Ten MBA Students Awarded as 2021 Hawes Scholars

PROVO, Utah – May 17, 2021 – The Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business has named ten MBA candidates 2021 as Hawes Scholars, an honor that carries the highest distinction given to MBA students at BYU Marriott and a cash award of $10,000.

Named for successful corporate executive Rodney A. Hawes Jr. and his wife, Beverly, the Hawes Scholar award was created in 1998 to recognize the accomplishments of graduating MBA students at BYU Marriott. The Hawes Scholar award is one of many initiatives made possible by the Hawes Endowment, a gift of more than $2 million used to facilitate the growth and enhancement of BYU Marriott’s nationally ranked MBA program. Hawes, a Baker Scholar from the Harvard Business School, and his wife wanted to create a tradition at BYU Marriott that recognizes and rewards excellence among students entering the business world. In addition to being widely recognized for his expertise in financial matters, Hawes has a reputation for integrity, hard work, and community service.

Students and faculty nominate and vote for each year’s Hawes Scholars. The final selection is made by the Hawes Scholar Committee and is based on academic performance, leadership maturity, and commitment to high ethical standards.

The BYU Marriott School of Business prepares men and women of faith, character, and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Named for benefactors J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, the school is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. BYU Marriott has four graduate and ten undergraduate programs with an enrollment of approximately 3,300 students.

2021 Hawes Scholars Awards

Stephanie Maynes Aldous from Studio City, California graduated from BYU in 2016 with a degree in music performance. Upon returning to BYU for law school, she developed a passion for business and entrepreneurship that led her to the BYU Marriott MBA program. This past April 2021, Aldous graduated with both Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees. As a JD/MBA student, she served as legal director of Cougar Capital, a student-run venture fund, and won several case competitions, including the Utah Venture Capital Case Competition. In April 2021, she led a team of MBA students to the global finals of the Venture Capital Investment Competition. Outside of school, Aldous worked as an intern for DocuSign, Album VC, and the Utah Supreme Court. Aldous will make use of her interdisciplinary education as a corporate associate at the law firm Fenwick & West LLP in Mountain View, California. Aldous says she is grateful for the incredible relationships and opportunities BYU has afforded her. “I hope to help people access opportunities in work and education throughout my career just as BYU has opened doors for me,” she says.

Dunia Alrabadi came to study at BYU from Ajloun, Jordan, and says that “making a friend a day is the Dunia way.” She graduated in 2016 with a degree in electrical engineering from BYU and will be graduating from the BYU Marriott MBA program in marketing at the end of the Spring 2021 term. Alrabadi says that the MBA program allowed her to utilize her strengths and find her purpose. “What I enjoyed the most about the MBA program are the people,” says Alrabadi. “I loved seeing how the differences between us allowed us to better complement and support each other.” Before pursuing marketing, she worked as an engineer at Digi International and O.C. Tanner. She then became a technical intern for eBay before being offered a full-time position at eBay as a technical product manager, which she will be entering upon graduating. During her time at BYU Marriott, Alrabadi participated in various clubs to help her fellow peers, including Women in Management, the MBA Association, the Supply Chain Association, and the Product Management Association.

Lillian Barton is a Baltimore native focusing her MBA studies on human resources at the BYU Marriott MBA program. Barton originally studied German literature for her undergraduate degree at BYU, which she completed in 2009. As a student in the MBA program, Barton served in several leadership positions such as chief operating officer for the BYU Marriott MBA Association and vice president of finance for the BYU Women in Management club. Her scholarship accomplishments include being a 2020 Eccles Scholar, 2021 Savage Scholar, and J. Bonner Ritchie scholarship recipient, as well as finishing in first place in both the 2020 Silver Fund Stock Pitch and 2021 Texas Christian University Supply Chain Case competitions. Upon graduating spring 2021 in the top ten percent of her class, Barton will take on a full-time human resources position at Honeywell International. “The BYU Marriott MBA program has changed the trajectory of my life by elevating the platform I'm starting from,” says Barton. “I now have the skills and network necessary to launch my career as high as I'm willing to work for, and that promise of growth is exhilarating.” Barton has been married since 2013 and has two children, ages four and eighteen months. In her free time, she can be found enjoying outdoor activities including backpacking, running, biking, and canyoneering.

Ryan Brown looks forward to taking the skills he’s learned at BYU Marriott into the technology industry. Brown, a native of Shelby, Michigan, graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in English in 2014. He returned to BYU Marriott to receive his MBA with an emphasis in marketing and information systems. Brown volunteers his time as vice president of spiritual affairs in the MBA Student Association, President of the BYU Marriott MBA Tech Society, member of the BYU Marketing Lab, member of the BYU Product Management Association, and member of the BYU Marriott MBA Marketing Association. Brown has also been awarded the G. Roger and Marilyn M. Victor Marriott School of Business Scholarship as well as the Richard G. Bolinder Marriott School of Business-Marketing & Global Supply Chain Scholarship. He completed a marketing internship at software company Micro Focus. Brown says that he is grateful for the special opportunities for personal growth that BYU Marriott has given him. “I have loved learning about business and marketing in the context of love and discipleship that permeates BYU,” says Brown. “My classmates have been amazing examples of excellence, hard work, and passion, and I can't thank them enough for their examples.”

