Nine BYU Marriott School of Business MBA students received the 2025 Hawes Scholars Award. The award, which includes a $10,000 cash prize, is one of the highest distinctions given to graduating MBA students at BYU Marriott.
The 2025 Hawes Scholars are Tricia Allen, Matthew Assily, Harrison Christensen, Valeria Fulton, Natalie Koon, Paula Kremser, Spencer Larson, Kjerstin Roberts, and Brandon Ward.
“This year’s Hawes Scholars stand out among their peers for their impactful contributions to the MBA program,” says BYU Marriott MBA Director Daniel Snow. “They are all firmly committed not only to achieving academic excellence but also to building up their classmates.”
About the 2025 Hawes Scholars
Tricia Allen is originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, and she was the head mentor for the MBA program and a teaching assistant for negotiations and business strategy courses. Allen also supported prospective international students. She recently started a full-time role at Swire Coca-Cola in talent management.
Matthew Assily, of Walnut Creek, California, was the vice president of student development for the Human Resources Student Association, a teaching assistant for the first-year human resources and data analytics courses, and a member of Kaizen. After graduating he will be working full-time with Procter and Gamble in a global human resources role.
Harrison Christensen from Orem is a husband and father of two. He served as the marketing track lead and a member of Kaizen. He accepted a full-time position in Walmart’s Merchandising Leadership Development Program.
From Santiago, Chile, Valeria Fulton was part of the planning committee for the MBA Women in Business Conference. Fulton served as the CFO of the MBA Student Association (MBAA), managing director of internal affairs in Cougar Capital, vice president of strategy for Women in Management, and a consultant for Kaizen. She is the mother of three daughters.
Hong Kong native Natalie Koon was the president of the MBAA, vice president of activities in Savage Scholars, and a mentor for the MBA marketing track. She plans to join Owens Corning full-time and participate in the company’s Strategic Leadership Development Program.
From Sandy, Utah, Paula Kremser was the managing director of Cougar Strategy, the vice president of the MBA Strategy and Consulting Association, and the vice president over leadership for Women in Management. Postgraduation, she will be starting her consulting career with PwC in their Customer Transformation practice in Salt Lake City.
Spencer Larson, from Houston, was a project lead for BYU Marriott’s Healthcare Leadership Collaborative, a vice president for the Healthcare Leadership Association, a vice president for the MBA HR Student Association, and a strategy and analytics intern at Revere Health. Following graduation he stayed in Provo as a corporate governance director and in a strategic healthcare role for Pr3dictive.
From Highland, Utah, Kjerstin Roberts was the managing director of Kaizen, head of women's recruiting for the MBA program, lead of the MBA Women in Business Conference, vice president of travel for Savage Scholars, and vice president of singles in the MBAA. After graduating she will begin her PhD program in organizational behavior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Brandon Ward grew up in Idaho Falls and is the father of six young kids. Ward served as the director of diligence and process in Cougar Capital and cherishes the relationships he built with his peers. He is currently the director of operational analytics at Midway Mechanical.
About BYU Marriott
The BYU Marriott School of Business aspires to transform the world through Christlike leadership by developing leaders of faith, intellect, and character. Named for benefactors J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, the school is located at Brigham Young University. BYU Marriott has four graduate and nine undergraduate programs with an enrollment of approximately 3,800 students.