Wake Forest University Schools of Business Graduates Honored

Wake Forest University Schools of Business congratulates 410 master’s and 254 bachelor’s degree recipients who were recognized during the Wake Forest University Commencement on May 21.

Schools of Business master’s degree recipients were honored at a hooding ceremony Sunday, May 20 in Wait Chapel.

Holders of a master’s degree wear a symbolic hood draped around the neck and over the shoulders, displayed down the back with the lining exposed. The hood identifies the level of degree, the field of learning and the awarding institution.

This year’s graduate business students who received hoods included: 56 in the Full-Time MBA Program; 39 in the Winston-Salem Evening MBA Program; 52 in the Charlotte Evening MBA Program; 40 in the Charlotte Saturday MBA Program; 126 in the Master of Science in Accountancy Program and 86 in the Master of Arts in Management Program. Eleven graduates received joint degrees as part of programs offered with other Wake Forest schools: seven with the School of Law (JD/MBA) and three with the School of Medicine (MD/MBA) and one with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (PhD/MBA).

The hooding address was delivered by Wake Forest alumnus and Schools of Business Board of Visitors member Eric Wiseman (’77, MBA ’88). Wiseman is Chairman, President and CEO of VF Corporation. He encouraged graduates to become lifelong learners, take career risks and pursue their personal passions. “When I finally aligned my personal passions with my career everything came together,” he said. “It’s not the title or the money in the end that matter. It’s who you get to spend the time with and what you get to accomplish with them that will define how you look back at your career.” (WATCH VIDEO)

Students receiving class Leadership Awards for outstanding scholastic performance and integrity were: Ronald Albert Williamson, Jr. (Full-time MBA), Charles Edward Marckwardt (Winston-Salem Evening MBA), Howard Martin Wilkinson (Charlotte Evening MBA), Aaron Richard Martin (Charlotte Saturday MBA), Katherine Ann Lash (MS in Accountancy) and Eric Plummer, Jr. (MA in Management).

Other honorees included: Julie Elizabeth Almendral, Stephen B. Tips Award for Outstanding Character and Entrepreneurship Award; Parag Pramod Shirsekar, Luther Award; Brandon Eugene Belk, Andrea Mitchell Metzler Award; Akshata Manjunath Udiavar, Patel Prize in Finance; Tyler Brian Kingsford, Finance Award; Daniel S. van der Merwe, Entrepreneurship Award; Tomás Domingo Arias, Marketing Award; Jonathan Layne Wilson, Operations Management Award; Justin Taylor Kistler, Healthcare Award; Megan Elizabeth Petitt, Federation of Schools of Accountancy Achievement Award, Holley Anne Nelson and Swayze Sloan Smartt, Outstanding Graduate Award – Transaction Services; Morgan Lea Flanders, Outstanding Graduate Award – Tax Consulting; Lisbeth Miller Van Wagenen, Outstanding Graduate Award – Assurance; Ajibola Opeoluwa Ero-phillips, Nishith Kholia, and Hemant Sharma, Robert N. White Award; Kaitlin Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Ruiyan Ge, Elliott William Jones, William Joseph Kast, Gabriela Gentil Ribeiro Gonçalves Scarritt, Ryan Hudson Emerson, Lia Nicole Flur, Daniel Jeffrey Holtermann, Anthony Michael Tuttle, and Blakely Angela Wise, Action Learning Project Excellence Award.

Bachelor of Science degrees were awarded to 254 Schools of Business students with majors in Accountancy, Business and Enterprise Management, Finance, and Mathematical Business during the Wake Forest University Commencement Ceremony.

The following undergraduate students were honored by the Schools of Business during their senior banquet: Victoria May Stewart, Delmer Paul Hylton Accountancy Award; Erica Elizabeth DeBrock, Lura Baker Paden Award; Laura Elizabeth Sadow, Outstanding Achievement in Finance; Jennifer Marie Spiel, Academic Excellence in Mathematical Business; and Christopher Stewart Ward Townsend, Spirit of Wayne Calloway Award.

Dean of Business Steve Reinemund told the graduating class, “You are well prepared to chase your dreams. I trust that you have developed your life plan and that your place in society is becoming clear to you. Most of all, I trust that you are leaving here with a sense of your true north, that your moral compass is well-tuned and calibrated so your success will come with integrity.”