Chad Carr, originally from Boise, Idaho, will become a senior product marketing manager for Dell Technologies upon graduating in spring 2021. Carr earned his undergraduate degree from BYU Marriott in business management with an emphasis in marketing in 2016 before returning to BYU Marriott for his MBA. Carr has garnered a plethora of work experience in marketing including working for Real Salt Lake, Lifehouse Inc., and finally Dell Technologies. During his time at BYU Marriott, Carr was involved in various student organizations such as the BYU Marriott MBA Marketing Association, Kaizen Internal Consulting Group, and the BYU Marriott MBA sherpa mentoring program. After graduating, he hopes to go forward as an ambassador for BYU and the BYU Marriott MBA program. “I’ve been blown away by the many high-caliber students, professors, faculty, and alumni that I have been able to interact with these last two years,” says Carr. In his free time, Carr likes to spend time with his wife, Katie, and son Bowen. He loves to play any sport that uses a ball and enjoys several outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and mountain biking.

Mark Easton Johnston, a native of Stafford, Virginia, started his career by developing a personal mission statement to enable human potential. Before entering the BYU Marriott MBA program to pursue a career in strategic human resources, Johnston graduated from BYU Marriott in 2014 with an undergraduate degree in business management with an emphasis in organizational behavior/human resources. While in the MBA program, Johnston led student recruiting efforts as the Head Sherpa in the Career Management organization, worked in the Cougar Talent Solutions group as a consultant and project lead, and participated in other clubs and organizations like the Strategy and Consulting Club, the Adam Smith Society, and HeforShe. During school, Johnston worked for MediaKind as an HR intern and for Sundberg Olpin Funeral Home as an assistant funeral director and property manager. During the MBA, Johnston participated in four case competitions, winning first place in the 2020 Purdue Case Competition, first place in the Utah SHRM Case Competition, and third place in the PwC Global Business Expansion Case Competition. “Working late nights with a group of trusted colleagues has been one of the highlights of my MBA experience,” Johnston says. Johnston has been married to his wife Emma for seven years, and they have two children, ages four and two.

Sage Maddux says that BYU Marriott gave him the chance to “completely pivot careers and propel [his] career forward.” Maddux graduated from BYU with his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 2015. He worked as an operations and facilities engineer, responsible for equipment design for oil and gas facilities, at Pioneer Natural Resources for four years before coming to BYU Marriott to complete an MBA. Maddux decided to focus his MBA studies on marketing and strategy, and completed an internship with Bain & Company, a management consulting company. He intends to work full-time with Bain & Company since graduating this past April. During his time in the MBA program, Maddux became involved with various BYU Marriott clubs and organizations such as the BYU Marriott MBA Strategy and Consulting Club, Cougar Strategy Group, and BYU Marriott MBA sherpa program. He is originally from Denver and is currently married with two children. Maddux looks back at his time at BYU Marriott and is grateful for the experience he has had in the program and says that the MBA program has made him a better person and a better leader.

Dallin Pope, originally from Springville, Utah, came from a family of BYU graduates. Following his family’s example, Pope graduated from BYU in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. As an undergraduate student, he was awarded a full academic scholarship. Pope returned to BYU to attend the BYU Marriott School of Business to pursue an MBA with an emphasis in finance and healthcare after working at healthcare company DaVita as a senior analyst for three years. Pope says that a highlight of the MBA program has been creating and growing relationships with current students, BYU alumni, and healthcare professionals. As an MBA student, Pope became president of the MBA chapter of the Healthcare Industry Association and managing director of Cougar Strategy Group. “I am grateful for the business skills and network that the BYU Marriott MBA program has provided me through my classwork and extracurricular activities,” says Pope. After graduating, Pope will pursue his interest in the healthcare industry by taking on a full-time position at the Chartis Group as a healthcare strategy consultant. In his free time, Pope enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter and participating in sports and outdoor activities.

Sarah Waggoner, a Las Vegas, Nevada native, will graduate from the BYU Marriott MBA program with an emphasis in marketing in spring 2021. She graduated with her undergraduate degree in political science from BYU in 2011 and worked as a community affairs liaison for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Waggoner decided to return to BYU to pursue an MBA after serving a full-time mission. She interned for Intel Corporation during summer 2020. As a student, she became a leader to her peers as MBA Association president, a member of the Savage Scholar program, and a teacher’s assistant for a marketing management class. Waggoner attributes her success in her program to the people who influenced her along the way: her classmates, professors, and BYU Marriott alumni. “These relationships have improved me as a person and a professional, made my educational experience rich, and marked my heart forever,” says Waggoner.

Michael Wakeham is from Parker, Colorado, and graduated from Portland State University (PSU) with his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2018. Prior to attending PSU, Wakeham served in the U.S. Navy for six years as a submarine nuclear power plant operator. He worked as a civil engineer for Pape-Dawson Engineers before deciding to come to BYU Marriott to receive his MBA with an emphasis in finance. Outside of his classes, Wakeham became a leader to his peers as a mentor in the program’s sherpa program, a teacher’s assistant for business finance and global management classes, and a leader in the Graduate Finance Association. In the BYU Marriott MBA program, Wakeham has enjoyed “enlarging his perspective on life and being challenged to identify what is most important to him.” Upon graduating in 2021, Wakeham will start a full-time position in the finance associate leadership development program at pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb. He hopes to use his education to become a strong leader in the pharmaceutical industry to bring more life-saving treatments to patients across the world. Wakeham is married to his wife, Natalie, and together have three children: Minnie, Otto, and Hugo.