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Leadership roles and internships prepare听students to make a splash at businesses in Colorado and beyond.

Thanks to her Leeds education, Amber Hughes is going from building dynasties to building real estate.

Hughes (MBA鈥�22) came to Leeds after being steadily promoted up the ranks of the Chicago Blackhawks鈥� marketing operations, and overlapped with the tail end of the team鈥檚 most recent Stanley Cup championship. But she wanted to give real estate a try, which brought her to the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder.

鈥淭he smart people you get to work with and learn from at Leeds has given me a great network,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone has a diverse set of backgrounds and goals beyond the MBA, which makes the program valuable.鈥�

Hughes is off to RCLCO Fund Advisors after commencement. She joins a lengthy list of Leeds graduates poised to make an impact in business and society. Here are a few of their stories.

Emma Pearson (Fin, EBio鈥�22)

Biology and business may seem like an odd pair, but Pearson has long been an advocate for marine conservation, and said her finance degree is about helping ensure industry has a seat at the table in discussing the big challenges confronting the world.听

鈥淗aving a business background is so essential to figuring out solutions to major environmental issues,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that I鈥檓 excited to work on early in my career.鈥�

It鈥檚 something she hopes to get through her role as an associate with Boston Consulting Group, where she previously was an intern. She had a chance to connect with its CEO to learn about its commitment to sustainability.听

鈥淚 think I gained a little bold confidence from my experience at Leeds, and from all the mentorship I鈥檝e received,鈥� Pearson said.

Atul Raguveer (Fin鈥�22)

Raguveer is well-known around campus as Leeds Student Government president. His work with Global Platinum Securities is more low profile鈥攖hen again, so is the organization, an active investment management experience with only eight university members that include Harvard, Georgetown, MIT and Penn as well as Colorado.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun learning how to invest alongside some of the smartest people in the country,鈥� Raguveer said.听

It鈥檚 been perfect training for Raguveer, who is off to Morgan Stanley鈥檚 New York offices after graduation. He鈥檒l be working in its mergers and acquisitions team in the tech division after carving out time during his internship with the bank to do projects with that group.听

鈥淥n top of the other work I had to do, I built a fully operational merger model between two public companies,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat was something I鈥檓 really proud of. I鈥檓 really looking forward to going back.鈥�

Amber Hughes (MBA鈥�22)

An avid hiker and explorer of national parks, Hughes moved to Colorado to pursue her MBA in order to both explore new trails and work in a red-hot real estate market.听

鈥淐ommitting to something like a graduate program ensures you will follow through with your goals,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so easy to say, 鈥業鈥檓 going to do this online course, or watch this video,鈥� but it鈥檚 easier to follow through if you鈥檙e part of a robust program like the MBA.鈥澨�

Being part of a structured program also gave her leadership opportunities 鈥攕he is treasurer and a vice president of the MBA Association and president of the Graduate Real Estate Association, and also was part of a team that represented CU in winning the national Colvin Case Study Challenge鈥攁nd prepared her for the challenges she鈥檒l face as a real estate investment associate with RCLCO.听

鈥淚 really want to dig more into the financials of commercial real estate,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a vital part of the industry and I think that鈥檚 my next step.鈥�

Kai Suematsu and Samariddin Meliboev (both InfoMgmt, BA鈥�21)

How did Suematsu and Meliboev both manage to graduate a semester early?听

They were both devoted students, but were highly active volunteers, as well. After creating a food pantry as Denver high school students, the pair launched Kobu Foundation during the pandemic. Under their leadership, the nonprofit delivered 150,000 meals, thanks to the help of other student volunteers, while providing more than $15,000 in scholarships.听

Their Leeds studies helped make the project a hit.听

鈥淏usiness classes taught us how to network with the community, which helped us quickly get started when the pandemic hit,鈥� Meliboev said.听

Meanwhile, Suematsu said he learned to be flexible as they sought ways to create impact at a time when the pandemic was changing everything: 鈥淜nowing when to pivot, knowing what the big idea is and figuring out how to fill a needed role is something we learned about a lot.鈥�

Suematsu (a business and integration analyst at Accenture) and Meliboev (a clinical data analyst at Kaiser Permanente) already are creating impact at work, having jumped in after earning their degrees in December.听

Connor Lacey (Mktg, BA鈥�22)

Leeds students are no stranger to high-pressure internships. Even still, Lacey might be a special case.听

While interning with L鈥橭real, Lacey found himself working on a new product that challenged him to use different disciplinary skills in creating an effective marketing strategy.听
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鈥淚 secured an $11 million media budget鈥攚hich was really mine to lose鈥攂ut I was pitching to the second-in-command of L鈥橭real USA, and she鈥檚 listening to me, asking hard questions that I had the answers to, and challenging me to fight for work I was proud of,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was so rewarding.鈥澨�

He accepted an offer to work as a marketing management trainee at the company after graduating. It鈥檚 a natural fit for an aspiring leader who was very involved on campus, including serving as student business chair for the CU Conference on World Affairs and as a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity.

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