Costello College of Business

Costello College of Business Students

Digital marketing internship develops creativity, data analysis, and empathy for one Costello senior

sholla4 — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:30:49 +0000

Digital marketing internship develops creativity, data analysis, and empathy for one Costello senior sholla4 Wed, 08/26/2026 - 16:30

When an email from AARP pops into your inbox, a Gen-Z rising senior at 911�� is probably not who you first think is on the other side of that send. But Jack Sorenson, a marketing major in the Costello College of Business, is one of the faces behind the digital newsletters.

Jack Sorenson. Photo provided

Sorenson knew he wanted an internship this summer, "ideally at a large, well-known business-to-consumer and mission-driven organization in the DC area." Costello's Career Services helped him find opportunities based on his criteria, skills, and goals. AARP was one of the options. And when AARP tabled at one of 911��'s career fairs, he made sure to introduce himself to a recruiter.

As a digital marketing intern, Sorenson works on a few projects, including supporting several of AARP's newsletters in both content creation and engagement analysis. "I love marketing because it sits at the intersection of creativity and analytics," he said, "and this role really exemplifies that."

From content selection through performance analysis, Sorenson is part of a newsletter's full lifecycle. That comes with hands-on experience with leading industry tools like Adobe, Microsoft Office, Tableau, and Palantir. His colleagues at AARP are proof that knowing the tools is an advantage in the job market.

"I met a former intern who got a great job at another organization because of his experience with digital tools while at AARP," Sorenson said. "Experiential learning is probably one of the biggest benefits of any internship."

Soft skills are important, too. AARP's audience is, primarily, those 50 and older: a much different demographic than Sorenson, a rising senior, is used to interfacing with. But adapting to the audience is a key skill he's developing that will serve him well in future positions. "It's definitely taught me a lot about how to think beyond my own little echo chamber," he said. "We might be inclined to think that people within a demographic might all be similar but seeing how their audience interacts with marketing shows that's just not the case. It's actually a huge audience with varied needs and wants."

That empathy extends beyond audience dashboards. "I'm more conscious now of how I interact with older demographics. I'm more curious about their lives and what they need."

AARP extended Sorenson's internship through the fall semester, with potential for further extension through spring 2027. Sorenson notes that, while AARP is developing critical skills for his future career, it's the strong foundation from 911�� and Costello that makes his growth possible.

"I think one of the biggest advantages of Costello is that you're not just learning concepts through an exam, you're developing skills you can take into the workplace," he said. "I came into the internship already understanding a lot of the concepts and terminology, as well as knowing things like executive control, active listening, and collaboration: skills that are just as important in a professional environment."

See why Costello Means Business

Topics

Northern Virginia entrepreneur Anil Sharma and his wife, Anupama, provide transformational support for Costello College’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Katarina Benson — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:23:47 +0000

Northern Virginia entrepreneur Anil Sharma and his wife, Anupama, provide transformational support for Costello College’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Katarina Benson Fri, 08/21/2026 - 12:23

Anil Sharma is many things: an entrepreneur, cybersecurity expert, angel investor, and philanthropist.

Although the 22nd Century Technologies CEO and his wife, Anupama, are not 911�� alumni, they have strong ties to the university through Anil’s membership on the President’s Innovation Advisory Council and the 911�� Foundation Board of Trustees.

Anupama and Anil Sharma. Photo by Duane Bailey/Costello College of Business.

They believe in education, entrepreneurship, and creating opportunity for the next generation. And that commitment has led them to commit to a gift that will name the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at the Costello College of Business in their honor. The center supports local innovators and entrepreneurs by providing resources and connecting regional stakeholders.

“Today’s college students are graduating at one of the most transformative moments in modern history,” Anil Sharma said. “Artificial intelligence, automation, and digital transformation are reshaping every industry… and the future will belong to those who can learn faster, adapt continuously, think critically, and stay resilient during change.”

Anil Sharma came to the United States from India in 1997 with $100 and the determination to build a future in a new country. Later that year, he founded McLean-based 22nd Century Technologies. What began as an IT consulting business has grown into a $600 million government contracting firm providing IT, cybersecurity, cloud, and digital transformation solutions to federal, state, and local government agencies across all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico.

That experience has shaped the Sharmas’ desire to give back by helping others pursue opportunities of their own.

