On Valentine’s Day, two MBAs are better than one

By: Katelyn Godoy
Photo of Sage Hall with a box of Valentine's Day chocolate

On Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating some of our Sage Hall couples! These students are pursuing their Johnson MBAs together—for better or worse. Ithaca, NY is a great place to study and grow relationships, and some students even grew their families this year. We love that there’s love within our Cornell MBA community.

Max and Marissa Grayfer, both Two-Year MBA ’18

Photo of Max and Marissa Grayfer
Photo of Max and Marissa Grayfer

“Going to business school together really made sense for us and has made these two years so much easier and more fulfilling. Because we’re going through the same process, we’re always there for each other for an impromptu mock interview, help with class, or adventure in Ithaca (or beyond!)”

Izumi Inoue and Yifan Chen, both Two-Year MBA ’18

Photo of Izumni and Yifan on a salt formation in the Israeli Dead Sea

“We really enjoy the time we spend together at Johnson, especially when we have an opportunity like the Israel Trek to explore another culture with our classmates. Here, we not only met each other but also met best friends for life.”

Shannon and Austin Boyle, Two-Year MBA ’18 and ’19

Photo of Austin and Shannon Boyle

“Working towards our MBAs together at Johnson has been one of the best experiences we have had together. After leaving the military, we knew that we wanted to transition to careers in business and that an MBA would best facilitate that transition. Attending Johnson was an easy choice for us since we wanted to live in a college town before eventually settling in a major city after graduation and because of Johnson’s close-knit community. It is because of how supportive Johnson’s community is that we have been able to not only both work towards our degrees simultaneously, but to also do so while having our first child, Rory, last December.”

Nan Zhou and Nicolas Bastiat, both Two-Year MBA ’19

Photo of Nan and Nicolas holding a #CornellMBA sign

“We are both from France and came to Johnson together because we wanted to make a career switch into Investment Banking. We chose Johnson because of its strong program in Investment Banking and most importantly, its tight-knit community. We went through the recruiting process together this fall for summer internships and having each other as a support really helped us to stay positive and succeed.”

Julia Zhu and Liam Li, both Two-Year MBA ’18

Photo of Liam Li and Julia Zhu

“We both wanted to pursue an advancement in our career and decided to experience the two years of unpredictability together. We were engaged during a trip right before school started. Having gone through intense recruitment and curriculum together at Johnson, it feels that our 5-year relationship has grown even stronger. We plan to get married after graduation in Bali!”

Button to learn more about Johnson's Two-Year MBA program in Ithaca