Undergraduate Class of 2024 Honored During Tropaia Ceremony
Samantha Krause
May 17, 2024
Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business recognized its undergraduate students graduating with honors during the school’s annual Tropaia. Watch the recording.
During the ceremony, Marissa Nissley (B’24) addressed her classmates to reflect on the past four years on the Hilltop. Nissley is the recipient of the Rita Zekas Sielicki Award, which is named after the first female graduate of the McDonough School of Business.
Nissley was joined on stage by her guide dog, Smalls, who has been by her side during her final years at Georgetown as she navigates school and life with a visual impairment. The decision to use a guide dog was something she originally was hesitant to pursue but decided to embrace after recognizing the power in support from others.
No Small Feat: Disability Advocate and her Guide Dog Prepare to Cross the Graduation Stage as They Do Everything Else — Together
As Marissa Nissley prepares to graduate with Smalls by her side, she hopes to convey a message: disability is more than a limitation – it is a source of strength, pride, and community.
“For most of my life, I thought the only way that I could prove I was intelligent, competent, and valuable as a blind person was to be completely independent – never asking for help,” said Nissley. “I thought I needed to minimize and hide my disability to be taken seriously. But my four years at Georgetown have taught me the power of interdependence and using our unique lived experiences as a springboard for creating meaningful change.”
Interdependence is something the Class of 2024 understood early on as they started their first semester fully remote during the pandemic. Students met each other for the first time on laptops and Zoom screens in regions from across the world as they navigated class discussions, homework, and exams – and leaned on each other for support during uncertain times.
“The pandemic was a powerful reminder that we all rely on one another. And we [in McDonough] had to be creative, to find ways we could collaborate and care for each other over a computer screen. We also had to learn how to reach out and ask each other for help,” said Nissley. “I found that our community demonstrated incredible grace and compassion as we navigated these ‘unprecedented times.’ And it was around this time that I started to realize that the phrase ‘men and women for others’ is far more than something we put on posters.”
Nissley spoke about the value of community in helping her find her own voice and strength, which ultimately solidified her decision to adopt Smalls, who is receiving an honorary degree of his own on Saturday.
“At Georgetown, I learned that my disability did not have to be the elephant in the room, that my professors and peers were interested in my ideas for how to make corporate America more accessible and inclusive,” said Nissley. “The most important thing that Georgetown teaches us is that our needs are valid, our perspectives are valuable, and our voices matter. [At McDonough], I gained the confidence to take up space, to walk proudly with my guide dog by my side.”
As the Class of 2024 starts their next chapter, Nissley assured the graduates that they will continue to represent Georgetown’s Jesuit values as they enter their professional careers.
“The people in this room are going to be the ones who invite the new intern out for coffee, who conduct groundbreaking research, who create nonprofit organizations, and who make sure DEI is more than a buzzword in the workplace,” said Nissley. “And while we’re busy changing the world, we will never forget the power of community and interdependence that Georgetown showed us.”
