Smith Profiles
Student Profile
Alexia Ayuk ’23: An Advocate And Changemaker
Alexia Ayuk ’23
For undergrad Alexia Ayuk ’23, advocating for the less fortunate and serving as a changemaker have always been top priorities. The Maryland Smith junior, studying operations management and business analytics, is president of the Smith Undergraduate Student Association. She helped launch Smith’s Inclusion, Accountability and Oversight Coalition, which holds school leaders to the practices of diversity and inclusion.
Alumni Profile
A Dream Job, And Space To Grow, in Tech
When David Rosenstein ’20 was a Maryland Smith undergraduate student, he became known for his boundless energy. One marketing professor even referred to him as a “Human Energizer Bunny.
The title has stuck, and his tempo hasn’t slowed.
Alumni Profile
A Family Tie That Spans a Century
Like many college-bound high school seniors, Andrew Chen ’85 didn’t have any idea what he wanted to do with his life, but he knew he’d be continuing the family tradition/legacy his grandfather, father and uncles started by attending the University of Maryland.
Alumni Profile
Knowing How the Pieces – and the Data – Fit
Nadine Payne, MBA ’15
Nadine Payne, MBA ’15, believes understanding complex business problems means understanding how the pieces all fit together, studying, and assessing their functions.
Alumni Profile
Launching Startups, and Beginning by Listening
Jason Cohen ’96
Entrepreneurs beat long odds when they launch a company and sell it to investors. Jason Cohen ’96 has done it many times. It’s not how he started his career.
Alumni Profile
Thriving, Where Business and Technology Meet
Kristie Curameng Bradford, MBA ’05
What does a typical work day look like for Kristie Curameng Bradford, MBA ’05? Well, there’s really no such thing — and that’s precisely why she loves her job. “No days look similar,” says Bradford, director of intellectual property at IBM. “There are so many things I could be doing in one day.”
Alumni Profile
At Work, Delivering Innovative Solutions
Stephanie Catherine ’14
Stephanie Catherine ’14 has always sought out the next hard problem to solve, the next challenge. It’s why she so enjoys the work she’s doing at Deloitte, where she works as a manager. The tasks and challenges she faces vary from day to day, and the changing nature of her work, she says, keeps her motivated and intellectually stimulated.
Alumni Profile
Finding Success and Having an Impact, on Her Own Terms
Marguerita “Rita” Cheng ’93
Marguerita “Rita” Cheng ’93 knows what it means to find success on her own terms. Early in her career, she was working at a large firm, when her sales manager expressed a concern. He said she spent too much time listening to clients. “He led me to believe that being empathetic and patient was a liability,” she said. “I was devastated when he told me that I was a lousy financial planner.”
Alumni Profile
Balogun, on Soccer, Business and Making Goals
Yewande Balogun, ’11 and MBA ’16
As a soccer player, Yewande Balogun, ’11 and MBA ’16, has always wanted to play against the best of the best. In the summer of 2021, she got that chance.
Alumni Profile
Maryland Still Has Her Heart
Quinetta Roberson ’99
Villanova management professor Quinetta Roberson, PhD ’99, has always been fast. She won races as a University of Delaware sprinter. And later, during her Smith PhD years, she competed against undergraduates on the Terrapins intramural track team.