Four MBAs Receive 2024-25 Skip and Carrie Gordon Scholarships
ANN ARBOR – Oct. 21, 2024 – Business+Impact (B+I) is pleased to announce that Shailee Ghelani (MBA ’25), Ashraf Jaber (MBA ’25), Yashvi Patel (MBA ’25), and Alex Ricketts (MBA/MS ’25, Erb) are the recipients of the 2024-25 Skip and Carrie Gordon Scholarships for outstanding commitment to solving complex social challenges. The award comes with $7,500 for each recipient. Gordon Scholars serve as B+I Student Ambassadors for the 2024-25 academic year.
Learn more about each of them by reading highlights from their essays:
Shailee Ghelani (MBA ’25)
My drive to foster a more equitable world is grounded in my upbringing as the daughter of working-class immigrants.
I initially pursued a career in the international development industry at EnCompass LLC – a consulting firm that primarily contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement critical programming in developing countries. I conducted seven gender and social inclusion (GESI) analyses and assessments, and my most prominent projects were focused on improving maternal and child health outcomes in Ethiopia and Uganda, where the strategies I implemented advanced GESI within health systems that reached approximately 59 million people.
By serving on the Board of Directors of the Asian Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (A/PI DVRP), I have had the privilege to support efforts that address the inequalities and violence in my own community.
Further, my volunteer role as Chapter Lead at Malikah, a grassroots movement that advocates for safety and power for women of color and gender expansive people, has been particularly transformative.
I chose to pursue an MBA at Ross to gain the necessary business skills to understand how capital can be most effectively deployed for lasting, community-led change.
While here, I joined the Michigan Social Venture Fund (SVF) as SVF’s VP of Impact, which has helped me understand how to evaluate and invest in companies that have strong potential for both impact and financial return. I was also accepted to serve on Michigan’s MIINT team last year, which served as a parallel learning experience to SVF and enabled me to evaluate companies at the intersection of climate and health impact.
I also served as the Director of Communications with Ross Net Impact last year, which enabled me to expand my perspective on all the ways we can advocate for impact within business, which continues to grow as I pursue the Ross ESG concentration. I was also lucky to work with Accion Opportunity Fund for MAP, which enabled me to deepen my understanding of how CDFIs play an integral role in uplifting communities via investment. Last, my passion for community has led me to work with DEI office/MBA Council DEI committee and serve in leadership positions with First at Ross, a new club that fosters community and resources for first-generation college graduates at Ross.
In the near-term, I plan to pursue an associate-level role with an impact investing firm that focuses on making gender and diversity lens investments to companies and social enterprises focused on community development. Despite the uncertainty of recruiting within this industry, I want to be a key player in shifting our society away from shareholder capitalism and towards stakeholder capitalism.
I also intend to continue extending my passion for a more equitable and safer world to my personal life. Not only will I continue serving on nonprofit boards, but I hope to mobilize my communities to advocate for social equity and justice, especially for those who have been most historically marginalized in the U.S. and beyond.
Ashraf Jaber (MBA ’25)
I don’t believe community impact is spontaneous. It’s intentional but can grow from even the most scarce of scenarios. In the last five years, I sought to engage with the Detroit community, particularly around Midtown, Brightmoor, and the city’s oldest historically Black and Jewish neighborhood of Northwest Goldberg. I volunteered with local organizations like NW Goldberg Cares, and the Brightmoor Collective, and through my business, Wonder Falafel, I taught “How to start a food business 101” course through FoodLab Detroit.
I find myself often feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and privilege to be able to serve in a plethora of roles since joining Ross. In the last year, I joined the Detroit Initiative at Ross to make an even further impact in Detroit with the help of community neighbors.
I’m especially excited to launch the Middle Eastern North African (MENA) club at Ross to support the Arab community. As the founder and inaugural president, I have organized a mentorship program with the Arab Business Society, the undergraduate business student club.
My MAP experience has probably been my most impactful moment. I spent eight days working for an education nonprofit in Kenya to develop their fundraising strategy.
I am also pursuing a Ross ESG concentration and plan to finish the requirements by the end of the Fall semester. Other experiences I have been involved in include mentoring MBA1s in the Consortium community, planning DEI week with the MBA Council, hosting Allyship trainings with the Ross DEI office, and fundraising for the Black Business Student Association as the VP of Allyship. I look forward to continue supporting minorities in business post-graduation.