During the Tropaia program, the following students received awards:
Academic Honors
Valedictorian Award
Megan Ohlinger
Salutatorian Award
Brianna Dwyer
Lena Landegger Community Service Award
Mariana Guzman
Marissa Nissley
Othmar W. Winkler Award (demonstrating a strong concern for others and the less privileged, especially in the Washington, D.C., community)
Mia Johnson
Reverend Joseph S. Sebes Award (significant overall contribution to the welfare and reputation of the school)
Sarah Ackels
Undergraduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Business and Scholarship
Tsega Afessa
Rita Zekas Sielicki Award (demonstrating superior achievement in scholarship, fostering a culture of collaboration in an evolving global environment, and committing themselves to the service of their community)
Marissa Nissley
Summa Cum Laude Students (Top 5%)
Erin Connery
Brianna Dwyer
Sean Eigendorff
Michael Hayes
Dana Jung
Spencer Karp
Nicholas Lynch
Henry McQueen
John O’Connell
Kevin Ogeka
Megan Ohlinger
Estefania Perez
Sachi Tejani
Abraham van Zanten
Dominic Vogel
Lauren Young
Accounting Awards
Accounting Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Erin Connery
Alan Mayer-Sommer Award for Accounting Excellence (recognizes a senior attaining the highest academic achievement in the field of accounting seeking a CPA)
Kevin Ogeka
George Houston Accounting Achievement Award
Michael Hayes
Georgetown University Accounting Society Award for Service and Excellence
Henry McQueen
Hoffman-Galasso Family Award (exceptional contributions to the Accounting Department)
Alexy Corrales
Patricia Fairfield Award for Accounting Excellence (highest academic achievement in the field of accounting beginning a career in financial services)
Dana Jung
Thomas Cooke Award for Excellence in Accounting (highest academic achievement in the field of accounting seeking a career in tax accounting or law)
Graham Murphey
Finance Awards
Lynn Doran Award for Academic Excellence in Finance
Meghan Ohlinger
Jon Lynch Award for Achievement in Finance
Estefania Perez
Michael and Robin Psaros Award for Excellence in Investments
Sean Eigendorff
Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy Engagement Award
Alexander Yu
Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy Award for Excellence in Financial Education
Ana Clara Fernandez Portela
Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy Award for Excellence in Finance New Frontiers
Nicolás Kafati
Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy Excellence in Scholarship
Brianna Dwyer
Robert and Lauren Steers Award for Excellence in Real Estate Finance
Austin Chew
International Business Awards
Interlink Capital Strategies Corporation International Business Scholar Award (outstanding performance in the study of international business)
Peter James Kerr
Ilkka A. Ronkainen Award for International Business and Marketing (high academic achievement in both the marketing and international business fields)
Daniel Moreno-Abascal
International Business Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Lauren Young
Management Awards
Elutions, Inc. Award for Academic Excellence in Leadership and Management Studies
Mia Schwartz
NFI Industries Award for Academic Excellence in Management Studies
Braden Padberg
William J. Usery Award for Academic Excellence in Negotiation and Mediation
Sara Warm
William J. Curtin Award for Academic Excellence in Leadership
Andrew Chan
Swift Glass Company Award for Academic Excellence in Innovation
Arun Lakshman
Ciarrocchi Award for Academic Excellence in Management Studies
Emily Graef
Management Faculty Award for Academic Excellence in Human Capital and Human Resource Management
Tiffani Torres
Marketing Awards
Johny K. Johansson International Marketing Award
Shelton Houser
IMAX Marketing Research Award
Bonnie Beiken
IMAX Marketing Scholar Award
Katherine Miata
Marketing Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Nikita Thummala
Operations and Analytics Awards
Deloitte Award for Operations and Analytics (service and high academic achievement)
Christian Agathis
PwC Award for Service and Scholarship in Operations and Analytics
Kevin Ogeka
Operations and Analytics Faculty Award for Academic Excellence
Dominic Vogel
Baratta Center Award for Global Engagement (commitment to making a positive impact on a global scale)
Charlotte Lee
Baratta Center Award for Academic Excellence in Global Supply Chain Management
Austin Chew
Faculty Awards
Faculty Research Award
Janet Gao, Lapeyre Family Associate Professor of Finance
Joseph F. LeMoine Award for Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching Excellence
Karen Kitching, Teaching Professor of Accounting
Evelyn Williams, Professor of the Practice of Management; Academic Director of the Master’s in Management program
Dean’s Distinguished Service Award
Vishal Agrawal, Henry J. Blommer Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business; Academic Director of the Business of Sustainability Initiative
Peter W. Gonzalez Jr. Award for Excellence in Adjunct Faculty Teaching
Mark Rouchard, Adjunct Professor
McDonough Student Body Government Professor of the Year Student Choice Award
Ronald Goodstein, Associate Professor of Marketing