Students

Follow Pepperdine MBAs, bachelor completion and business masters students who are creating value for industry, society and transforming themselves.

[VIDEO] MBA Graduation Speaker Tommy Mitchell Issues Challenge to Fellow Grads – Focus and Commit

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Selected by faculty and fellow classmates for the honor, Full-time MBA student Thomas “Tommy” L. Mitchell III delivered a masterful and elevating message in his graduation speech at the April 2013 commencement ceremony for the Graziadio School of Business and Management. “The bonds we have formed here during our time at Graziadio are those without bounds,” he said. “These bonds can only be maintained through focus and commitment. I ask all of you here to make a promise to yourselves and fellow graduates to always do your best.”

Mitchell went on to say, “Don’t lose the opportunities today has given you, because tomorrow cannot be taken for granted.” Watch his speech.

Full-time Students Honor Alumni Who Give Back with 2013 Golden Torch Awards

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The Malibu Graduate Business Society (MGBS), the Graziadio School’s full-time student government association for the Full-time MBA program, recognized the outstanding contributions of five extraordinary alumni at the Second Annual Golden Torch Awards, held the day before commencement this spring.  The ceremony was part a pre-graduation barbeque organized by MGBS in partnership with the Full-time Program Office, under leadership of Associate Dean Michael Williams and Executive Director Diane Singel, and the Office of Alumni Relations, led by Director Robin Doty.

“Serving as ambassadors for the Graziadio School, each honoree has lent their time and expertise facilitating the career development of our students and strengthening the alumni network,” remarked MGBS president and MC Nicholas Stankevich (MBA ’13). Continue reading →

MALIBU TIMES: Pepperdine MBA Class Sets Out to Help Latino Workers Find Employment

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GRAZIADIO IN THE NEWS

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MALIBU TIMES — MBA students in the social entrepreneurship course taught this spring by Professor Annie Krikorian divided into teams and took on the task of assisting SABEResPODER, a Spanish-language media company based in Los Angeles, in developing a website and a business strategy to connect Latino immigrants with jobs.

SABEResPODER, a purpose-driven B-corporation, focuses on empowering the lives of Latinos by delivering educational content over multiple platforms—video, print, digital, mobile and events— to help immigrants assimilate into the United States.

The first group of five students presented the “Help Buddy Opportunities” system, a website that allows users to search a database of workers in the SABEResPODER system and oversee their own hiring process for jobs or individual projects.

They presented sample customer and worker profiles, including a picture, skill set, language, and satisfaction rating options.

They conducted a survey of employers and of the total respondents, 86 said they would be willing to hire a Latino worker for a job or project from an online database.

The second group of six students presented the “Micro-Business Opportunity,” an option to create a middle layer between the clients and the employees that oversee jobs being done and ensure their quality fulfillment.

They proposed hiring and managing people via mobile phones. After conducting several studies and looking at the statistics, the group concluded that there is high demand for cleaning services and that it would be the best option for SABEResPODER to explore.

Pepperdine full-time MBA students Jens Eser, Benson Su, TJ Wolcott, and Nicole Warner are quoted in the article in The Malibu Times.

[Full Article]

MBA Thomas Mitchell Named Student Graduation Speaker

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GRADUATION

Thomas L. Mitchell III

Selected by faculty and fellow classmates, graduating Full-time MBA student Thomas “Tommy” L. Mitchell III will address fellow degree awardees at commencement for the Graziadio School on April 20th, sharing the stage with Go Daddy CEO Blake Irving and Unified Grocer’s Alfred Plamann.

“Tommy receives the honor having demonstrated outstanding academic performance and having represented the school’s mission and values both inside and outside of the classroom in exemplar fashion,” said Dean Linda Livingstone. Continue reading →

Student Entrepreneur Audra Quinn Turns Wine into Winning at Business Plan Competition Finals

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Audra Quinn

Fully Employed MBA student Audra Quinn, with partner Ashley Borg, took the $10,000 grand prize in the 2013 Pepperdine Business Plan Competition. The team’s Uncorked! won over judges with its business concept for intimate at-home or larger hosted wine-tasting events built around participants trying to trick one another into guessing who is the better connoisseur. The challenge is to invent convincing and creative descriptions for the wines one is sampling.

Ms. Quinn is a digital editor and writer for investment management firm Capital Group and formerly served as managing editor of the practitioner e-journal Graziadio Business Review. She is due to graduate in August with an MBA and an emphasis in entrepreneurship. Ms. Borg is senior art director at mutual fund and investment firm American Fund. Continue reading →