The Love School of Business is one of 208 schools included on the unranked annual list, which is based on surveys of business school administrators and MBA students.

The program earned its for faculty teaching and availability. Students gave ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ a 97 for the quality of its professors as teachers and a 96 for faculty accessibility outside the classroom.

ā€œOur faculty set a high standard for teaching while remaining deeply invested in each studentā€™s success,ā€ said Haya Ajjan, dean of the Love School of Business. ā€œThey bring strong academic and professional experience into the classroom, challenge students to grow and make themselves available beyond class. That combination is central to the ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ MBA experience.ā€

The Princeton Review selected the programs using data collected in 2025ā€“26 from administrators at 245 schools offering on-campus MBA programs and more than 24,250 students. More than 60 data points were considered, including academics, faculty, career services, technology, campus life and student satisfaction.

The Princeton Reviewā€™s of the Love School of Business highlights the MBA programā€™s flexible format, small class sizes and supportive environment. Students surveyed for the profile praised the programā€™s leadership focus, accessible professors and options for working professionals.

Students also noted that professors are willing to meet outside class and bring professional experience into their courses.

About the MBA program

The Master of Business Administration program is designed for professionals who want to strengthen their business knowledge and leadership skills while continuing to work.

The program offers full- and part-time options, small classes and close access to faculty. Students also receive advising and career support throughout the program.

Applications are reviewed throughout the year for fall, winter and spring enrollment.

The case, ā€œā€ focuses on Grupo Los Danzantes as the company considers whether to launch a lower-cost mezcal line to remain competitive in an increasingly crowded global spirits market.

The proposed line, Encantado, could help the company reach broader international audiences and respond to distributor needs. But the move also raises questions about whether expansion could weaken the brandā€™s artisanal identity, cultural mission and long-standing relationships with producers.

The case asks students to weigh the strategic, operational and cultural trade-offs of growth within a mission-centered organization. Students must consider whether Destileria Los Danzantes should pursue category expansion or preserve its differentiated identity amid industry pressures.

The case was published by Harvard Business School through Harvard Business Publishing with co-authors James Riley and David G. Fubini at Harvard Business School and Bernal Cortes.

Harvard Business Publishing case studies are used by business educators to bring real-world decision-making into undergraduate, MBA and executive education programs.

Cerecedo Lopez joined ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ in Fall 2024. Lopezā€™s teaching and research focus on organizational theory, entrepreneurship and strategy, with particular interest in how individuals make decisions under uncertainty.

The research, ā€œā€ looks at how perceptions of inclusion and acceptance in residential communities carry into the workplace.

Using survey responses from 151 employees at a U.S.-based manufacturing company, the researchers found that employees who viewed their communities as more inclusive reported greater psychological safety at work. That sense of psychological safety not only inspires the confidence to express the oneā€™s true self at work but is also linked to a stronger intent to stay with their organization.

Key findings:

• Community experiences carry into the workplace. Employees who perceived their communities as more inclusive reported greater psychological safety at work.
• Psychological safety is linked to retention. Employees who felt psychologically safe reported stronger intent to stay.
• Support from inclusive communities may also help when workplaces are perceived as less supportive. The connection between community inclusion and psychological safety was strongest among employees who viewed their organizationā€™s diversity climate as less supportive.

The research is also part of discussions in Singhā€™s Organizational Behavior and DEI courses at ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ.

ā€œIt serves as a great way to help students understand that employeesā€™ perceptions regarding organizational culture and inclusion are not confined to the workplace alone but are shaped by larger societal contexts,ā€ Singh said. ā€œI incorporate these discussions in my classroom to encourage students to think about how leaders can create psychologically safe environments and how organizations can engage with communities to support inclusion and employee retention.ā€

The study was co-authored with Sarthak Singh of Sheldon B. Lubar College of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and T.T. Selvarajan of the College of Business and Economics at California State University, East Bay and published in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.

Singh, who joined ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ in 2017, teaches courses in organizational behavior, human resource management and business ethics. His research has appeared in leading journals, including the Journal of Organizational Behavior, the Journal of Business Ethics and Human Resource Management.

