Meet the Poets & Quants Babson MBA Students to Watch
To be recognized by Poets & Quants is an annual accolade few students have the honor of receiving.
At Babson, however, it has become the norm for innovative thinkers and doers, including these three members of the Class of 2020.
Filling a Desire
Sydney Swain MBA’20 was enrolled in another MBA program in 2017 when he was conversing with an acquaintance about what the program lacked. Throughout the discussion, the topic shifted to Babson, and its Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® (ET&A™) methodology.
Intrigued, Swain visited Babson twice to shadow a graduate marketing course and diversity open house event. Soon after, he enrolled.
“I was impressed with the quality of the classroom lessons and the perspectives of the students that participated in the class,” he said. “Entrepreneurial Thought & Action appealed to me because of my belief that creativity was one of my strengths. … I made the right choice.”
At Babson, Swain worked as a graduate assistant writing specialist in the Graduate Center for Career Development, helping students craft cover letters and resumes. He also interned for Humana’s workplace solutions team last summer, advancing the company’s clinical and administrative real estate cycles.
“Sydney built a strong reputation as someone who truly cares about his students and offered them patient counsel on how to improve their writing documents,” said Cheri Paulson P’19, senior director of the Graduate Center for Career Development. “He is accountable, reliable, patient, kind, smart, and was a true member of our team; he made a difference and was always humble throughout the process.”
Influenced by Impact
Katie Nicolle MBA’20 is well familiar with the power of creating social impact.
For years, she has partnered with her mother in overseeing the Miss New Jersey Outstanding Teen competition, awarding close to $50,000 in scholarship money to local teenage women.
Aspiring to carry on this civil work, Nicolle was prompted to visit the College after learning of the Lewis Institute for Social Innovation.
“Entrepreneurial Thought & Action appealed to me because of my belief that creativity was one of my strengths. … I made the right choice.”
Sydney Swain, MBA’20
She said Babson’s supportive atmosphere has been immense, and she has found inspiration through peers starting businesses to solve problems in their communities.
“Some have solutions for reducing the waste associated with fast fashion. Others are looking for ways to help anyone, regardless of income, gain professional skills,” she said. “I have been so proud of their drive to make change in the world. I have also been honored to play even small parts of their journey.”
Building Bonds
It’s difficult for Paul DelVecchio MBA’20 to trace his favorite moment in business school to a single occasion.
That’s because being a member of the one-year MBA program means spending several weeks at a time together working on group projects and assignments. It’s through these endeavors that bonds are built, and classmates become lifelong connections.
“Every day, no matter how busy we were, we took a break, went outside, and ate lunch together,” DelVecchio said. “We spent time laughing, commiserating, learning about each other, and getting our minds off school, if only for a moment. We were in it together, and I think that permeates through the rest of the business school.”
He hopes he’s remembered by his peers as “a passionate and curious individual who was always eager to lend a helping hand and isn’t afraid of a challenge.”
“Babson has built an incredibly diverse culture. There is no shortage of resources at your fingertips as a student here,” DelVecchio said. “Put your passion on full display and share your lofty goals. We like those here.”
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