Brody graduated from Babson College in the spring of 2016 with a degree in Business Management, while concentrating in Economics. During his time at Babson, Brody pitched for 3 years on the varsity baseball team.
Paul Ansani the Engineer graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in December of 2015 with a BSME. He elected to pursue a career in product design at Kolcraft, a juvenile products company, in Chicago. Paul manages and is the lead engineer on his own design projects and hopes to continually build a proud body of work.
Paul Ansani the Musician began his career in 2008 playing bass guitar. Since then, he has gone on to record 3 full length records, multiple singles, and perform hundreds of shows in Chicago. His current band, The Evening Attraction, just returned from their first tour. Paul also performs and records with local band Max and the Mild Ones.
Parker graduated from Babson College in the spring of 2016 with a degree in Business Administration, as well as a double concentration in both Economics and Strategic Management. While at Babson, Parker was awarded the Shelby Cullom Davis Award for developing the top non-profit entrepreneurial project for the 2016 school year. He was also the Technology Design Challenge Award recipient for the 2016 school year. Shortly after graduating, Parker joined Amazon’s Retail Operations and Initiatives team in Seattle, Washington. Recently, Parker moved to New York City after accepting an offer to join Amazon’s media group. Parker aims to eventually use his experiences at Amazon to start his own software company within the skiing and snowboarding industry. When Parker is not working, he enjoys fishing, golfing, and skiing up in Vermont.
Aaron Buban is a recent graduate of The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a minor in Chemistry. During his time at UWM, Aaron excelled within the classroom and on the Baseball field. He finished with a 3.93 GPA and was part of the Horizon League Conference Academic Team for four years. Aside from being a student athlete, Aaron was active on campus with the Community Leaders Internship Program, NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and the UWM neuroscience research lab.
Aaron is currently working as a dental assistant in Milwaukee and plans on starting dental school next fall. With a passion for helping people overcome hardship, his ultimate goal is to specialize within the field of dentistry and open up his own practice. With his free time Aaron enjoys fishing, hiking, and traveling with his girlfriend Maisey.
Michael White graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology and a minor in Chemistry. In his junior year, Michael taught organic chemistry while conducting research involving the gut-microbiota/genetic connection between mothers, children, and their diets. During senior year, Michael served as President for the medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon, where their chapter raised a record $17,000 for Children's Miracle Network, an organization that provides medical services for children with rare and serious diseases and conditions. Currently, Michael attends Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University and intends to become a surgeon and work with Doctors Without Borders. When he has free time, Michael loves pursuing new experiences. This past year he participated in his school's Asian Cultural Theatrical Show and ran the U of I half marathon. Right now, Michael is conducting urological research at Northwestern Luries Children's Hospital this summer before starting his second year of medical school.
Benjamin Franks is a recent Summa Cum Laude graduate of Babson College where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in just 3 years. Throughout his time at Babson College, Benjamin excelled within the classroom and outside of it. He was the recipient of the Scientific Achievement Award, the Quantitative Mathematics Award, and the Richard C. Spelman Prize in Economics. He was selected for membership into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for collegiate schools of business, and also President of the Babson Yoga Club, helping grow it from 10 to 600 members.
Benjamin is currently pursuing his own startup in the healthcare industry, creating new applications of non-invasive technologies for the purpose of early cancer detection. In Benjamin’s free time, he will be doing private consulting to aid his local community.
Sam Adams went to the Rochester Institute of Technology and graduated from the Saunders College of Business in May 2016 with a degree in Management Information Systems. During his time there Sam was a member of the varsity Rowing program and Delta Sigma Pi. As a senior he Co-Oped with Paychex working as a mobility specialist. After graduating, Sam moved to New York City and co-founded software company Bookt. Bookt simplifies work flow in the talent and fashion industries. Sam has always been eager to explore new opportunities. For fun Sam enjoys theatre, film, golf, and the outdoors.
Jimmy Loomos graduated from Harvard with a degree in Economics and Government. While at Harvard he was a Peer Advising Fellow, helping first year students at the College, and a board member of the Harvard College Consulting Group. As a senior, Jimmy received the David J. Hanson Award for high character, original sense of humor and warmth of personality. Jimmy now lives in Chicago and works for Bain and Company, a management consulting firm. He is an avid traveler, having visited 45 countries, and plans to live abroad in the near future. With his free time, he is currently teaching himself to skateboard and learning how to make fancy coffee drinks.
Travis Sheldon is a recent Summa Cum Laude graduate of Babson College where he earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Strategic Management. In addition to graduating 3rd in his class, he served as captain of the 2015-2016 Men's Varsity Basketball team and as a resident assistant on campus.