The co-authored article, ā€œ,ā€ looks at entrepreneurship beyond traditional business measures such as profit, growth and market opportunity.

It asks how religious beliefs and practices may shape the way entrepreneurs understand risk, make decisions, build organizations and define success. The research also considers how entrepreneurship may affect religious organizations and communities, making the relationship more complex than religion simply influencing business.

Key Highlights:

• Religion may shape entrepreneurship at multiple points, from how entrepreneurs recognize opportunities and judge risk to how they seek funding, respond to uncertainty and define success.
• Different religious traditions and practices may influence entrepreneurs in different ways. The article notes research connected to Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism and other traditions, while cautioning that religion should not be treated as one single influence. Religious practice can also vary within the same religion.
• The article introduces a framework showing how religious beliefs and practices may overlap with entrepreneurial thinking and action. Religious beliefs may shape how entrepreneurs think about opportunity, while religious practices may shape how they build relationships, access resources or run organizations.
• The relationship may work both ways. Religion may shape entrepreneurship, but entrepreneurship may also shape religious organizations, practices and communities.
• Future research could look more closely at how religious entrepreneurs measure success beyond profit, including financial, social, psychological and spiritual outcomes.

ā€œThis research helps students think more carefully about how religion and faith can shape entrepreneursā€™ motivations, decisions, relationships and definitions of success,ā€ said Cerecedo Lopez. ā€œThat is especially relevant for students in the inaugural Love School of Business Summer Business Institute, who are serving as consultants for Hustle USA, a non-denominational, faith-based entrepreneurial support organization launching in Charlotte.ā€

The article was published in Entrepreneurship & Regional Development with co-authors Chris Welter and Brett Smith at Miami University Ohio, Amanda Lawson at the University of Cincinnati and David Townsend at Virginia Tech.

Cerecedo Lopez joined ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ in Fall 2024. Lopezā€™s teaching and research focus on organizational theory, entrepreneurship and strategy, with particular interest in how individuals make decisions under uncertainty.

That question brought together students, professionals, community members and local government leaders for the Charlotte Decision Challenge, hosted through ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ’s Master of Science in Business Analytics Flex program in partnership with the City of Charlotte.

Guided throughout the day by Lakeisha Vance, assistant teaching professor of business analytics, and Vinayaka Gude, assistant professor of business analytics, participants worked in teams using real data and a custom analytics platform to explore potential impacts along the proposed Red Line corridor and develop recommendations aimed at supporting businesses and communities as growth continues across the region.

“One of the strengths of the MSBA Flex program is the opportunity to bring together industry partners, community leaders and learners from a variety of backgrounds to tackle real challenges,” said Mark Kurt, associate dean of curriculum and academic programming at the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. “Partnerships like this allow us to apply analytics in ways that extend beyond the classroom and support the communities we serve.”

For city leaders, the challenge offered an opportunity to bring new voices into conversations that will help shape Charlotte’s future.

“As city leaders, we have to constantly ask ourselves who’s not here and who’s impacted by the decisions we’re making,ā€ said Charlitta Hatch, deputy chief information officer and chief data and analytics officer for the City of Charlotte. ā€œBringing students, professionals and community members into that process helps us see challenges from new perspectives.”

Between July 2024 and July 2025, Charlotte added more residents than any other city in the nation. Ā Transportation infrastructure will play an important role in supporting that growth. As city leaders look toward future transit investments, they are also looking closely at lessons learned from previous transit projects and how those experiences can inform future decisions.

The proposed Red Line will bring commuter rail service to communities north of Charlotte, including Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson. Throughout the challenge, participants looked to experiences from Charlotte’s existing Blue Line light rail system and explored themes including business ownership, entrepreneurship and economic mobility.

For Jackie Tynan, data analytics manager for the City of Charlotte, that combination of perspectives is exactly what makes partnerships like this valuable.

“The students here today are a different generation than those in leadership making the decisions,” Tynan said. “By including the voices of our future in the decisions, we can build stronger outcomes that reflect what matters most to them and better prepare them for whatā€™s ahead. ”

Hatch described universities as “community think tanks” and emphasized the value of collaboration between higher education and local government.

