Elon seniors selected as 'Best & Brightest Business Majors' for 2019

Business education news outlet Poets & Quants has named Elon seniors Tanisha Gupta and Max Pivonka to its "Best & Brightest Business Majors" list for 2019. 

Poets & Quants annually highlights the accomplishments of seniors selected from the top 50 business schools in the country. In its most recent rankings, Poets & Quants ranked Elon's Martha and Spencer Love School of Business as No. 50 among the best undergraduate business schools in the country. 

“These students are the standard bearers and role models in their respective programs, chosen for their academic excellence, extracurricular leadership, personal character, and innate potential,” said Poets & Quants editor John Byrne.

Gupta, a finance major from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, will join Credit Suisse as an investment banking analyst after graduating in May. The Business Fellow has represented Elon in several case competitions including the McGill Management International Case Competition, CFA Institute Research Challenge and College Fed Challenge, and has served as the co-president of the Financial Management Association chapter and as a volunteer with The Village Project.

“I initially pursued business thinking it was black and white,” Gupta said of her biggest lesson gained from studying business. “I was surprised to discover that it is everything but that; it is more colorful than I could have imagined. One of the many reasons I chose to major in finance was because I didn’t picture it being a creative major, but I quickly realized that creativity is at the very core of business from navigating relationships to strategizing solutions for complex problems. I learned that there is not one solution to any problem; while there may be one answer for every formula, there are many formulas for every answer.”

Read Gupta’s full profile from Poets & Quants here. 

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Pivonka will join Goldman Sachs as a credit risk validation group analyst after graduating with degrees in finance and marketing (professional sales focus). Pivonka has served as student body treasurer in the Student Government Association and president of Men’s Club Volleyball, founded the Elon Investment Banking Club, and volunteered with the Special Olympics.

When asked what he enjoys most about the Love School of Business, Pivonka answered “the community.”

“Professor offices are located right next to student study and hangout spaces,” Pivonka said. “It is not uncommon to see students engaging in conversations with professors ranging from the earnings results and current events to happenings in sports and life philosophies. The students I’ve met in the Love School of Business are some of my best friends and the faculty are some of my most valued mentors. You can always count on students and faculty from the Love School of Business to be there for you.”

Read Pivonka’s full profile from Poets & Quants here.