With the Sharmas’ gift, the center is poised to advance into a nationally recognized hub where innovation, entrepreneurship, and partnership-driven impact converge. By building on programs like the Patriot Pitch Competition, the Honey Bee Initiative, and the SOAR Initiative, the investment will allow the center to help strengthen the region’s innovation economy by creating a space where students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and partners collaborate, mentor one another, and develop new ventures.

The Sharmas with CIE faculty and staff. Photo by Duane Bailey/Costello.

“This is a significant milestone for both the Costello College of Business and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and one that will ensure our center’s role as the preeminent place at 911�� where the future takes shape for innovators, aspiring entrepreneurs, and industry leaders,” said Costello Dean Ajay Vinzé. “I know I speak on behalf of all of us at Costello when I say how grateful we are to Anil and Anupama for their leadership in strengthening the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, expanding opportunities for our students, alumni, and community members, and creating an engine of innovation that will fuel long-term value and opportunity for generations to come.”

For Anil Sharma, that connection between opportunity and responsibility is an important part of what comes next.

“Building a business taught me that success is never only about one person,” Sharma said. “People give you opportunities, people trust you, people teach you, and communities create the conditions in which you can grow. At some point, you have a responsibility to help create those opportunities for someone else. That is what Anupama and I hope this center will do.”

As the Costello College of Business approaches its 50th anniversary in 2027, the Sharmas’ gift represents an investment in the college’s next 50 years, supporting expanded opportunity, greater access, and the real-world impact that will continue to shape its future. Their gift is part of Mason Now: Power the Possible, the university’s one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign.

The Costello College of Business plans to hold a formal naming event and celebration this fall.

Power the Possible

Topics

Campus News

Mason Now: Power the Possible

entrepreneurship

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

philanthropy

This business analytics major is pouring the foundation for a future in sports analytics

sholla4 — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:43:49 +0000

This business analytics major is pouring the foundation for a future in sports analytics sholla4 Wed, 08/19/2026 - 09:43

When asked what advice he would give to students interested in internships, rising 911�� senior Dominic Jones said, "don't limit yourself."

Photo provided

It's advice he's already following. This summer, the business analytics major in the Costello College of Business interned for Bognet Construction, focusing on project management.

Jones wants to work in sports analytics or analytics within consulting. But much like he advises, he's approaching his studies with an open mind. "Since you can do anything with business, I didn't want to home in on one sector just yet," he said.

When he met the Bognet Construction team at one of 911��'s career fairs, he saw an opportunity to broaden his horizons. "I don't have a background in construction," he said, "but the Bognet team was excited for me to learn and try. They wanted me to grow throughout each week."

His internship responsibilities include project management, supporting engineers, architects, and other project managers to ensure the build is on track. Despite this being a new field for him, his skills from business analytics have been able to transfer. "Being detail-oriented is really important in both," he said. "Every single little detail matters, because one error can build into a much bigger problem."

And just as Jones is growing into this role, he said the best part of the internship has been watching something grow from a blank space. "Seeing all the different subcontractors come and go, how the plans are communicated to them, how they get their jobs done: There's a lot that goes into good construction, and it's cool to see."

Jones is no stranger to teamwork. A member of the intramural basketball team, he understands the importance of maximizing strengths and communicating clearly and effectively. Working in construction, he said, has helped him further develop that skill. "There's so many moving parts and people; everyone has their own viewpoint and focus area. Learning how to communicate and work with everyone's individual skills and strengths is a skill I'll take into my classes and the workforce."

As Jones prepares to start his senior year at 911��, he's coming back to campus ready to take advantage of all the possibilities. "The more things you go to, the more opportunities you have to meet people and the chance to get the career you want," he said. "Go to events, join clubs, and try new avenues. You never know what opportunities might teach you that will make you stand out."

Photo provided

See why Costello Means Business

Topics

Costello Research Digital Platforms

Planting fake customer reviews hurts businesses big time

Katelynn C Hipolito — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:13:22 +0000

Planting fake customer reviews hurts businesses big time Katelynn C Hipolito Tue, 08/18/2026 - 11:13

The capital of any business comes in (at least) two categories.

There’s the kind that has a price—land, cash holdings, etc.—and a less tangible, priceless kind. Reputational capital falls squarely into the latter category. Try as they might, companies cannot buy positive public opinion, even with the largest of marketing budgets. But that doesn’t prevent some from engaging in dark marketing tactics, such as planting or buying fake “customer reviews” on influential platforms like Yelp and Amazon. Crossing that line can backfire if the company is caught. When its ethical lapses are brought to light, the company undergoes reputational damage, essentially auto-cannibalizing some of its intangible capital.