Jimmy Frankos graduated from the University of Iowa in May of 2016 with a degree in Business Management and Leadership while also obtaining a minor in Sports Management. While at the University of Iowa, Jimmy was a four-year member of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business. On top of his academic accomplishments, Jimmy was a four-year player on the Iowa baseball team. Throughout his campaign as a varsity baseball player, Frankos earned Big Ten Player of the Week in April of his Junior season, he earned Academic All Big Ten, and was voted as Team Captain for his senior season.
Currently, Jimmy is the Assistant Baseball Coach at Heartland Community College in Normal, IL. In the upcoming summer, he will join the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League as an assistant coach.
Sam Byrne graduated from Babson College in 2014 with a degree in Business. After getting hired by Amazon straight out of school, Sam found his fit as a Solutions Architect at CloudHealth Technologies. Sam is part of a team that is shaping how companies optimize their complex and ever expanding cloud environments. Outside of work Sam enjoys keeping active with sports and engaged in the community, most recently as a member of the Travis Roy Spring Fling Committee. He hopes to one day start his own company, and/or pursue a career in acting, a lifelong dream of his.
Lawrence Darlak recently graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Civil Engineering, and currently works as a field engineer for Mortenson Construction. Mortenson has been involved in many incredible projects across the nation, including US Bank Stadium, which is the new home of the Minnesota Vikings, and Lurie’s Children Hospital in downtown Chicago. Once a week, Lawrence also volunteers with an organization that mentors high school students who are interested in a career in design and construction. Each year, this organization awards about a million dollars in scholarship money to students nationwide. Lawrence enjoys being able to contribute to buildings and spaces that will inspire and positively influence people in the future.
Stephen Galanopoulos graduated from DePauw University in May 2016 with a degree in Communication. Stephen demonstrated his work ethic by making the Deans List two times throughout college as a member of the Varsity Baseball team. He currently works with the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Arizona as a video intern and will be continuing that position with their Single A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds, for the summer. Before this internship, Stephen was an Associate scout with the Cubs in the Northwoods & Cape Cod league for the past three summers. He hopes to continue his career in baseball and is looking forward to a successful season this year.
Josh attended Babson College where he graduated with honors in 2015 with a double concentration in finance and global business. While at Babson, he was a Dean's List student, member of the club baseball team, study abroad scholar, and board member of the Babson Law Society. Josh developed an interest in business law while at Babson and joined Skadden Arps, a leading corporate law firm specializing in M&A, as a paralegal immediately after graduation. This fall, Josh will attend the Fordham University School of Law in NYC and hopes to return to corporate law after earning his J.D.
AJ Sus graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015 with a degree in landscape architecture. While at the University of Illinois, he earned numerous awards and accolades, including being selected to travel to Washington D.C. as an ambassador for landscape architecture and speak with government officials about the future impact that the profession will have on the world. After graduation, AJ worked for a year as a landscape designer at Design Workshop Inc, an international design firm specializing in landscape architecture and urban planning. As of August 2016, AJ moved to Cambridge, MA to attend Harvard University and pursue his masters in landscape architecture at the Graduate School of Design. His present studies are driven by his ambitions to use the landscape as an experiential and functional art form while, at the same time, facilitating places where people and nature can exist in harmony at a regional scale. He is expected to graduate with his masters in landscape architecture in May of 2018.
An avid world traveler and serial entrepreneur, Hanson was named one of the Top 25 Student Entrepreneurs in the US (2016), one of Boston's Top 25 Innovators Under 25 (2015), a finalist at MassChallenge (2015), and the winner of a number of local and national business competitions. Think Board is the 4th and fastest growing venture he has started. When he isn't working on Think Board, he can be found rollerblading around town, practicing yoga, teaching entrepreneurship, or relaxing in his hammock.
Patrick Wohl is a recent graduate of The George Washington University where he studied political science and French. Before finishing at GW, Patrick spent two years working on campaigns across the country. Most recently, he served as political director for a governor's race and managed ballot access operations for a presidential campaign during the Republican primary. He has worked as a campaign staffer for Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, and other candidates for local office. Patrick now works at a public affairs firm in Washington, D.C. where he plans on staying put after moving five times in the last three years.
Jed graduated from Babson College in 2013. Having been a member of the varsity alpine skiing and golf teams, he decided to test his competitive spirit and moved to New York to pursue a career in investments. After working for UBS Investment Bank for two years, Jed moved back to Boston to work for the Boston University Endowment Fund, where he uses his passion for investing to help a fantastic academic institution. While work keeps him busy, he is most passionate about spending time with his fiancee, Jess, and dog, Jack, as well as continuing to coach the Babson Club Baseball team.
