Four Students Named to Poets&Quants 2020 Best & Brightest List

Four Georgetown McDonough students from our Undergraduate and MBA programs were recently named to the Poets&Quants Best & Brightest list of 2020 graduates. Since 2016, Poets&Quants has honored 100 students who graduated in business-related fields with an exceptional track record as leaders in their class.

Undergraduate Student Spotlights

Carolyn Kirshe (B’20) and Steven Mucyo (B’20) were among the two undergraduate students from each of the top 50 undergraduate business schools who fit Poets&Quants’ Best & Brightest profile, demonstrating academic excellence, extracurricular leaders, innate potential, and personal leadership.

Poets&Quants named Kirshe, an operations and information management major, to the list for her work in the Global Business Fellowship Program, impressive leadership roles for McDonough’s Global Case team, and extracurricular achievements. 

“Carolyn is probably the most motivated and active student I have met in my 30 years of teaching,” said one nominator. “She was always a central figure in our classroom discussions…and to say that she is insightful, thoughtful, fun, and eager to learn more than simple classroom lessons is a huge understatement.”

Kirshe is grateful for the chance to network, present her ideas, and learn on a global stage. She hopes someday to be a mentor to young women, in addition to starting her own business. She has accepted a position with her most recent internship at Prophet Brand Strategy, where she will work as their digital strategy associate.

From Kigali, Rwanda, Mucyo is a finance and operations and information management double major. Poets&Quants recognized him for his work in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program, impressive academic accolades, plethora of extracurricular activities, and community involvement.

“Steven truly embodies the Jesuit idea of ‘women and men for others,’ as he enriches the Georgetown community,” said one nominator. “He believes in maximizing his time and energy and recognizes the importance of giving back.”

Over the last two years, Mucyo has led the McDonough Peer Ambassador program, where he mentored first year and transfer students to help connect them to current McDonough undergraduates through advice and support. Through the SURF program, he received funding to research the impact of payment systems and technology in Rwanda for two summers. Following graduation, Mucyo will return to Rwanda to work as an analyst at Dalberg Advisors.

MBA Student Spotlights

Colin Miller (MBA’20, MSFS’20) and Nina Vann (MBA’20) are highlighted on the 2020 Best & Brightest MBAs list. Now in its sixth year, the Best & Brightest list honors MBAs who are singled out as the embodiments of excellence and the voices of their schools.

Miller, a U.S. Navy veteran, also is a dual degree MBA and Master’s in Foreign Service graduate at Georgetown McDonough and Walsh School of Foreign Service. He was named to the list for his outstanding academic achievements, dedicated military service, extensive volunteer service, and work as the McDonough Military Association’s vice president.

“Colin worked tirelessly to help his classmates succeed and brought key leaders in the Washington, D.C., area to Georgetown University to discuss their experience in government and business,” said one nominator.

After six years of military service, Miller took every opportunity to gain civilian working experience at McDonough — all while balancing his responsibilities as a new father. In 2019, Miller and his wife, Rhianna, welcomed their daughter. Miller has volunteered with a solar power non-profit organization to build solar panels in a rural Afghan village, assessed alternative energy storage projects for International Finance Corporation, and worked at Dubai International Financial Center to assist in growing the region’s largest financial technology accelerator. 

Following graduation, Colin will join Boston Consulting Group’s Dubai office where he will help regional public and private sector clients achieve their strategic goals.

Poets&Quants shined a bright light on Vann for her work as the co-president of Georgetown Women in Business (GWIB), a policy adviser to the United Nations (U.N.) budgetary committee, her academic achievements, and service to her community. It came as no surprise that her ambition and drive to create change led her to graduate college at just 19 years old.

“The word ‘impact’ best describes Nina Vann’s time as an MBA student here at McDonough,” said one nominator. “Her empathetic personality, professional competence, and sage advice was always evident during her interactions with the students.”

As a U.N. policy adviser, Vann’s main goal was to help major powers in the majority see the value of giving peacekeepers a much-needed raise. She organized an effort to unify affected parties to persuade the committee’s majority, using data to justify a salary increase and in the end, the committee agreed to a 17% increase. Additionally, her time with GWIB helped Vann to empower women of all backgrounds, address their challenges, and help women on their path to success. 

While raising two children with her husband, Vann completed her MBA and will join Ernst & Young’s Parthenon M&A Strategy practice at the firm’s office in Virginia, where she will help large organizations achieve their strategic and operational goals.