Yi Cao, assistant professor of accounting at Costello College of Business at 911��. Photo provided by Yi Cao.

And that bite stings more, and for longer, than you might think, suggests a recently published working paper from Yi Cao, assistant professor of accounting at Costello College of Business at 911��. The research plumbs the financial consequences of flagged false reviews on crowdsourcing platform Yelp, a key reputational broker for local businesses throughout the United States.

The paper was co-authored by Sean Wang (formerly of Southern Methodist University), John Bai of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Chi Wan of San Diego State University.

To punish businesses that it deems guilty of gaming the customer-review system, Yelp places a prominent “Consumer Alert” banner on all of their associated listing pages. These are typically 90-day penalties. (As of 2023, more than 4,900 businesses had been disciplined on Yelp in this way.)

“We don’t know every signal Yelp uses to identify fake or paid-for reviews, but from what we know, Yelp relies substantially on reports from consumers and business owners,” says Cao. “There are also reports that they also have an algorithm running in the background to screen reviews for AI-generated language—which is a sign of possible review inflation.”

The researchers accessed Yelp data for the years 2019 to 2024—288,426 firm-month observations in all, including 16,837 observations of flagged firms and their demand-side peers, during the six months surrounding an alert. They analyzed this data-set alongside monthly foot traffic reports for the observed businesses from global location data firm SafeGraph. For some of the businesses, they were also able to obtain credit card transaction data through Consumer Edge, a customer intelligence company.

Cross-referencing these three data sources, the researchers traced the rise and fall of businesses fingered for false reviews. The general demand premium for businesses with a high proportion of four- and five-star reviews equates to about 2.9 percent more foot traffic than lower-reputation rivals in their local area. This difference in demand is one objective way to measure the material benefits of intangible capital.

“This is a classical theory of a trade-off between the benefits of manipulating reputation and the risks of getting caught,” says Cao. “When the risk is relatively low, the business owners decide the incremental benefits are worth the risk.”

Once publicly censured by the platform, however, businesses endured a surprisingly durable—and measurable—dip in demand. Almost immediately upon exposure, foot traffic went down by eight percent on average relative to matched peers, a stark indicator of reputational collapse that was mirrored in the credit card transaction data (an even better reflection of bottom-line outcomes). The decline was greater under conditions of so-called “intermediation intensity,” such as holiday periods when consumers were more reliant on the intermediary (Yelp) to help them plan their free time.

What’s more, the demand penalty outlasted not only the 90-day alert itself, but also (in many cases) the multi-year observation period of the research study. On the whole, foot traffic estimates for the censured group of businesses were still well below pre-alert levels even after a year and a half, implying recovery was nowhere on the horizon.

Part of the problem, the researchers found, is that the manipulated-review alert instantly degrades the informational environment on Yelp around that business. In other words, fewer reviews are posted, and those that do go up tend to be more negative on average. This makes it harder for businesses to rebuild their reputation by offering positive trustworthy signals.

For Cao, the research points to a basic conundrum that has worsened in the digital age: Once depleted, intangible capital is very difficult to restore. “Businesses nowadays heavily rely on digital platforms such as Yelp and YouTube,” he says. “Because the information reaches so many different corners, they are so widespread that you cannot ignore them. This increases not only the benefit of high performance, but also the reputational penalty if you are found manipulating your content.”

In This Story

Yi Cao

Topics

Accounting - Costello

Costello Research Retail

Costello Research Social Influence

Costello College of Business Faculty Research

Accounting Faculty Research

Research

This SAIC intern Excels in and out of the classroom

sholla4 — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:08:41 +0000

This SAIC intern Excels in and out of the classroom sholla4 Thu, 08/13/2026 - 09:08

Gabriella Lemus, a sophomore accounting major, entered 911��’s Costello College of Business with a head start and no plans on stopping. Not only is she a year ahead in school thanks to college and AP credit, she’s also been building her resume as a real estate agent and vice president of Mason Consulting Group. Now, she’s tackling her first summer internship with that same determination to excel.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Lemus is a project control intern for SAIC, a major government contractor, working on cleaning up invoices, updating reports, and ensuring all the accounting is correct.

Business analytics courses prepared her well for this position. “Knowing how to navigate Excel has really helped me, and that’s thanks to Professor Michael King. I was able to say confidently that I have strong Excel skills and experience when applying. I’m actually helping other interns improve their Excel skills, and they come to me with questions.”