I will be moving back to my hometown of Dearborn, MI and will be working at McKinsey in the Detroit office as an Associate. Professionally, I plan on focusing on the social and government sector practice of McKinsey to support social impact issues and sustainability policy at a large scale. Part of my success in applying to an MBA program came from alumni and I would like to pay it forward with future MBA students while I am an alum.
Ultimately, my goal is to shape the future of sustainability and economic growth opportunities for people of color and create a more equitable future.
Yashvi Patel (MBA ’25)
As an undergrad, I minored in service leadership, serving 300+ hours in the community. Those hours fundamentally shaped my life philosophy.
One of my most impactful roles was at Places for People, a nonprofit, serving individuals at the intersection of mental health disorders, substance abuse, and homelessness. Through a fellowship opportunity with the Civic Consulting Alliance, I worked with the Executive Director to create a new governance body, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA). The challenge of working in this startup environment pushed me to think strategically while focusing on practical implementation. To create CCPSA, an organization eight years in the making, with so much pain in its origins, and so much hope on its shoulders for the future, I learned how I could contribute to institutional impact.
During my Ross internship with Benevis, I focused on developing and refining operational processes for dental clinics that operate in low income communities. I analyzed existing workflows, identified inefficiencies, and implemented streamlined procedures to improve clinic performance and patient outcomes. During my time at Ross, I’ve focused on using business as a force for good by getting a concentration in ESG, and engaging in various impactful experiences. A highlight was my MAP project in rural India, where I worked on conducting an impact study to understand microfinancing opportunities for impoverished women.
In addition to coursework, I’m an active member of the Net Impact Club, and serve on the boards of First at Ross and Michigan Business Women (MBW). As a B+I Student Ambassador, I promoted impact-driven initiatives and connected students with opportunities to integrate business and social good. Also, I was selected to be Applebaum Fellow in the Impact Studio and worked on real-world solutions that blend innovation with social impact. Additionally, participating in the Ross Leaders Academy, through Sanger, honed my leadership skills, equipping me to drive change in complex environments. This year, I plan to carry on my impact work by serving as a Board Fellow with COTS.
In my professional life, my immediate goal is to leverage my expertise in management consulting to support nonprofit organizations and impact-driven startups. Long-term, I aspire to transition into a leadership role focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) within a multinational company. My commitment to promoting DEI will guide my efforts in recruiting and retaining diverse talent, fostering an inclusive workplace, and developing programs that encourage collaboration among various minority groups. Additionally, I will actively mentor first-generation college students and underrepresented minorities, helping them navigate their educational and professional journeys.
Alex Ricketts (MBA/MS ’25, Erb)
Before joining Ross, my impact journey began as a pre-med undergraduate student, teaching me to approach complex systems with a focus on minute details and a willingness to navigate problems that don’t always have clear answers.
After realizing that my passions were in the environmental sciences field, I transitioned into international development, where I collaborated with indigenous stakeholders and engaged with local farmers, ranchers, and miners to address issues of illegal mining and unsustainable land use. This work challenged my understanding of sustainability, highlighting the need to integrate business strategies with environmental goals to achieve lasting impact.
Throughout my time at Ross, I have approached every opportunity through a sustainability lens, leveraging courses, internships, and leadership roles to deepen my understanding of how business can drive positive environmental impact. As a member and leader within the Erb Institute, I’ve focused on integrating sustainability into business strategies.
My first internship in ESG consulting allowed me to advise companies on creating responsible supply chains, setting ESG goals, and tracking performance metrics. Last year I joined Michigan Climate Venture, the first student-led climate fund, where I helped evaluate and invest in clean tech startups. Taking on the role of President of Net Impact, I have worked to integrate sustainability throughout the Ross community. My focus has been to show students that impact can be made in any career.
Additionally, my second internship at a venture capital firm specializing in sustainable agriculture further broadened my perspective. I supported investments in companies that are rethinking food systems and promoting regenerative agricultural practices.
After graduation, my goal is to further contribute to sustainable development by focusing on solutions that link finance to environmental impact. I plan to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research on carbon credits in the Amazon, exploring how these mechanisms can be optimized to both protect critical ecosystems and create economic opportunities for local communities. Ultimately, I hope to build a career focused on scaling innovative solutions that address climate change and drive sustainable development, leveraging my expertise to create shared value for businesses, communities, and the planet.