1000 Strong Class Graduates at Kellogg’s 2015 Convocation

As they walked across the stage and received their degrees, the Class of 2015 completed one final task on June 19, joining the ranks of CEOs, chairmen and world-changing entrepreneurs as graduates of Kellogg.

More than 1,000 students graduated from this year’s class, including 300 Part-Time students, 119 One-Year students, 463 Two-Year students, 51 MMM students, 44 PhD students, 21 JD-MBAs and 2 MD-MBAs.

Their post-graduation plans varied. Some are traveling abroad, beginning new careers, returning to previous companies or finding new opportunities. But many said they would miss the relationships built here at Kellogg. “It’s very life-changing,” said Alice Garabrant ’15, a Two-Year graduate, “and the people you got to do it with become incredibly close friends.”

Graduates thank friends and faculty

As he prepared to head off for Convocation, Jeff Branham, a military veteran who spent time with the U.S. Air Force, echoed that statement, noting that he’ll miss the community and camaraderie he developed with his classmates.

“Nine hundred of your peers are all here on the same mission,” said Branham, a Two-Year graduate from Boston who will stay in the Chicago area and work for Deloitte. “I’ll miss the folks around me who have the same drive and purpose. Kellogg does a great job at finding folks who align with that.”

Others, like Part-Time graduate Marvin Smith ’15, said they would miss the rigorous coursework and schedule, which forced him to become more disciplined with his time. But Smith, who was named a Youn Impact Scholar this year, looked forward to working in the field of social impact consulting, with a focus on improving public education.

Dean Sally Blount ’92 asked graduates to find ways to make a social impact, be it through investing, leadership or setting an example to others. “The sole purpose of a corporation is not to maximize profits for its shareholders and owners,” she said, urging the newly minted alumni to create companies and investment pools that bring social good to the forefront.

“I know that I have the skills and the drive to make it happen and create opportunities for those who are underserved,” said Smith. “Kellogg helped to push the boundaries of potential solutions out there.”

Jasleen Bhasin ’15, a native of Delhi, India who will head to San Francisco for a consulting job, thanked the faculty in preparing her for the next stage of her career. She cited Kellogg professor Gad Allon, in particular, who “was the reason I ended up with an operations major even though I didn’t plan to,” she said.

Making an impact 

During the program, faculty members offered some final words of wisdom to the outgoing class. Keynote speaker Miles White, CEO and chairman of Abbott Laboratories reminded graduates to, “draw on your own code of values to solve, to decide and to lead.”

And in her final address to the Class of 2015, Dean Sally Blount ’92 asked graduates to find ways to make a social impact, be it through investing, leadership or setting an example to others. “The sole purpose of a corporation is not to maximize profits for its shareholders and owners,” she said, urging the newly minted alumni to create companies and investment pools that bring social good to the forefront.