LAUDER CLASS OF 2026 GRADUATE SHOWCASE
With the Class of 2026 nearing graduation, we spoke with four students about their experiences in the Lauder MA/Wharton MBA joint-degree program. They reflect on the challenges and advantages of completing two rigorous degrees in a two-year period, and share what lies ahead.
Published April 28, 2026
JAVIER GUERRATY
Latin America Program (Portuguese)
“Lauder was not simply an addition to the MBA experience; it was central to it. The program cultivates a genuinely global mindset through immersive experiences, language acquisition, and building lifelong relationships with classmates representing over 40 countries.”
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Your hometown
Santiago, Chile
What has been the highlight of your Lauder experience?
It is truly difficult to single out one highlight, as the Lauder program is filled with transformative moments. That said, I would point to two experiences in particular. First, the Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs) to Armenia and South Korea offered an unparalleled opportunity to understand each country’s most pressing challenges through direct engagement with senior government officials, central bank presidents, business leaders, academics, and policy think tanks. Second, serving as President of the Student Advisory Board was deeply meaningful, as it allowed me to give back to a community that has given me so much, and to play an active role in making the program even stronger.
What was the biggest challenge in doing a joint-degree, and how did you overcome or manage this challenge?
The most significant challenge is learning to allocate your time strategically in order to make the most of the extraordinary resources available across finance, technology, entrepreneurship, non-profits, politics, and beyond. The key to managing this is setting clear, intentional goals at the outset of the two years, and then ruthlessly prioritizing how you invest your time in pursuit of them.
What was the focus of your master’s thesis and how has the thesis experience contributed to your professional development?
My thesis examines how foreign exchange (FX) rate fluctuations affect private equity funds operating in Latin America, and the strategies General Partners employ to optimize exit timing in order to mitigate currency risk or capitalize on favorable market conditions. The experience has contributed to my professional development in a meaningful and tangible way. By focusing my thesis on private equity, I had the opportunity to interview founders, managing directors, and senior leaders across the M&A and PE landscape in Latin America. This process allowed me to develop a nuanced, comprehensive view of the market while simultaneously building relationships that will be invaluable to my career.
What are you doing next?
I will be joining the alternative investments space, with a focus on private equity.
How would you describe the value-add of the Lauder/Wharton joint-degree over a standalone Wharton MBA?
For me, Lauder was not simply an addition to the MBA experience; it was central to it. The program cultivates a genuinely global mindset through immersive experiences, such as traveling to South Korea to engage with the Minister of Foreign Affairs on matters of national security, language acquisition both in the classroom and through full cultural immersion during the summer program, and building lifelong relationships with classmates representing over 40 countries.
TEMA SHONGWE
Africa Program (French)
“My Lauder thesis strengthened my expertise in trade and regional integration and my ability to apply these insights professionally, while also expanding my network of experts in the field.”
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Your hometown
Lobamba Lomdzala, Kingdom of Eswatini
What has been the highlight of your Lauder experience?
A highlight of my Lauder experience was the summer immersion in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. It was my first time in West Africa, and through the immersion, I gained a deeper appreciation for the region’s socio-economic landscape and significantly improved my spoken French. The experience was both personally and academically transformative, and I cannot wait to return.
What was the biggest challenge in doing a joint-degree, and how did you overcome or manage this challenge?
With so many exciting opportunities across both programs, the opportunity cost of each decision felt quite high. Rather than focusing on what I was missing out on, I continuously reminded myself of how blessed I was to even have access to these opportunities. This helped me stay grounded, intentional, and fully present in whatever I chose to pursue.
What was the focus of your master’s thesis, and what was the most interesting thing you learned?
My thesis explored the question of what enables trade corridors to support the meaningful integration of landlocked countries in the Southern African Development Community into global value chains. The most interesting lesson from my research was that while closing Africa’s hard infrastructure gap is absolutely critical, trade experts argue that strengthening Africa’s soft infrastructure (institutions, governance, and coordination) will determine whether those investments will translate into sustainable development for our continent.
What are you doing next?