“The partnerships are critical because we are limited in what we know and what we can do,” Hatch said. “The breadth that you have, from researchers to practitioners to emerging talent, really helps us make sure we are recommending the best solutions for our community.”

By the end of the event, participants had transformed publicly available data into recommendations for one of Charlotte’s most important future infrastructure projects, demonstrating the role collaboration can play in shaping stronger communities.

“It makes me hopeful about what a larger group can do over a longer period of time,” Tynan said.

Developed in collaboration with the City of Charlotte, the challenge focuses on how local businesses and communities may be affected as the proposed Red Line corridor moves forward. Participants will work in teams to explore real data, uncover insights and develop practical recommendations that can help city leaders better understand potential impacts and identify opportunities for support.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ in Charlotte, located at 330 W. Tremont Avenue. No coding, programming or analytics experience is required.

ā€œThe Charlotte Decision Challenge reflects the kind of work our MSBA Flex program is designed to support,ā€ said Mark Kurt, associate dean for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. ā€œParticipants will have the opportunity to use data in a practical, accessible way while contributing ideas that can support real decision-making in the Charlotte community.ā€

Individuals and teams are welcome to participate. The event is designed for anyone interested in business, analytics, public policy, economic development, transportation, community engagement or civic problem solving.

Breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be provided at no cost.

ā€œI was always told going abroad would change you as a person, but I never knew that feeling was real,ā€ said McDermott, a marketing and international business major from Newburyport, Mass. ā€œIf you had asked me three years ago where I thought Iā€™d be, studying in Australia and working in Singapore would have never crossed my mind.ā€

This spring, the second-year class in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Businessā€™s Business Fellows program studied abroad together through a new Asia-Pacific semester experience. The program began with coursework in Sydney, Australia, continued with a week in Vietnam and concluded with full-time internships in Singapore.

In Sydney, students took courses in management, marketing, operations and supply chain, and Australian life and culture. They then traveled to Vietnam for company meetings, lectures from local faculty and cultural activities before beginning internship placements in Singapore through Global Academic Ventures.

For McDermott, the semesterā€™s first weeks in Australia helped her build confidence in unfamiliar settings.

ā€œBy immersing myself in the culture, I found an increase in my confidence levels,ā€ McDermott said. ā€œI became more independent, more willing to take risks and more open-minded in situations that once would have felt daunting.ā€

Her internship in Singapore also challenged her expectations. McDermott expected more content creation work, but her early assignments focused on writing scripts for a developing podcast.

ā€œI learned that not every professional experience will fit perfectly into my expectations, and growth often comes from the assignments that challenge me the most,ā€ McDermott said.

Eli Karpas ā€™28, a finance major from Houston, Texas, chose the program because he wanted to explore a part of the world he had never experienced.

ā€œI chose this program because I wanted to explore Asia, a new area of the world Iā€™ve never been to,ā€ Karpas said.

While in Australia, Karpas said he embraced the daily rhythm of Sydney, from morning runs along Bondi Beach to afternoons at beachside cafes after class. The semester also gave him opportunities to travel beyond Sydney, including Fiji, Tasmania and New Zealand.

ā€œI didnā€™t expect there to be so many opportunities to travel outside of Sydney,ā€ Karpas said.

In Singapore, Karpas worked as an investment analyst at a boutique private advisory firm.

ā€œI was thrown into real work from day one,ā€ Karpas said. ā€œI reviewed and created pitch decks for fund managers, built market maps, wrote about global events affecting private markets and attended a conference on artificial intelligence in the workforce.ā€

Olivia Gover ā€™28, a marketing major from Stamford, Conn., said her internship helped her better understand cross-cultural communication. Working with colleagues from a variety of cultural and professional backgrounds, she learned how strongly workplace communication depends on patience, curiosity and mutual understanding.

ā€œNot only was I able to build a deeper connection with the people I work with, but I also gained new global knowledge,ā€ Gover said.

Some of that learning happened in everyday moments. Coworkers taught her local expressions, shared food during lunch and asked questions about life in the United States.

