This spring, the Sanger Leadership Center celebrated the achievement of 24 full-time and weekend MBAs who earned the Michigan Ross Leader Endorsement (MRLE). The MRLE was created by the Center in 2022 to recognize students who engage in leadership during graduate school in a number of ways: through Sanger programs, through intentional reflection and growth, and through team leadership roles. The MRLE consists of a number of requirements, including five of Sanger’s leadership programs, a leadership course, and pre-planning and reflection around an action-based learning assignment.
This year’s MRLE graduates intend to use the leadership skills they gained as part of the program in many different ways. One student plans to start an entrepreneurship journey with the sense of peace she gained despite the uncertainty that comes with starting something new; another student learned the value of mentoring and taking a step back to let others shine; and many students cited learning to value and build on their strengths while also flexing into leadership skills that might not come as naturally to them.
Speaking at the end-of-year recognition ceremony for MRLE recipients, Vignesh Balasubramanian, Weekend MBA ‘23, shared why he was devoted to building his leadership skills during his Ross MBA: “As an immigrant who came to this country 10 years ago and experienced countless challenges, I can attest to the need for mentorship in many instances… It takes just one person to give you the opportunity to succeed. Your coaching will change that person’s life.” Balasubramanian went on to advise his peers to look for opportunities to step up as a leader and mentor others, suggesting, “Keep your doors open to anyone who needs you, pay it forward, help them to be purpose-driven, and finally, create a beautiful and empathetic world.
The students listed in this blog, all from the Class of 2023, are this year’s MRLE recipients.
These students not only gained important leadership skills and engaged in hours of self-reflection, but will receive a badge on LinkedIn, honor cords, and a certificate for completing the MRLE. Applications for the Leader Endorsement are open year-round. Students can find more information on our website or contact us at rossleaders@umich.edu.
2023 MRLE Recipients:
Kajal Bains
Soham Bakshi
Vignesh Balasubramanian
Manikantesh Bonatham
William Brady
Eugenia Collins
Robin Doroff
Becky Epstein
Di Fu
Yumeng Gao
Aanchal Gupta
Allie Isaac
Rohan Jain
Liz Krane
Joswin Leslie
Jessica Liang
Kristina Lopes
Emil Mathew
Yaqun Peng
Emily Ross
Cory Schraier
Anna Seifert
Boyang Wang
Yingqiu Zhou