Get to Know Babson’s Class of 2019

Babson's Class of 2019
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Commencement is just around the corner!

Ours is a community filled with entrepreneurs of all kinds who have tremendous impacts in the Babson classroom, life on campus, the Boston startup scene, and beyond. As we count down to May 18, we’re celebrating the many members of our graduate and undergraduate classes of 2019, and the impacts they’ve made as members of our community.

Check back frequently throughout the month of May as we add more student stories!

Hisham Beydoun MBA’19

Drawn to the College’s mission of educating entrepreneurial leaders who create great economic and social value everywhere, Beydoun came to Babson to learn to leverage business to change the world. He got started right here on campus as the president of Graduate Student Council. “I didn’t want to just learn about leadership and take the classes, but to also actually do it.” Read Beydoun’s story, “Taking the Lead” »

Melissa Castro MBA’19 and Francesca Gibbs MBA’19

Active on campus and achievers in the classroom, both Castro and Gibbs were named to Poets & Quants list of 100 MBAs to Watch in the Class of 2019. Read about their accomplishments in “Poets & Quants Says Babson MBAs Are Ones to Watch” »

Shay Gaafar MBA’19

In college, it became clear to Gaafar that the fashion market wasn’t reflecting the demands of women in the Middle East. So she decided to change it; she started making her own clothing. While at Babson, the Fulbright scholar developed her own fashion business, Shay Jaffar. Follow her journey in “A Brand Born at Babson” »

Alex Green MBA’19

A passion for analytics drove Green to choose Babson. “I looked for an MBA to learn skills as opposed to just classroom theory, so I wanted to go somewhere that encouraged action in addition to thought and learning.” Get to know Green and his classmates in our MBA student roundup »

Asini Wijewardane MBA’19 and David Lefkowitz MBA’19

Both Wijewardane and Lefkowitz came to Babson with different passions and carved their own path, yet share a signature Babson make-it-happen mindset and commitment to making a positive impact in the world. For their accomplishments, they were named two of Poets & Quants best and brightest MBA students. Read more in “Two MBA Students Named to Poets & Quants Best and Brightest” »

Abigail Beecher ’19

After Beecher ’19 attended a Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME) session as a prospective transfer student, her mind was made up. She came to Babson to pursue her passions for business and volleyball; while here, she led the volleyball team to dozens of wins and two NCAA tournaments. Read more in “Balancing Business With Being Part of the Team” »

Julia Dean ’19

Entrepreneurship is more than starting a business—it’s turning challenges into opportunities, no matter the situation. That’s exactly what Dean did. She saw a need for Babson artists to connect and give and receive feedback so they could grow creatively. So she created CREATE, a dedicated creative community. Find out how in “CREATEing a Lasting Impact” »

This spring, Dean was awarded a Fulbright Research/Study Award to travel to South Korea and create an entrepreneurship boot camp curriculum to empower North Korean defectors to better their lives through education and an entrepreneurial mindset. Read about the award in “Fulbright and the Pursuit of Global Citizenship” »

Adam Kershner ’19 and Leslie Parra ’19

Many of the best and brightest business majors can be found right here at Babson, including Kershner and Parra. Both were honored by Poets & Quants this spring for their contributions in and out of the Babson classroom. Read more in “Seniors Named Poets & Quants Best and Brightest” »

Rachel Pardue ’19

From e-Tower to Babson San Francisco to the Butler Launch Pad programming, Pardue took advantage of nearly every entrepreneurial opportunity Babson had to offer undergraduate students. And it shows: her startup, LOU, has been winning venture competitions left and right. Follow her journey in “I Walked In and I Knew, These Were My People” »

Austin Yang ’19

As one of the Glavin Global Fellows, a group of Babson students who are passionate about global issues, Yang was awarded a grant to travel to Hong Kong. While there, he learned about the city’s overcrowded living spaces, and spoke to many residents about their experiences. Read more about his trip in “In Hong Kong, a Glavin Global Fellow Learns to Look Up” »

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