ā€œThis showed me how a well-rounded work environment requires mutual understanding of one another, allowing relationships to build,ā€ Gover said.

For Parker Forgash ā€™28, an entrepreneurship major from Laguna Beach, Calif., the internship showed him the difference between classroom confidence and professional readiness.

ā€œThere was a version of me from before this semester who thought he was pretty prepared,ā€ Forgash said. ā€œHe had taken the finance courses, written the case studies, and could talk about markets with enough fluency to feel confident in a classroom.ā€

That confidence was tested when Forgash received an open-ended research assignment early in his internship. With no template and a real deadline, he had to analyze unfamiliar markets, organize his findings and work through uncertainty.

ā€œDelivering that report was the first moment I felt like I was actually contributing something real, not just completing an assignment for a grade,ā€ Forgash said.

By the end of the semester, the experience had changed how students understood themselves as learners and future professionals.

ā€œIf I were sitting in an interview, I would want an employer to know that I am someone who can easily adapt, communicate effectively, and be placed outside my comfort zone,ā€ McDermott said. ā€œThis abroad experience has shaped me as a student today and the professional I hope to become.ā€

Teza shares what she hopes to accomplish in her new role and how ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ students can benefit.

How would you describe your career path?

My career path consists of a series of lateral and advancement roles that provided exposure to multiple facets of the apparel industry. These positions prepared me to lead several market-leading brands, develop strong teams and implement transformation across complex regional and global businesses.

What does serving as an Executive in Residence at the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business mean to you?

I am excited to mentor and guide the next generation of leaders. I look forward to translating classroom learning into real-world scenarios and creating professional pathways through networking, internship opportunities and exposure to different industries.

What kinds of conversations and experiences do you hope to create for ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ students during your time on campus?

I look forward to meaningful conversations regarding leadership, insights into managing domestic and global businesses and how students can create a pathway to finding a career in which they will thrive.

What perspectives from your work in global consumer brands are you most excited to share with ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ students?

Leading a winning global brand combines emotional brand equity, operational scale and local execution. Managing global teams is both challenging and rewarding; it is critical to be well-versed in regional cultures to maximize employee engagement, create consistency in brand positioning and delight consumers.

What advice would you offer students who are interested in leading teams or managing large, complex organizations?

Leading a large organization requires the alignment of people, capital and processes to deliver results at scale. Aligning on priorities, building strong teams, operational excellence, constant communication, establishing decision-making rights and protecting a culture are the foundational blocks for success.

Beyond your rƩsumƩ, what should people know about you and what you enjoy outside of work?

My primary focus is my family and making the most out of every day. My husband and I travel extensively to explore off-the-beaten-path locations, and we have a passion for boating, pickleball and golf. We enjoy spending time with our three children as they navigate their own career and life journeys, and we continue to coach people and businesses to help them maximize their potential.

She will also tell you Edison, New Jersey, her hometown, has a tower honoring Thomas Edison. She has visited once.

ā€œIt was electric,ā€ Carlsen joked.

That quick humor is part of what makes Carlsen easy to talk to. But underneath the wit is a student-athlete with a clear sense of purpose, a sharp analytical mind and a deep interest in work that keeps people at the center.

Carlsen came to ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ with one season of volleyball eligibility, a public health background and a question she was still working through: What comes next?

The answer, as it turned out, involved a familiar coach, a new team and a graduate program that helped her see how data could support the kind of mission-driven work she had always cared about.

Carlsen, a Master of Science in Business Analytics student, earned undergraduate degrees in public health and environmental science from Johns Hopkins University. She had spent much of her academic and professional experience drawn to work with a clear purpose, especially in public health and environmental science.

ā€œWhat stayed consistent for me was wanting to do work that felt mission-driven,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œI wanted to be part of work that had a clear purpose and could make a meaningful difference for people.ā€

After completing her undergraduate degree, Carlsen was considering her next step when she reconnected with Matt Troy, who had coached her at Johns Hopkins and was named ĀŅĀ׏Óʵā€™s head volleyball coach in December 2024.

Carlsen still had one year of athletic eligibility remaining after an injury earlier in her college career, and Troy saw an opportunity for her to help shape a new chapter for ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ volleyball.

