolfson. Zerubbabel Johnson is not pictured.
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Each year, a handful of top MBA students, with GMAT scores over 650, an excellent academic record, and three to five years of work experience, receive the scholarship, which includes tuition and a $5,000 per semester stipend. Since the program began in 2000, 19 students have received the award funded by Robert Kogod ’62.
The six Kogod Leadership fellows for 2004–2005 all agree that the financial support was key to their academic success and allowed them to make the most of their time at AU. Here are the stories of four May graduates:
Edward Sawyer is using his finance background at Applera, a health care company, as a global finance intern. The yearlong program is expected to lead to a permanent position. Sawyer, 29, who dreams of running a biotech venture capital firm, says, "I can't imagine where my life would be or where it would be headed right now if I hadn't made the decision to go back to school. I have grown a great deal since entering the MBA program and attribute that to the experience and education I obtained at AU."
Lisa Seemann, 32, says the fellowship "made it possible to enjoy the social aspects of school rather than having to work a second job." Seemann, who concentrated in accounting and finance at Kogod, works at DMS International, a construction management services firm. She sees a future as a certified public accountant and a chief financial officer.
Recently retired from the United States Marine Corps, Philip Shutler, 53, is enjoying life as a full-time student. "Although I have retirement income and V.A. benefits, I also have three children and all the expenses that come with a family," says Shutler. "If it were not for the fellowship, I would not have been able to afford tuition and a two-year sabbatical from full-time work." After graduation in May 2006, Shutler would like to work in public education. "Top-quality education," he says, "is the foundation of continued economic growth."
Jackie Wolfson's finance and nonprofit management concentration is being put to work at BearingPoint, a business consulting and systems integration firm. Wolfson, 25, says the fellowship allowed her to enjoy school without worrying about "paying back huge loans when I was finished." She hopes that, one day, "I will be successful enough to give back to the institutions that helped me." |
