The Lam Family College of Business congratulates the graduate honorees for 2020!
These seven students receive a Graduate Student Award for Distinguished Achievement from the university during commencement week. In addition, one student is selected as the college’s Graduate Hood Recipient.
To learn about the Undergraduate Business Distinguished Achievement Honorees for 2020, click here
Aditi Grossman, 2020 Lam Family College of Business Graduate Hood Recipient
Master of Arts, Economics
Born in Mumbai, India, Aditi dreamed of studying in America from a young age. At San Francisco State University (SF State), she completed her B.S. in Business Administration with a Finance concentration and an Economics minor. The robust faculty, academic rigor, and diverse community influenced Aditi to continue her studies at SF State and pursue a Master of Arts degree in Economics. Simultaneously, Aditi served as an Instructor at SF State, teaching undergraduate courses in calculus and pre-calculus. She has been a Graduate Teaching Assistant, Grader, and a Tutor in the Economics and Mathematics Departments, a Research Scholar at the Health Equity Institute, and a member of the Mathematics Education Research Group for Equity.
Throughout her research, volunteering, and public service, Aditi’s passion has been to address inequalities in the community. Aditi co-authored a publication with Dr. Venoo Kakar, Associate Professor in the Economics Department, entitled “Jobs and Housing (Im)balance in the San Francisco Bay Area.” This publication sheds light on the local economy and how it’s changing. Aditi is also working with Dr. Anoshua Chaudhuri, Professor and Department Chair for the Economics Department, on a publication entitled, “Collecting Data on H-1B Workers Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.” This study focuses on a highly educated and critical population in the labor force.
After graduation, Aditi plans to pursue a doctoral degree in Economics. In her free time, Aditi is involved with local groups like SF Hillel, Girls Who Code, and SF SPCA.
Miteshkumar Kalathiya
Master of Science in Accountancy
Following completion of his undergraduate studies in India and experience working as an Auditor for a small organization, Mitesh began to develop a passion for accounting. He decided to further his education, move to the United States and pursue a Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) degree from San Francisco State University (SF State). During his studies, Mitesh has worked as a Math, Science, and Business tutor and also as an Academic Coordinator with the Campus Academic Resource Program (CARP). In addition, Mitesh served as a committee member on the Tutoring and Academic Support Center (TASC) Implementation Committee.
During the Spring 2020 semester, Mitesh has served as the Site Coordinator and income tax preparer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA is a nationally recognized IRS program that provides free tax return preparation to low-income, elderly, limited English proficient, and disabled individuals. As the Site Coordinator, he is responsible for managing volunteers and filing income tax returns. Mitesh also serves as the Treasurer for the Graduate Students in Accounting Association (GSAA). After completing an internship as an Auditor with Markum, LLP, Mitesh was offered a full-time position with the company in June, 2020, following his graduation from the MSA program.
Dylan Leas
Master of Business Administration, Concentration in Sustainable Business
A native of suburban Los Angeles, Dylan spent the early part of his career working in the food franchise industry working for both franchisees and franchisors. These roles allowed him to travel the country giving leadership and training workshops along with exposing him to the company’s international partners. Dylan left this position and moved to Northern California to complete his undergraduate degree in Sociology (Community Change) with a minor in Communication from San Jose State University.
Dylan and fellow Distinguished Achievement Awardee, Alexander Urasaki, restarted the SF State Graduate Net Impact Chapter in Fall 2018 – Dylan served as the Vice-President. Dylan and Alexander helped organize a wide array of workshops and speaker events providing numerous opportunities for graduate business students to learn from and network with professionals in their respective fields.
During the Summer of 2019, Dylan was selected from a competitive pool of 300 to participate in a summer internship working with the 3Degrees Group in San Francisco and their Vice President of People Operations. Serving as a People Programs Intern, Dylan was the only MBA student on the team, working alongside fellow students from Dartmouth, Stanford, UC Berkeley/Santa Barbara/Hastings, Tufts, and the University of San Francisco. During the Spring 2020 semester, Dylan worked as a Graduate Assistant for Assistant Professor Oscar Stewart in the Center for Ethical and Sustainable Business Management. He provided guest lectures on B-Corps to undergraduate students enrolled in a seminar covering advanced topics in business and society. He also helped transition Dr. Stewart’s classes to an entirely online format in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. In the years to come, he hopes to return to the classroom- this time as an Adjunct Lecturer.
Juilee Oak
Master of Business Administration, Emphasis in Information Systems
A lifetime member of Beta Gamma Sigma (distinguished global honors society in business), Juilee completed her undergraduate degree in Business (Management), graduating Summa Cum Laude from SF State University in Spring, 2018. The opportunity for a diverse specialization, rigorous coursework, and ample field exposure were the primary reasons Juliee decided to remain at SF State in pursuit of her graduate studies. She earned her MBA, with an emphasis in Inforamtion Systems, following completion of the Fall 2019 semester.
