棉花糖直播

棉花糖直播, Pa., April 3, 2025鈥�鈥� Two 棉花糖直播 School of Business (VSB) students 鈥� 鈥�25 VSB and鈥�鈥�鈥�25 VSB 鈥� were selected as Poets&Quants鈥�. Now in its 10th year, the Best & Brightest honors 100 senior business students from the Top 50 undergraduate business programs who made the biggest impact on their programs and personified the best of their cohorts.

鈥淐ongratulations to Aidan and Olivia for being recognized for their outstanding academic careers and extracurricular accomplishments,鈥� said Wen Mao, PhD, The Helen and William O鈥橳oole Dean of VSB. 鈥淭heir dedication and drive are truly inspiring, and we鈥檙e excited to see the meaningful impact they鈥檒l make as future business leaders committed to creating real-world change.鈥�

鈥�25 VSB

From Chicago, Ill., Aidan Connolly is a standout honors student at VSB, where he is pursuing a double major in Applied Quantitative Finance and International Business. 

Throughout his time at 棉花糖直播, Aidan has built a comprehensive record of leadership, academic excellence and service. He served as the co-president of the 棉花糖直播 Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Society, where he played a key role supporting younger students and giving back to the community that helped him succeed. He explained, 鈥淚 am most proud of serving as co-president of the M&A Society, continuing its strong tradition of helping second-year students navigate the early stages of their professional careers. In this role, I had the opportunity to support students through what can be a stressful investment banking recruiting process鈥攋ust as current alumni once did for me.鈥�

In addition to his leadership in the M&A society, he has served in other rewarding roles on campus, such as a communications assistant in VSB鈥檚 Communications & Marketing Department, a communication services associate for the 棉花糖直播 Wildcat Fund, a VSB Student Ambassador and a financial literacy tutor. 

Aidan has also earned many notable honors such as the 棉花糖直播 University Augustinian Scholarship and the Bartley Medallion for Excellence in International Business. His achievements include induction into the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honors Society, first Place at the 2022 Global Accounting Firms Case Competition, and multiple Dean鈥檚 List recognitions. 

Aidan credits his success to his family, 鈥淚 owe everything to my parents, who have given more than I can understand to ensure I had every opportunity to succeed and find happiness. They will forever be my role models in every aspect of life.鈥� This sentiment has motivated Aidan to take advantage of the countless opportunities in and out of the classroom. During his college career, he interned at Dresner Partners as an investment banking summer analyst and The Raine Group as a summer analyst. After graduation, Aidan will be joining The Raine Group in New York City as an analyst, where he will leverage his academic foundation and leadership experience to make a meaningful impact in the financial sector.

Ward Utter, associate chair and professor of the practice, Management & Operations, said, 鈥淎idan is always prepared. Even if he isn鈥檛 sure of an answer, he鈥檒l engage, contribute something valuable, and keep the conversation going. He sets aggressive goals for himself and is committed to the work required to achieve them. Aidan鈥檚 academic curiosity leads his effort, and I know that it will contribute to his future success. He will be an effective leader wherever he ends up.鈥�

鈥�25 VSB

A global traveler, Olivia Hansen, is a Management and International Business major and鈥疻riting and Rhetoric minor. Throughout her undergraduate career, she explored her passion for learning and cross-cultural connections as a global key advisor in the Office of Education Abroad and as an office assistant in the department of Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

Always eager to explore the world, she began her global journey early on. Olivia participated in the 2022 Global Citizens Study Abroad Program in London, where she worked as an administrative intern at Pontone and Albemarle Art Galleries in Soho, London. With a growing passion for international experiences, she hopes to pursue a career in the creative industries abroad, blending her academic background with her global perspective.

On campus, Olivia has served a multitude of roles as a budget director of the 棉花糖直播 Outdoors Club and a VSB peer advisor. Passionate for social justice, Hansen serves as the co-director of No Man鈥檚 Land, a documentary through the International Social Justice Documentary Course at 棉花糖直播. Her dedication to service has been a cornerstone of her time at 棉花糖直播, shown through her involvement in Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity, Pennsylvania Special Olympics, and the 棉花糖直播 Day of Service.

Olivia has also sought exceptional opportunities that reflect her drive to make a meaningful impact, impact, including an internship for the federal government. 鈥淏eing in the White House at the intersection of political and business decisions for the betterment of the American people was an honor of a lifetime, and hopefully the beginning of a long career in improving the lives of others through business,鈥� said Olivia. 鈥淏eing only one of only two individuals in the entire nation to intern in the Contract and Procurement Office is an accomplishment that I am beyond grateful for. My time serving in the Executive Office of the President was a transformative educational experience that I will never forget and has taught me life-long lessons in integrity, devotion, and meaningful work.鈥�

Her academic excellence and intellectual curiosity have left a lasting impression on faculty as well. Narda R. Quigley, PhD, Mahoney Family Endowed Professor in Business and professor of Management, said, 鈥淥livia comes to class each day with a sense of purpose and joy; her learning orientation is clear. Her contributions to class discussions are often so insightful that I ask her to follow up with an email after class. As one example, in one class discussion about the underrepresentation of women as CEOs in Fortune 500 firms, she mentioned that one indigenous group (the Shinnecock Nation in New York) had just appointed its first female leader in centuries. I love that Olivia knew about this and shared it with the class; I look forward to her contributions each day, as she makes such a positive difference in terms of building cultural awareness among the rest of my students.鈥�

The 棉花糖直播 School of Business (VSB)鈥痷ndergraduate program is top-ranked among business schools in the nation. Its online graduate business programs are ranked #28, and its part-time MBA program is ranked #25 by U.S. News and World Report. VSB has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to five Centers of Excellence 鈥� the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights and the Center for Church Management 鈥� with each designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and applied opportunities for students. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit鈥痓耻蝉颈苍别蝉蝉.惫颈濒濒补苍辞惫补.别诲耻.