Lemus may be teaching her fellow interns, but she’s doing plenty of learning as well. Being open-minded is, she said, a key part of the experience. “You have to be willing to learn everything, growing your knowledge and abilities in order to complete the tasks.”

Learning how to ask questions, for example, is one skill she’s working on improving. “I used to be very shy reaching out to my managers with questions,” she said. “I’ve gotten much more comfortable by reminding myself that people are here to help, that they are investing their time into me because they saw something in me. And if I have a question, others probably do too.”

Those communication skills are one tool she hopes to use in both future courses as well as her extracurriculars. As the vice president of Mason Consulting Group, she organizes events, interviews new consultants, and works with external clients. Communicating through differences in order to solve problems is an invaluable skill, one that she’s further developing through her SAIC internship.

Working within a large company has also given her valuable insights into how to best manage the growing consulting group and her growing career. Lemus works as a real estate agent for the Piano Home Group, with dreams of growing her own agency in the future. “I really love what I’m learning at SAIC, because I can apply it at a smaller level to my own business.”

If there’s one thing Lemus hopes her fellow students will learn from her experiences, it’s the importance of getting involved. “The networking at Costello has given me so many great opportunities, including this internship,” she said. “And it helps me academically, too. I’ve become a better student by being more engaged with my classmates.”

"One of the goals of the Costello Business faculty is to support our students in being 'Career Ready.' It is an inspiration to see how Gabriella Lemus is using the knowledge and skills that she learned in my Business Analytics classes to succeed in her internship," said King. "Her commitment to hard work and positive attitude will carry her far!"

See why Costello Means Business

In This Story

Michael King

Topics

Costello Research Non-Financial Disclosure

Sustainability commitments have serious consequences

Katelynn C Hipolito — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:29:09 +0000

Sustainability commitments have serious consequences Katelynn C Hipolito Fri, 08/07/2026 - 13:29

Amid increasingly stiff competition for capital, one way for a business to stand out is to make strong social impact pledges.

Yi Cao, assistant professor of accounting at Costello College of Business at 911��. Photo provided by Yi Cao.

For example, companies can voluntarily commit to environmental impact goals in hopes of attracting sustainability-minded investors and lowering cost of capital. However, it isn’t easy to tell whether these commitments, in and of themselves, make a difference to the marketplace—or, for that matter, to the planet.

“In regular settings, it’s really hard to evaluate the real economic effect of providing environmental commitments, and also establish that in making the commitment, the company is catering to real stakeholder preferences as opposed to their own idiosyncratic preferences,” says Yi Cao, assistant professor of accounting at Costello College of Business at 911��.

Cao’s paper in Review of Accounting Studies capitalizes on a unique setting that helps isolate the impact of environmental commitments. It was co-authored by John (Jianqiu) Bai of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Xiumin Martin of Washington University in St. Louis, and Chi Wan of San Diego State University. In 2018, leading crowdfunding platform Kickstarter added an optional “Environmental Commitments” section to project pages where creators could post about their sustainable practices (e.g., responsible sourcing, recyclable packaging, and/or low-emission manufacturing). The new feature was rolled out gradually across product categories, enabling the researchers to compare not only project-to-project differences, but also overall changes within entire Kickstarter verticals.

The researchers scraped information from Kickstarter pages to form a data-set comprising 173,874 observations of unique projects during the years 2016 to 2021. They also gathered data on a host of outcome variables, such as whether the project was successfully funded, how much money each project ultimately raised, how long it took for fully funded creators to deliver products to backers, etc.

The researchers found that, on average, about one-third of creators chose to declare an environmental commitment once doing so became possible in their category. Several of the largest categories (e.g., Design, Technology and Games) saw significantly higher take-up rates.

On the whole, projects that included environmental commitments were 13.2 percent more likely to be funded and increased the pledged amount relative to the funding goal by 8.7 percent.

Using Google BERT, a natural language processing model, the research team separated projects into two categories: those with largely local appeal, and those with a national market base. “We pre-trained the AI with all projects from 2010 to 2016 that had at least 50 backers, and measured the geographic dispersion of these projects’ backers traced by their IP address,” Cao explains.