Keenan McKenzie recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in economics. He works as an analyst on the marketing team at Vivid Seats, an established Chicago startup that is the largest privately owned secondary ticket marketplace. Keenan enjoys working with startups because he feels his work has a tangible impact and he enjoys bringing new products to the market. Over the last six months, Keenan has devoted most of his free time to Phoenix Sports, a startup he co-founded with a college roommate. Phoenix Sports is an early stage startup currently developing models to gauge the effects of sports outcomes on businesses. Keenan and his partner were accepted into the incubator program at UChicago’s Polsky Center as inaugural members of the Fintech Fellows program.
Thomas Gallagher graduated Summa Cum Laude from Babson College in 2016. While at Babson Thomas concentrated in finance and led a group of students that won the 2015-2016 Entrepreneurial Challenge. Currently, Thomas is working at Prudential Financial in their Financial Leadership Development Program. Thomas hopes one day to attain his MBA and is in the process of studying for his Graduate Management Admission Test. Thomas also aspires to attain the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Thomas enjoys working in a collaborative team environment and above all else wants to have fun with whatever he does.
Check out the January Nominees!
]]>Manuel Whitfield is a hardworking young professional that strives to always give his best and whole self in whatever he does. Over the past four years, he has had an exceptional track record in go-to-market strategy execution, including strategic marketing & revenue generation, client generation & customer service, and training and development. Manuel's willingness to embrace growth and development is utilized as a pinnacle to foster leadership and collaboration within a team environment. This was evidenced during the completion of his undergraduate degree at Babson College, where he developed those skills. A menswear enthusiast at heart, he eloquently shows this with the ensemble of pieces he wears. If you need style advice, Manuel is the person to talk to.
Zack Fisher, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Towson University in 3 years. He played 4 years of baseball after transferring from the University of Maryland College Park, and in his career he was the CAA tournament MVP, 3-time academic All-American, 2012-13 Towson University Scholar Athlete of the Year, & 2012 CAA baseball Scholar Athlete of the Year. As a catcher, he realized how uncomfortable and inadequate jock straps and compression shorts are at holding a protective cup. In the quest to solve that problem, he founded the men’s underwear company Wear220. Their patent-pending solution adds more support and comfort to everyday underwear than anything on the market. As a founder and CEO, Zack has a tremendous drive that demands nothing less than success. “People love to tell you what you can’t do. They’re only right if you listen.”
Matt started out as a Chicago musician, when at 20 he had the idea to build his own recording studio focusing primarily on analog recording. Matt decided to leave DePaul University where he was studying entrepreneurship. Quickly thereafter he began to build his business. After three short years Matt’s company, Treehouse Records, went from a 1000 sq. ft. outdated office space to a 40,000-sq. ft. state of the art recording and rehearsal space facility. The Treehouse has recorded top musical artists such as Cage the Elephant, Albert Hammond Jr., Twin Peaks and more. Treehouse sponsors live events and festivals across the country, creating opportunities for the hard working and incredibly talented acts of Chicago. Matt certainly isn’t done with his ventures and has some very exciting projects up his sleeve to continue to build Treehouse Records.
Check out the December Nominees!
]]>A graduate from Babson College '15, Barrett transferred from UVA when an arm injury derailed his baseball career. At the time he did not realize this would be one of the best things to happen to him. At 24, he quit his job at Bain Capital to pursue his dream of being an entrepreneur. With a couple of Babson classmates, Barrett then co-founded OnDemand Storage, a full-service storage company that uses technology to simplify the self-storage process. Their service is disrupting the out-of-date self storage industry by giving customers more time, space, and convenience to enjoy their lives. "I believe strongly in going after your dreams and not letting adversity stop you from trying to achieve greatness."
A graduate from the University of Notre Dame '16 with a degree in Finance, Kyle also was a runner-up for the Eugene D. Fanning Award for outstanding business communication skills. While at ND, Kyle earned four monograms in baseball and played in 170 career games for the Fighting Irish. Kyle became very involved in the community at Notre Dame and was awarded by both Notre Dame and the ACC for his leadership in community service outreach. He now has a career in financial planning with Northwestern Mutual. "My mission is to partner with exceptional millennials—the leaders of tomorrow—so that the millennial generation can realize their full potential and live the lifestyle that they desire."
Michael Kliska, the VP of Brand and Business Development, at the men's grooming brand, Joe Grooming, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Babson College '16 in 3.5 years. During his time at Babson, he earned the Babson Outstanding Student in Entrepreneurial Studies Award and the Babson Outstanding Philanthropic Activity Award. Michael is now working to grow the Joe Grooming brand. The company produces 22 professional men's hair care, skin care, fragrance and beard care products, currently has distribution in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and they operate a Joe Grooming men's grooming lounge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ascension is excited to follow what Michael and the Joe Grooming team can accomplish.