Juilee’s culminating experience project analyzed a startup, San Francisco-based company that provides POS (point of sale) systems and support to businesses. After a review of market research through customer surverys, her team’s analysis and recommendations supported the company in reducing additional costs and provided a more focused effort on marketing activities while making the essential improvements in product development.
Juilee moved to the United States over 6 years ago from Mumbai, India. Since this time, she has worked as intern and full-time employee in different business sectors such as taxation, marketing, and administration. She also worked as a consultant for two Bay Area startup companies – helping them build their product from the ground up. She is hoping to launch her own online food business in 2020 and eventually open a restaurant in the near future.
Hemangi Panat
Master of Business Administration, Emphasis in Finance
Prior to attending SF State, Hemangi earned a post-graduate degree in Computer Science from the University of Pune, India. Hemangi’s interest in quantitative and analytical subjects led to her first job as a Quality Assurance Analyst in the software industry. Her role involved an SAP online banking project and she transitioned into a subject matter expert in several banking modules. During this time, she became intrigued to learn more about business finance management and this prompted her to come to SF State and pursue an MBA with an emphasis in business finance.
During her studies as a full-time student, Hemangi completed a Student Assistantship as a Finance Associate at the Estuary and Ocean Science Center on the SF State Romberg Tiburon Campus. In this role, she worked closely with the Financial Manager to forecast and minimize expenses of the marine operations; assisted staff with project management; developed P&L (profit and loss) statements for the Natural Estuarine Research Reserve; and managed procurement and business accounts with multiple business partners. Hemangi was also a member of the Financial Analysis and Management Education (FAME) student organization.
Hemangi’s culminating experience project involves a strategic review of the Palo Alto-based company, TripActions Inc., a business travel management company that provides artificial intelligence and machine learning based optimized results to its business clients. By assessing TripActions’ core competencies and business environmental strategies, her team was able to provide recommendations on how the company could leverage its strengths while developing a Covid-19 action plan and reinstate its global expansion. After graduation, Hemangi aspires to become a financial analyst and a CFA charterholder.
Alexander Urasaki
Master of Business Administration, Concentration in Sustainable Business
Alexander earned an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Resource Management from the University of Washigton. His decision to pursue an MBA stemmed from his desire to gain additional academic knowledge in the area of leadership within the business world. Alexander and fellow Distinguished Achievement Awardee, Dylan Leas, restarted the SF State Graduate Net Impact Chapter in Fall 2018. As a result of their leadership, Net Impact has been one of the most active and successful student organizations within the Lam Family College of Business Graduate Programs over the past two years. As President of the SF State Net Impact chapter, Alexander was able to share his passion for sustainability with students of all concentrations and backgrounds through organized workshops and thoughtful conversations with industry leaders. Off-campus, Alexander served as an intern volunteer for the Wild Oyster Project. This organization’s mission is to create a living shoreline for the San Francisco Bay by restoring the native oyster population. Alexander was the Fundraising and Events Lead for the Wild Oyster Project.
Alexander’s culminating experience project details a review of corporate social responsibility as a competitive strategy for the customer service software company, Zendesk. As a previous contract employee of Zendesk, Alexander was able to see the impact this San Francisco-based company had in the local area – especially with regards to the dedication of their staff in the community. His team’s project highlights the benefits of expanding these corporate social responsibility measures and their specific strategy implications.
Ping Zhao
Master of Business Administration, Emphasis in Information Systems
Born in Shanghai, China, Ping moved to the Bay Area at the age of ten. He attended UC Irvine as an undergraduate student – earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics. Ping has always had a passion for gaming and tech. He currently works as a Product/IT Specialist in the tech industry. His position includes both product and technical project managemement. In working towards completion of his MBA, with an emphasis in Information Systems, he hopes to further his career in product and IT management.
Ping’s cuminating experience provides an in-depth case analysis of the gaming company, Electronic Arts (EA). Through a strategic problem identification and an evaluation of the company’s performance, his team reviewed the industry environment, identified the company’s strengths and weaknesses within this environment, and provided strategic recommendations to further improve EA’s standing within the industry.
One of Ping’s instructor’s describes him as “simply brilliant when it comes to technology. His work on visual analytics is remarkable. He is naturally curious to probe possibilities of a technology”. As a member of a group developing an IOS app for a Mobile Application course in the Spring 2020 semester, Ping’s team is developing an app to help improve the operations of the Gator Groceries food bank for SF State students. The features of this app include inventory management, food recipes for students, and the ability for students to request specific ingredients.