For Carlsen, the possibility of coming to ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ was about more than playing one more season.

ā€œI knew I wanted to continue my education eventually, but I wanted it to feel purposeful,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œThe MSBA program felt like something I could fully invest in.ā€

Carlsen said the one-year structure, technical focus and support for students from different academic backgrounds made the program feel like the right fit. She saw it as a way to build the skills she wanted while staying connected to work that keeps people at the center.

ā€œHopkins gave me a strong foundation,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œAt ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ, I saw an opportunity to build on that with technical skills that would help me become a stronger employee and decision-maker.ā€

Carlsen found that ĀŅĀ׏Óʵā€™s MSBA curriculum paired technical skills with practical application. In one trimester, she studied Python and Tableau in Assistant Professor Long Xiaā€™s data visualization course while also taking ā€œBusiness for the Greater Goodā€ with Associate Professor Elena Kennedy.

For Carlsen, the pairing helped her understand analytics as more than numbers or software. It was also about how information is shared, understood and used.

ā€œYouā€™re getting the technical foundations,ā€ Carlsen said, ā€œbut also learning how to translate those findings in a way that is ethical and makes sense to other stakeholders.ā€

That connection became clearer through her internship with Cone Health, where she worked on patient experience projects. The role helped her see how health care organizations can use data to identify gaps in care, understand patient experiences and make more informed decisions.

ā€œI got to work on a whole bunch of different projects and figure out how every part of health care touches patient experience,ā€ Carlsen said.

The experience helped confirm the direction she hopes to pursue after graduation.

ā€œIdeally, it would be a role that is people-centric, but also uses analytics to make decisions and hopefully make their lives better,ā€ Carlsen said.

Carlsenā€™s ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ experience also helped her understand leadership in a new way.

In a course taught by Brittany Mercado, associate professor of management and chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Carlsen examined her own leadership style, practiced negotiation and worked through real-world scenarios involving conflict, influence and decision-making.

The timing was meaningful. She was coming off her final collegiate volleyball season and beginning to think about how the leadership skills she had built as an athlete could translate into professional settings.

ā€œIt was a class based on identifying your own leadership strategies and the way that you lead,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œIt was very tangible.ā€

Carlsen said Mercado brought leadership concepts to life by creating a discussion-based environment where students could connect course material to their own experiences.

ā€œYou can lecture all day long about leadership,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œBut what made the class meaningful was the way she shared real examples and encouraged us to think about how leadership shows up in our own lives.ā€

Carlsen had spent more than a decade learning those lessons on the volleyball court.

She began playing around age 11 after watching her older sister play. She was drawn to the communication, shared responsibility and constant movement of the sport.

ā€œThere are six of you on the court. Everyone is touching the ball at some point,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œEverything is a team effort.ā€

At Johns Hopkins, Carlsen competed on a successful Division III team that regularly reached the NCAA tournament, including a Final Four appearance during her senior season. At ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ, she stepped into something different: a new team, a new coaching staff

For Carlsen, coming to ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ was never about stepping into an established program. It was about being invited into one.

“Coach Troy gave me an opportunity I will always be grateful for,” Carlsen said. “I got to come here, work alongside an incredible group of players and help build something we could all be proud of. And I got to do it while getting an education that genuinely changed how I think. I couldn’t have asked for more than that.”

One of Carlsenā€™s favorite ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ volleyball memories came at Towson, the CAA leader that entered the weekend on an 18-match winning streak.

After dropping the opening match of the weekend, the ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ team came back the next day with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

“When you’re building something new, there’s a freedom to it. Every match is a chance to show people, and yourself, what you’re capable of,ā€ she said.

The Phoenix pushed Towson to five sets and won the final set 17-15, snapping the Tigersā€™ winning streak and giving ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ its first win over Towson since 2022.

ā€œIt felt really good to beat someone that hadnā€™t been beaten in a long time,ā€ Carlsen said.

That same mix of grit, humor and initiative carried through her graduate year. Carlsen moved to ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ knowing Coach Troy and almost no one else. The cohort structure of the MSBA program helped change that. Students took classes together, worked through the same challenges and built friendships through the intensity of a one-year graduate program.

