Meet Cristobal Cruz, a member of the U.S. Army`s 75th Ranger Regiment and a student in the Jenkins Online MBA program!

Cristobal joined the MBA program in 2024, knowing he was a few years out from military retirement and wanting to learn the language of business for his next chapter. He`s currently an instructional design specialist with the Army, where he`s already applies the knowledge and skills he gained from his analytics coursework.

“I don’t ever shy away from a good leadership opportunity," he says. "I’ve led nearly every group project I’ve been in, and have served as a program ambassador and McLauchlan Leadership Fellow, which was very rewarding.”

In particular, he learned how to adapt the direct communication style he learned in the military to business via a practicum with professor Donnie Hale. Cristobal led a four person team working with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, which required regular communication with stakeholders.

Cristobal expects to graduate with his MBA in December of 2026 and retire from military service in September 2027. “The exceptional leaders I’ve served with throughout my military career instilled in me a sense of service. In the MBA program, supporting my classmates and contributing to the cohort has been deeply rewarding—and a meaningful part of my success.”

@ncstatemvs …

Meet Veronika Becher, a Jenkins MBA student and a finalist for this year`s Leader of the Pack award!

Awarded since the early `90s, the Leader of the Pack program by Student Leadership and Engagement honors and recognizes students for outstanding contributions in leadership, scholarship and service. Veronika is an excellent example of this, and was recognized as a finalist in the middle of Carter-Finley Stadium last week.

Veronika grew up in Erkrath, Germany and has travelled internationally her whole life. At 15, she was a foreign exchange student in South Dakota. Years later, she came back to the United States via the International Business Dual Degree program between Poole College and ESB Business School, Reutlingen University. She rejoined NC State for her MBA, where she`s in her second year.

She is a Fulbright Scholar and a Caldwell Fellow. She also hosts The Identity Library, an acclaimed podcast for WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2, and is the vice president for specialty plants with the Pi Alpha Xi Horticulture Honor Society.

Veronika says that the most wonderful part of the awards process was getting to know the other finalists. "Eight people with completely different backgrounds, passions, and stories," she wrote on LinkedIn. "From advocacy and community service to healthcare, education, and international experiences, each person has found their own way to make a difference."

She also acknowledges how many tremendous people weren`t on the field with her: "The semifinalists, the students who applied but weren`t selected, and the many talented, passionate people who never even considered applying. There is so much talent, kindness, creativity, and dedication within our Wolfpack community that no award could ever fully capture. Recognition is wonderful, but it doesn`t define the impact we make."

She expresses gratitude to her mentors, friends, Caldwell Fellow colleagues and more.

"NC State became much more than the American half of my degree," she says, "it became where my worlds met and where I learned to turn curiosity into leadership, service, and community."

📸: Student Leadership and Engagement and Veronika Becher …