Five Full-Time MBA students at Chicago Booth have been named to the 2021 class of Siebel Scholars. Presented by the Redwood City, California-based Siebel Scholars Foundation, the annual award provides $35,000 scholarships to exceptional students at 16 top universities in the United States, China, France, Italy, and Japan.
Booth’s winners—David Hoogmoed, Erik Leiden, Dennis Shea, Aashna Singh, and Gary Zhu—are part of a distinguished class of 92 of the world’s top graduate students. Chosen on the basis of outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated leadership, scholars join a strong network of researchers and entrepreneurs.
“Every year, the Siebel Scholars continue to impress me with their commitment to academics and influencing future society,” said Thomas M. Siebel, chairman of the Siebel Scholars Foundation. “This year’s class is exceptional, and once again represents the best and brightest minds from around the globe who are advancing innovations in health care, artificial intelligence, the environment, and more.”
Michigan native David Hoogmoed earned his BBA at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and started his career as a management consultant with Accenture in New York. At Booth, he completed two internships in real-estate investing: one with a Chicago-based private equity firm and another with a company in Denver. He also serves on the Graduate Business Council and as co-chair of the Real Estate Group at Booth.
“I especially appreciate the network that comes with the Siebel Scholarship,” Hoogmoed said. “Several previous winners—not only from Booth but also from other schools across multiple disciplines—have already reached out to me with congratulations. I’m excited to be part of such a supportive community.”
A native of Ohio, Erik Leiden earned his bachelor’s degree at the Ohio State University and then served as director of operations for Best Delegate, an education startup that runs Model United Nations programs around the world. He said he chose Booth for its strengths as a quantitative powerhouse and appreciates Booth’s collaborative culture. After graduation he plans to join the Washington, DC, office of Boston Consulting Group.
“Being selected for the Siebel Scholarship was exciting,” Leiden said, “I see it as validation that I’m taking advantage of the full depth of academic experience Booth has to offer and maximizing what I can learn during these short two years.”
Dennis Shea hails from Darien, Connecticut, and graduated from Dartmouth University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He spent six years in Buffalo, New York, working for M&T Bank, primarily in the treasury division, before enrolling at Booth to prepare for a transition into investment management. At Booth, he serves as co-chair of the Investment Management Group and portfolio manager for the Student Managed Investment Fund. After Booth, he plans to return to Fidelity Investments in Boston, where he did an internship in equity research last summer.
“I’m extremely honored to have been selected as a Siebel Scholar,” Shea said. “What I’m most looking forward to is meeting and learning from the other scholars. I’ve already had a couple of scholars from prior years reach out to welcome me to the Siebel community, and it’s been amazing to make those connections.”
Raised in Delhi, India, Aashna Singh came to the United States to earn an undergraduate degree in computational finance and economics and statistics at Carnegie Mellon University. She started her career as a corporate debt trader for Deutsche Bank in New York before returning to India to explore distressed investing and venture capital. At Booth, she participated in the Turner MBA Impact Investing Network and Training (MIINT) competition and completed internships with a venture capital firm in Chicago and with Amazon.
“I was honored to have my hard work recognized with a Siebel Scholarship,” Singh said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to learn from bright, talented scholars from around the world. Even more than the scholarship funding, that community adds value.”
Gary Zhu grew up in Kingston, Rhode Island, and Natchitoches, Louisiana. After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in economics and mathematical methods in the social sciences, he joined the Chicago office of the management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, where he executed strategic and operational projects. At Booth, he has served as a LEAD facilitator and co-chair of Booth Boxing Club, among other activities. After Booth, he plans to return to Oliver Wyman to continue his career in consulting.
“It is an incredible privilege and honor to be named a Siebel Scholar,” Zhu said. “The monetary stipend affords me the opportunity to walk away from my Booth experience in solid financial standing. The network of Siebel Scholars includes so many distinguished individuals, and I am excited to tap into their experiences and wisdom as I continue to grow in my career.”
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