I will be an Associate at Analysis Group, an international economic consulting firm headquartered in Boston. I am excited to work with an incredibly talented group of individuals to help top law firms, global 500 companies, and government agencies worldwide solve complex business problems.
How would you describe the value-add of the Lauder/Wharton joint-degree over a standalone Wharton MBA?
My Africa-French classes deepened my regional expertise which, combined with Wharton’s business and finance training, will enable me to build stronger relationships with colleagues and partners in francophone Africa. In turn, my Lauder thesis strengthened my expertise in trade and regional integration and my ability to apply these insights professionally, while also expanding my network of experts in the field.
ABHI CHADHA
SAMENA Program (Hindi)
“Lauder gives you access to the remarkable University of Pennsylvania. Through it, I’ve been able to take two courses in the School of Arts and Sciences, work across disciplines, and engage with Penn’s world class South Asian Studies ecosystem and Perry World House.”
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Your hometown
Ashburn, Virginia
What has been the highlight of your Lauder experience?
The Lauder Intercultural Ventures to Armenia and Bulgaria opened my eyes to regions of the world that I had never studied deeply and strengthened my relationships at Lauder. The Lauder Student Retreat, a weekend we spend at the start of the year getting to know each other and deepening bonds, was also a highlight.
What was the biggest challenge in doing a joint-degree, and how did you overcome or manage this challenge?
The biggest challenge was the intensive nature of the language education. My Hindi was limited to familial contexts, so Lauder required me to massively scale up my vocabulary and syntax to become truly fluent.
What was the focus of your master’s thesis and how has the thesis experience contributed to your professional development?
I researched how India’s industrial policy (the ‘Make in India’ initiative) has impacted the ITTS sector (information technology and technology services) and the semiconductor industry. We are in an age where industrial policy and semiconductor security is increasingly in vogue. Couple that with my deep interest in the intersection of policy and business, and this work will inform the way I plan to navigate both these spaces for years to come.
What are you doing next?
I will be moving to New York City to work in investment banking, specifically joining Bank of America’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications team.
How would you describe the value-add of the Lauder/Wharton joint-degree over a standalone Wharton MBA?
Lauder gives you access to the remarkable University of Pennsylvania. Through it, I’ve been able to take two courses in the School of Arts and Sciences, work across disciplines, and engage with Penn’s world class South Asian Studies ecosystem and Perry World House.
BECCA THORPE
East & Southeast Asia Program (Mandarin)
“Lauder brings well-roundedness and a global perspective to the MBA experience. The classes I took as a Lauder student meant I could push conversations past the bottom line to the impact on communities and politics.”
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Your hometown
Tianjin, China
What has been the highlight of your Lauder experience?
A highlight was my Lauder Intercultural Venture (LIV) to Armenia. The faculty introduced us to what it means to build a nation in diaspora, while bringing in experts from multiple perspectives on the same debates, giving us a nuanced read on the country’s history and current geopolitics. It was an extraordinary way to immerse myself in an unfamiliar place and quickly hold substantive conversations about it.
What was the biggest challenge in doing a joint-degree, and how did you overcome or manage this challenge?
My biggest challenge was balancing time across two intellectually demanding programs. Coming from an international relations background, I had to decide when to deepen my expertise in familiar territory like Chinese geopolitics and when to push into entirely new areas through Wharton. I had to be deliberate with my goals for each semester, rather than trying to do everything at once.
What was the focus of your master’s thesis, and what was the most interesting thing you learned?
My thesis was titled “Supply without Demand: Why China’s Domestic Wine Industry Cannot Drink Its Own Success” and examined how structurally sticky certain industries are. I set out to study how COVID and industrial policy together might shift momentum between domestic and international producers. What I found instead is that some industries resist that kind of repositioning entirely if demand is not affected by the same shocks that affect supply.
What are you doing next?
I am moving to the Bay Area to work in tech.
How would you describe the value-add of the Lauder/Wharton joint-degree over a standalone Wharton MBA?
Lauder brings well-roundedness and a global perspective to the MBA experience. The classes I took as a Lauder student meant I could push conversations past the bottom line to the impact on communities and politics. The program also sharpened my instincts for international business discussions, as I could connect business cases back to the geopolitics shaping the region in question.
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