Beyond Business: Full Circle

Bruno Mejean is ensuring others have the support he lacked as an international student — while mentoring startups tackling the planet’s biggest challenges.

Waiter, lifeguard, and French teacher are a few of the job titles Bruno Mejean (B’73) held while balancing his studies as a full-time undergraduate student at Georgetown.

“It was challenging, but somehow I managed,” Mejean recalled.

Originally from Morocco, Mejean applied only to Georgetown and finished his degree in two and a half years. After a successful career in trade and project finance, Mejean sought ways to make a meaningful difference for future generations.

Mejean and his wife established the Bruno J. Mejean and Martina Hund-Mejean Endowed International Scholarship Fund to support international students enrolling in undergraduate programs at Georgetown McDonough. It is the largest dedicated gift to international undergraduate scholarship in Georgetown’s history.

“I remembered that it wasn’t that simple to get assistance as an international student,” he said. “I wanted to make sure this scholarship would be available for students who couldn’t afford to come here.”

Mejean also mentors climate tech startups with Cleantech Open, the world’s largest accelerator in the sector; is a board member of the High Atlas Foundation, which supports sustainable agriculture in Morocco; and recently worked with two Georgetown interns at Kasava Engineering, a Ukraine-based cleantech startup.

To Mejean, his interest in mentoring young professionals in the energy transition space is his way of serving the greater good.

“With all of the problems we’re facing with climate change, I’m doing my small part in that effort, knowing that in this current environment it’s not that simple,” he said. “But some of these inventions that I see, some of these startups are going to change things because of the improvements in efficiencies that even pertain to traditional solutions.”

Over the coming years, Mejean plans to nurture and expand the scholarship program at Georgetown to help smooth the path for more international undergraduate students who wish to follow in his footsteps. An active member of the alumni network, Mejean encourages fellow Hoyas to find ways to give back to the university.

“That’s something I wish I had done more of,” he said. “I’m catching up with that, but I would urge other alumni to give back to the university and re- engage, if they are not already. There are many different ways one can do that.”

Looking back to his beginnings, Mejean advises international students to be curious, take advantage of the available resources and opportunities, and, above all, work hard.

“There’s no secret to success — it’s working hard, not being slack about what needs to be done, and going above and beyond the required,” he said. “That’s been my recipe for professional success, and there’s no shortcut.”

This story was originally featured in the Georgetown Business Fall 2025 Magazine. Download the Georgetown Business Audio app to listen to the stories and other bonus content.