The purpose was to spare the human researchers the tedious and painstaking work of hand-classifying every project in the data-set. The BERT results showed that national projects with eco-commitments received 62.2 percent more backers from more environmentally aware states—that is, states whose residents reported above-average levels of concern about climate change on the Yale Climate Opinion Maps—than local projects that had made eco-pledges.

For Cao, these findings add crucial nuance to the general idea that pledges of social responsibility help attract capital. In the Kickstarter example, projects of national scale benefited much more from eco-commitment because they were pitched to a larger and more diverse backer base, including environmentally aware consumers from other states.

Additionally, projects offering physical products, as opposed to intangible services, confronted tougher economic trade-offs resulting from e-commitment. “First and foremost, the Kickstarter creators want to know whether [e-commitment] will benefit them,” Cao says. “Because this is pretty costly, based on our analysis. It delays delivery and increases costs, because recycled and other eco-friendly materials, for example, are a little bit more expensive.”

The fact that entrepreneurs were clearly grappling with these economic challenges suggests that e-commitment amounts to more than mere “greenwashing.” “We find consistent evidence that when these small businesses are trying to access environmentally aware consumers through e-commitment, they do incur cost. It isn’t cheap talk. And that means that consumers are attracted by a genuine commitment, rather than lip service or a nice-sounding pitch,” Cao says.

In sum, Kickstarter’s e-commitment feature was a net improvement for the ecosystem, giving creators (especially those with national aspirations) access to an untapped source of consumer demand—namely, environmental awareness. At the same time, creators had to weigh the financial benefit against the increased costs of making good on environmental commitments.

Cao suspects that the same basic rules might apply to other types of pledges related to issues that animate large groups of consumers. “For example, AI is especially polarizing nowadays. You could appeal to consumers or investors who are polarized against the technology with a declaration that no AI was used in the creation of a product, etc. It could be anything where there are differing preferences, and a broader impact on the social perception of those preferences,” he says.

In This Story

Yi Cao

Topics

Accounting - Costello

ESG - Costello

Entrepreneurship - Costello

Costello Research Sustainable Operations

Costello College of Business Faculty Research

Research

Sustainability

entrepreneurship

Costello Flex MBA program

Costello MBA alum leads the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting into the future

Katelynn C Hipolito — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:39:08 +0000

Costello MBA alum leads the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting into the future Katelynn C Hipolito Fri, 08/07/2026 - 11:39

At the beginning of 2026, Mike Derrios, MBA ’06, returned home to the Costello College of Business at 911�� as the executive director of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting.

Mike Derrios, MBA ’06, Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting Executive Director. Photo provided by Mike Derrios.

Bringing 30 years of experience across military, federal government, and private-sector organizations, he saw it as an ideal opportunity to strengthen the workforce, enhance the relationship between government and industry, and expand outreach. As Derrios explains, “We have the opportunity to inform and influence value-added offerings that can help the community reach better outcomes.”

Paramount to Derrios’s decision to take the job was the remarkable experience he had in the Costello MBA program and how it empowered him to take the next steps in his career. “The caliber of the professors and the curriculum set me up for success and gave me the tools that I needed to step into senior executive roles on the government side,” he says.

After separating from the United States Air Force, where he got his start in procurement, Derrios had hit a wall. In need of developing a business background, he turned to Costello, where he immediately felt that the faculty members understood the notion of service and his purpose for pursuing an MBA. “This university smiles on veterans and gives them the opportunity to advance,” he says.

“We have the opportunity to inform and influence value-added offerings that can help the community reach better outcomes.”

— Mike Derrios, MBA ’06, Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting Executive Director

Now, with attrition on both the government and industry sides of the acquisition workforce, Derrios is seizing the opportunity for the Baroni Center to help fill the gap. “We’ve added about 1,200 new people to our contact list, and that’s just from a couple of webinars that we’ve done so far,” he says. “And we’ve published several research papers so far this year that are laser-focused on highly relevant topics.” The center is continuing to expand education and training opportunities for professionals to upskill and advance their careers.

Since graduating, Derrios has witnessed the incredible growth of both the university and the business college, extending their impact and elevating their reputations across the country and around the world. With that growth, he sees increasing opportunities to broaden the Baroni Center’s reach and deepen its influence. Valued by policymakers across the political spectrum for its objective and nonpartisan viewpoints, the center is being consulted by senior government officials on new policy.

Along with reaching out from campus, the Baroni Center is also looking inward. “We brought people in for a storytelling event,” says Derrios. “And we’re going to actually bring those storytellers back to talk to students in the fall. We’ve got 40,000 brilliant minds on our campuses, and we want to connect some of them with people in government and industry to explore viable career paths. 911�� really has the potential to create a strong candidate pool for the future workforce.”