A January study abroad experience in Madrid and Milan became a turning point for the cohort. The group visited companies, learned about international business practices and spent enough time together outside the classroom to become more than classmates.

ā€œYouā€™re going out to dinner, youā€™re exploring a city, youā€™re in it together,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œThat was the point where we were all like, ā€˜Why not be friends?ā€™ā€

The trip also gave Carlsen a broader view of how culture shapes business. In Spain, the group met with a U.S. commercial diplomat who discussed adapting to a more relationship-driven business culture. In Italy, students learned about the significance of ā€œMade in Italyā€ goods and the role of craftsmanship, pace and cultural identity in business.

For a student interested in how decisions are made, the experience reinforced that analytics does not exist in a vacuum. Data helps people make choices, but those choices are always shaped by context.

Carlsen also found support through the Porter Family Professional Development Center, especially from Amanda Traugutt, senior associate director of career services ā€“ Love School of Business.

Carlsen reached out shortly after moving to ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ, bringing what she described as ā€œa ton of really big ideasā€ about life after graduation. Traugutt helped her narrow them down, polish application materials and think more intentionally about possible career paths.

ā€œShe will walk with you where you are, but a few steps ahead to help lead you in the right direction,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œSheā€™s your biggest cheerleader.ā€

As graduation approaches, Carlsen is looking forward to sharing the moment with the people who understand what the year required. The MSBA program is fast, intense and, for Carlsen, layered with practices, lifts, games, travel, classes and an internship.

Her advice to future students is simple: take initiative.

ā€œThe best things that have come up for me have been direct products or byproducts of taking initiative,ā€ Carlsen said.

That includes building relationships with professors, using career resources, connecting with classmates, and paying attention to the opportunities that appear along the way.

ā€œI didnā€™t come in with a business background,ā€ Carlsen said. ā€œBut I am leaving more confident in my ability to hold my ground in conversations about business and analytics.ā€

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What started as a conversation between friends in ĀŅĀ׏Óʵā€™s dining hall has grown into a startup venture with roots in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Bernardo Vargas-Lopez ā€™26, a sport management major from Austin, Texas, and Juan Daniel Chiriboga ā€™26, an entrepreneurship major from Quito, Ecuador, are developing , a plant-based energy drink inspired by guayusa, a leaf long used by Indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The idea first took shape after the two friends traveled to Ecuador during Thanksgiving break in 2024 and visited the Amazon rainforest.

ā€œWe came back from visiting the Amazon forest and were just talking through the trip,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said. ā€œThatā€™s when the idea came out. What if we took one of those plants and built a drink around it?ā€

From that early conversation, the idea quickly became something more serious. The two students began researching the beverage industry, speaking with community members in Ecuador, gathering feedback from mentors and testing whether the concept could become a real business.

For Chiriboga and Vargas-Lopez, YAPA has become more than a passion project. It has also become a way to explore how entrepreneurship can connect product development, cultural learning and long-term impact.

Building a business from the ground up

As they began shaping the company, the pair focused on a growing interest in cleaner, more transparent beverage options.

ā€œI think the issue we were looking at was the energy drink industry and what a lot of those products contain,ā€ Chiriboga said. ā€œWe saw people looking more for clean-label, natural ingredients and more transparency in what they consume.ā€

That focus helped define YAPAā€™s early direction. The students describe the drink as plant-based and made without preservatives, with an emphasis on ingredient transparency and product quality.

The companyā€™s name also reflects that approach. In Ecuador, ā€œyapaā€ refers to a small extra that someone gives you, something unexpected and added with generosity. The students say that the idea shaped both the brand name and the kind of experience they hope to create.

ā€œItā€™s a little extra you were not expecting,ā€ Chiriboga said. ā€œThat is what we want the product to feel like.ā€

Turning that idea into a business, however, has required far more than product vision. The students have spent months navigating sourcing, formulation, packaging, shipping and compliance, all while balancing the demands of college life.

ā€œThe biggest thing is persistence,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said. ā€œWe could have stopped a long time ago, but we just kept going.ā€

They also made an early decision to prioritize product quality, even when that meant making tougher financial choices.

