Meet the Rotman School’s 2016 MBA Valedictorians

MBA graduates from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto recently had the opportunity to hear from the top of their class. The Rotman School’s Full-Time MBA, Morning MBA, and Evening MBA classes each chose an exceptional student to be their valedictorian. Check out their stories below.

Krishna Ruthnum

The Full-Time MBA ‘16 class elected Krishna as their valedictorian thanks to his hard work and dedication. His experience was especially impressive when, during his second year, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He had to take a step back from school and undergo brain surgery in March, but that didn’t stop him. He’s still graduated top of his MBA class, though a little later than expected.

The greatest lesson he learned during the experience was the importance of relationships. “What I’ve learned over the past few months is that I didn’t always place as much value as I should on relationships that I had with people, with friends and family,” Krishna said in an interview. “Coming out of surgery, I realized that those relationships were most important to me. They’re one of the things that helped carry me through a difficult period in my life.”

William Scott

The Morning MBA ’16 class elected William because of the close relationships he built with his classmates. Over the three-year program, he made some terrific friendships, working alongside his classmates to balance school, work, and their personal lives. For William, choosing to earn his MBA was the best choice he could have made. It boosted his effectiveness and helped him understand other industries, but that wasn’t all. “I learned how to work with teams, and how to build trust. These are soft skills but they’re also leadership skills, and they’re essential to succeed in business,” William said in an interview.

Jingqi Guo

As for the Evening MBA ’16 class, they elected Jingqi Guo as their valedictorian. What Jingqi will miss most from her time at the Rotman School are the relationships she built and the experiences she had. “I’m going to miss my class,” she said in an interview. “We are a very experienced group of people, from a range of industries and backgrounds. Because the class was so diverse, I gained a lot of mentors along the way.” In fact, those experiences were exactly why Jingqi was elected. According to her classmates, she contributed to their learning by asking questions that got them thinking. “It was a very special moment for me when they said that. It is truly a great honour.”

regions: Toronto

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