While the center will continue to devote significant attention to the defense market, Derrios plans to expand its focus on the civilian sector, launching new flagship events designed to convene leaders around research, innovation, and thought leadership.

After the Costello MBA helped transform his career, Derrios is eager to give back to his alma mater, continuing to elevate and expand the influence and impact of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting and connecting policy with practice.

Topics

Costello MBA program

Costello Online MBA program

Costello College of Business Alumni

Center for Government Contracting News

The Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting

Costello Online MBA program

Alumni

Military

Learn more about Mason Alumni

Costello MBA Executive Mentoring Program bridges experience and aspiration

Katelynn C Hipolito — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:13:50 +0000

Costello MBA Executive Mentoring Program bridges experience and aspiration Katelynn C Hipolito Fri, 08/07/2026 - 11:13

When Q Miceli saw that the Costello College of Business at 911�� was offering the Executive Mentoring Program as part of the Costello MBA, she was all in. “I had just hit a point in my career where I started supervising more people and really wanted to get some perspective,” she says.

Q Miceli, Costello MBA Student. Photo provided by Q Miceli.

Cynthia “Cindi” Stuebner, MBA ’99, had recently left full-time employment to start a small business consulting firm for part-time work. “My experience at 911��, getting my MBA, was really valuable and very positive,” says Stuebner.

Miceli and Stuebner were matched through the MBA Executive Mentoring Program, which connects high-achieving Costello MBA students with accomplished C-suite executives who are Costello and 911�� alumni.

The program was developed and is run as a partnership between the Costello MBA and the Costello Alumni Chapter based on a mentoring program that Brad Stein, MBA ’94, had implemented at his company several years ago. The MBA program matches the mentors and mentees according to the professional needs, interests, and aspirations of the student.

“Cindi’s range of experience and the senior roles that she’s held—she’s been able to share with me all kinds of really valuable stories, anecdotes, and insights into how to be successful as a female executive, particularly when you are the only woman in the room or the highest-ranking woman in the room, and how to show up with a professional presence at meetings.”

— Q Miceli, Costello MBA Student

Cynthia “Cindi” Stuebner, MBA ’99. Photo provided by Cynthia “Cindi” Stuebner.

“Our Costello College of Business Alumni Chapter comprises alums with vast experience across a wide range of industries and a steadfast commitment to supporting our Costello students,” says Stein. “It has been a pleasure working with the MBA program leadership to put this MBA Executive Mentoring Program together and to see the impact our alums have on the professional lives of our MBA students."

Stein says the program has evolved and expanded significantly since the fall 2025 pilot. "We expect continued growth as we demonstrate increasing value to our MBA candidates," says Stein. "Our alumni are prepared to support and sustain this momentum.”

Rob Shaffer, who was completing a mix of online and in-person classes, really wanted to make sure he was taking advantage of everything that the MBA program had to offer. “I joined the MBA program to improve my soft skills and my ability to deal with people, and I really felt the mentoring program would be a great way to get some of the extracurricular benefits of the MBA program,” he says.

Shaffer was paired with Peter Conlon, Executive MBA ’96, who credits the Costello College of Business with changing the trajectory of his career. “I owe a great debt to the place, so I wanted to give back,” says Conlon.

At least once a month, the 10 mentor–mentee pairs met to share experiences, ask questions, and work through challenges together. To ensure productive conversations, students determined the discussion topics in advance, allowing their mentors to come prepared for each meeting.

Rob Shaffer, Costello MBA Student. Photo provided by Rob Shaffer.

Despite the differences in their ages and experience levels, Stuebner and Miceli found that they approached their work in remarkably similar ways.

“Cindi’s range of experience and the senior roles that she’s held—she’s been able to share with me all kinds of really valuable stories, anecdotes, and insights into how to be successful as a female executive, particularly when you are the only woman in the room or the highest-ranking woman in the room, and how to show up with a professional presence at meetings,” says Miceli.

One situation in particular was causing Miceli considerable concern. She began to question whether a direct report she had hired was the right fit and was unsure how to address it. Turning to Stuebner, she received practical, actionable advice that helped her navigate and ultimately resolve the issue.

After recently transitioning to a larger, international company, an environment quite different from what he was accustomed to, Shaffer benefited from Conlon’s big-picture perspective as he worked through unfamiliar challenges at work.

