Student Spotlight: Business Honors and Supply Chain Management Senior Maria Kariampuzha ’26

For Maria Kariampuzha, choosing Mays Business School was about far more than academics. She wanted an environment where her education would be matched by mentorship and values. Coming from a smaller school where teachers knew her personally, she worried about losing that connection at a large university. Instead, she found the opposite. “The professors here sit down with me, invest in me, and push me to grow,” says Kariampuzha, a business honors and supply chain management major. That intentionality, paired with the opportunities of the Business Honors program, made Mays the right choice.

Her perspective is shaped by her family’s journey. The daughter of immigrants from India and Kenya, she reflects often on the sacrifices her parents made to give her and her siblings opportunities. For her, the greatest value of Mays lies not in rankings but in the culture it fosters.

“What can’t be measured is a person’s ability to live with integrity and lead well,” she says.

That culture shows up most clearly in the way Mays encourages involvement. “Other business schools told me to wait to get involved. At Mays, involvement isn’t the exception — it’s the expectation,” she says. That philosophy has defined her college years, from serving as president of Maroon Coats to senior fellow in Business Fellows to leadership roles in Delta Gamma. She also serves as a teaching assistant for General John Van Alstyne in his Business Competency course (BUSN 225), where she sees firsthand the model of selfless service in action.

Kariampuzha’s growth has also come from Mays graduates who have invested in her success through mentoring during her internships at ExxonMobil and Alvarez & Marsal. Now a senior, she looks ahead with confidence as she weighs her post-graduation options. One thing she is sure of: She hopes to one day support Mays students the same way donors and mentors have invested in her. “Mays has given me the creativity, courage, and purpose to pursue my passions wholeheartedly,” she says.