ā€œWe decided there were a few strategic points where we would not go for lower quality,ā€ Chiriboga said. ā€œStarting from ingredients and sourcing, we were not going to sacrifice what the product stands for.ā€

Learning through mentorship and hands-on experience

Both students say their experience in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business helped them approach the company with more confidence and curiosity.

They pointed to classroom experiences and faculty connections as central to how they approached building the company, often working closely with professors including Sean McMahon, professor of entrepreneurship, Elena Kennedy, associate professor of entrepreneurship, and Brittany Mercado, associate professor of management and chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship.

ā€œThe ability to communicate clearly with people who know a lot more than we do has been huge,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said. ā€œThe Love School of Business does an amazing job of making professors approachable.ā€

That accessibility changed how they engaged with their coursework and mentors.

ā€œThere are professors that Iā€™ve ended up talking to just because I saw them in the hallway,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said. ā€œTheyā€™ll come up to you, ask what youā€™re working on and start giving advice. You donā€™t feel intimidated asking questions.ā€

As the idea for YAPA developed, those conversations became more intentional.

ā€œWe started staying after class and asking more specific questions,ā€ Chiriboga said. ā€œThe professors would connect what we were learning directly to what we were building.ā€

Faculty feedback also helped refine the venture as it evolved.

ā€œWe donā€™t need people to just cheerlead,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said. ā€œWe need people who will tell us what worked, what didnā€™t and how to improve. Thatā€™s what has really helped us move forward.ā€

Their time studying abroad also played a role in shaping the venture, even as they were in different parts of the world.

ā€œHe was in Australia, and I was in Japan,ā€ Chiriboga said. ā€œWe couldnā€™t really work on operations, so the only thing we could do was talk to people.ā€

Instead of slowing progress, that shift pushed them to focus on learning.

ā€œWe talked to people in the jungle, we talked to people at big companies and we talked to mentors in finance,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said. ā€œWe were just trying to understand everything we could.ā€

ā€œWe were sponges during that time,ā€ Chiriboga added. ā€œWe just gathered as much information as we could.ā€

Those conversations helped them return with a clearer sense of direction.

ā€œWhen we came back, we had a better idea of what worked, what didnā€™t and what problems we needed to solve,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said.

Friendship at the center

At the heart of YAPA is not only a product idea, but also a partnership built on trust.

The two met during their first year at ĀŅĀ׏Óʵ and became close friends before ever becoming business partners, something they say has made navigating the ups and downs of building a company more manageable.

ā€œIf I cannot do something right now, I know Juan Daniel can do it, and vice versa,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said. ā€œThat trust was built before the business.ā€

That foundation has shaped how they approach both their work and their time as students.

ā€œWeā€™ve gotten really good at knowing when to talk business and when not to,ā€ Chiriboga said. ā€œIf itā€™s not working time, we try to focus on being friends and being present with other people.ā€

Living together has only strengthened that balance, allowing them to stay in sync while also setting boundaries.

ā€œItā€™s not always 50-50 all the time,ā€ Vargas-Lopez said. ā€œBut we know weā€™re in this together, and that makes it easier to handle everything that comes up.ā€

For Chiriboga, the partnership is one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.

ā€œI couldnā€™t be more grateful that my best friend is also my business partner,ā€ he said.

As they prepare to graduate, both say some of the biggest milestones are still ahead.

ā€œThe biggest one is getting the cans,ā€ Chiriboga said. ā€œThatā€™s when it becomes real, when you can actually hold the product and take that first sip.ā€

Even so, the process has already reshaped how they think about risk, learning and what it means to build something from scratch.

For other students considering a venture of their own, their advice is simple.

ā€œDonā€™t be afraid to start,ā€ Chiriboga said. ā€œIf you donā€™t believe in yourself, no one else will.ā€

Vargas-Lopez added that one of the most valuable lessons has been staying open to what others know.

ā€œUse your resources,ā€ he said. ā€œAsk questions. Learn from every conversation. We havenā€™t had a single meeting where we didnā€™t learn something.ā€