“I have a folder full of notes from some of Peter’s wisdom because I want to remember and be able to go back and look through the different insights he shared,” he says. “It is very nice to have somebody to talk to, to let you know you’re not crazy sometimes.”

Peter Conlon, EMBA ’96. Photo provided by Peter Conlon.

Conlon was cognizant of what his role as a mentor meant; he was there to help Shaffer become more comfortable in his role. “A mentor—you gotta listen,” he says. “That’s probably the number one skill.” Besides giving back and helping others, many mentors find that the program has helped their own careers and lives as they reflect on their own experiences and gain new perspectives. “It’s just been extremely rewarding and has given me more optimism about what I can still contribute,” says Stuebner.

Complementing a rigorous curriculum led by inspiring and knowledgeable faculty, the range of resources offered by the Costello MBA is designed to cultivate well-rounded leaders. Students benefit from mentors who bring deep professional expertise and a shared foundation as alumni, providing the support, clarity, and confidence needed to navigate their leadership paths successfully.

"At the Costello MBA, we continually strive to innovate across the full student experience by emphasizing learning that happens inside the classroom through market-responsive courses and stackable credentials, outside the classroom through experiential and hands-on learning, and beyond coursework through structured opportunities that support personal and professional growth,” says Ioannis Bellos, director of the Costello MBA program. “By building on the ecosystem of a large public university and 911��’s extensive alumni footprint in the region, these initiatives create a distinctive advantage for our students."

In This Story

Ioannis Bellos

Topics

Costello MBA program

Costello Flex MBA

Costello MBA Executive Mentoring Program

Costello College of Business Alumni

Costello College of Business Students

Alumni

Serving up success: Camryn Weldon’s internship with Leidos

Katarina Benson — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:55:05 +0000

Serving up success: Camryn Weldon’s internship with Leidos Katarina Benson Wed, 07/15/2026 - 09:55

Like many 911�� students, business major Camryn Weldon is spending her summer doing an internship. Unlike many other students, Weldon is also a Division I athlete and is balancing her work at government contractor Leidos with the demands of collegiate volleyball. The 911�� setter is spending her summer preparing for the upcoming season while gaining valuable experience in business development.

Weldon, junior and business major, is also a setter on the 911�� volleyball team. Photo provided

"I spent last summer here as a business development intern, helping the business secure their current contracts and allowing them to grow and expand into other areas," Weldon said. "I'm back this year supporting federal financials—basically the pursuit of business in federal financial agencies, so like the FTC, the Treasury."

Weldon has found that her coursework directly supports her professional ambitions.

"I'm a business major and my concentration is finance," she said. "[This internship has] been really good exposure, and it's allowed me to understand what it actually looks like. It's easy to get your degree and think that you're going to be interested in something, and then it's a whole another thing to be doing it every day and know what you want in a career."

Her academic background has enhanced her understanding of the technical side of the business. "Last summer I didn't really understand what all of the different aspects of IT services meant," she said. "[But this past year] one of my operations courses talked a lot about IT infrastructure and how all that stuff works, and so that really prepared me to understand the types of services Leidos provides."

Weldon credits her experience as a student-athlete for helping her excel in the professional world. The confidence she's built on the court translates seamlessly into the workplace.

"I think being comfortable speaking to people in positions of power is a really valuable skill. Interns are usually pretty scared to talk to people, but I've had to talk to adults on the phone since I was getting recruited in high school," she said.

"I've gotten great feedback from my manager. He told me that he can tell I'm a natural leader. Being put in positions of leadership because of my past experience as a student-athlete and previous summer internship allowed me to feel comfortable enough to let my leadership skills show."

Her competitive drive also finds a home in business development. "Business development is a competitive environment—which is nothing new to me," Weldon said.

Even while interning, Weldon remains committed to volleyball—though this summer has come with its own set of challenges. "I would say that's the most difficult part of having an internship is figuring out how to do it all," she said. "I'm definitely working to stay in shape, going to physical therapy when I can and staying mobile.”

As she heads into another year balancing athletics and work, Weldon is optimistic about her future in both arenas. "I'm looking to get a job here after graduation," she said. Whether she's leading on the court or in the conference room, Weldon continues to prove that the skills she's developed as a student-athlete are preparing her for whatever comes next.

Learn about Internships at 911��

Topics

Student Athlete

Mason Athletics