Harvard Business School Announces Latest RISE Fellows
Fellowship program supports MBA students committed to supporting marginalized communities
of color
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BOSTON—As part of the Harvard Business School (HBS) Advancing Racial Equity action plan, 26 students from the MBA Classes of 2025 and 2026 have been named recipients of a Recognizing Individuals Seeking Equity (RISE) Fellowship. First announced in 2021, the RISE Fellowship program gives awards of $10,000 to MBA candidates in each class who, prior to enrolling at HBS, have demonstrated exemplary commitment to serving Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and other marginalized communities of color within the US.
Rise fellows from the MBA Classes of 2025 and 2026.
“This cohort of fellows comes to HBS having made a positive impact in the communities in which they live and work,” said Susan Gilbert, Robert K. Kraft Family Director, MBA Financial Aid. “Embodying the School’s mission to create leaders who make a difference in the world, their contributions to serving those in need make them worthy of the RISE fellowship.”
“Our RISE fellows come from diverse backgrounds and have helped underserved communities in a variety of ways,” said Alicia Thomas, director of diversity and inclusion, MBA and Doctoral Programs. “We are excited to see how they continue that work in their time here at HBS.”
Recipients of this award exhibit following:
Demonstrated commitment to and impact in communities of color in the US, including but not limited to:
Work that addresses disparities in communities of color
Work to enact change in programs and policies that impact communities of color
Grassroots, formal, and informal work in service to communities of color
A scope of work prior to HBS that exists beyond the context/confines of their primary role at work
Community engagement as demonstrated by:
Service to others
Advocacy
Action
Impact
An interest in sharing their experience and impact with the broader HBS community, future workplaces, and society through business and advocacy
Below, learn more about the current fellows, including their work, motivations, and plans for the future.
Marlíse Arellano-Sutton (MBA 2025)
Marlíse is a proud Latina and Texan who spent the majority of her pre-HBS career at Boston Children’s Hospital. There, she launched and scaled digital health products and founded the digital health team’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion program. This initiative was instrumental in lifting up underrepresented voices, creating systems for equitable hiring and promotion, and creating opportunities for conversations on topics from anti-racism to identity in the workplace. She also joined young professional boards for the education non-profit Minds Matter and Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. “As I look toward the future post-HBS,” Marlíse shared, “I am committed to building teams where everyone feels empowered and included. I’m excited to be part of elevating more BIPOC talent into senior leadership roles."
Matthias Argenyi (MBA 2026)
Matthias brings three years of experience from social finance, where he played a pivotal role in scaling an impact investment into Alaska's largest permanent supportive housing program. The initiative, Home for Good, collaborates with local service providers and tribal health organizations to deliver high-quality, culturally tailored care to those experiencing homelessness in the Anchorage community, the majority of whom identify as Alaska Native. “I’m excited to use my time at HBS to explore how impact investing funds can help scale innovative solutions to permanent supportive housing,” he said.
Kwame Assoku (MBA 2026)
Kwame was born in Ghana and raised in New Jersey and New York. Throughout his academic and professional journey, he has led initiatives to empower underrepresented groups, from founding mentorship programs for college and high school students to supporting non-profit boards focused on expanding educational outcomes for minority students. “Through a career focused on entrepreneurship, I hope to scale enterprises that create economic opportunity,” he said.
Rohan Bajaj (MBA 2026)
Rohan was born in Delhi, raised in Canada, and attended medical school at Johns Hopkins. “Having my life experience split across three vastly different healthcare systems, it has been clear to me that healthcare inequity deepens racial inequality globally,” Rohan noted. As a practicing internist at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, he strives to remedy this injustice through preventive medical care he provides to his patients to reduce heart disease, cancer, and comorbidities associated with diabetes. Rohan aims to leverage his HBS training to scale his impact on care delivery at the health systems level.
Dion Boyd (MBA 2026)
Prior to HBS, Dion created Up Your Equity, a company that aims to combat the racial wealth gap with financial education. There he taught personal finance and investing techniques to underrepresented students in the Chicago public school system, as well as their parents to reinforce the concepts at home, and partnered with other local non-profits and organizations. “While at HBS, I am excited to learn from other social entrepreneurs about new models and strategies for scaling impact without diluting effectiveness,” he said.
Ayinde Castro (MBA 2026)
Ayinde previously worked at LinkedIn as a product manager and co-founded Elevate Social, a culture-driving community movement that promotes creativity, collaboration, and empowerment through elevated social experiences. Since its inception in 2022, Elevate Social has brought together more than 50,000 people and curated events across the United States, Europe, and Africa. “While at HBS, I plan on expanding the Elevate Social community to Boston and organizing events that bring together Boston’s Black and Latinx communities,” he commented.
Snehal Chitalia (MBA 2026)
Snehal comes to HBS after working at Disney and with other entertainment studios throughout Los Angeles. Passionate about increasing diversity and opportunities for women in the entertainment industry, she founded a pro bono consulting program, served on a women’s inventor team, and is on the board of directors for Women’s Voices Now, an organization that empowers women and youth from under-resourced communities to drive social change through film. With the organization’s films reaching more than 190 countries, Snehal developed an international ambassador program of high school and college students to share the stories of marginalized communities across campuses. “While at HBS, I look forward to hosting film screenings and collaborating with my peers to ensure that the future of the entertainment industry is inclusive, innovative, and impactful,” she explained.
Sonya Chyu (MBA 2025)
Sonya is a second-generation Taiwanese American with a professional background in consumer goods. Prior to HBS, she led work as part of the #StopAsianHate movement, speaking on allyship, intersectionality, and advocacy at her company and others. Most recently, Sonya interned at a venture capital firm investing in BIPOC founders in the education space. She is also the vice president of advocacy in the Women’s Student Association at HBS, and an author. “As a published fiction writer, I aim to share and amplify the voices of Asian Americans through my literature,” she said.
Heaven Douglas (MBA 2025)
Heaven’s commitment to elevating experiences across stakeholders has been a guiding compass throughout her journey and led to her finding purpose at the heart of social issues: distribution of capital. Her professional experiences have centered around investing in businesses and include raising over $10 million to fund academic programs, humanitarian relief, and quality-of-life projects that directly benefit marginalized communities. During her time at HBS, she is deepening her dedication, stepping into leadership roles as co-president of HBS’s Black Investment Club and alumni chair for HBS’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Club, where she is leveraging her platform and skills to drive systemic change that survives her time as a student. She said, “I envision a legacy in which my success is measured beyond my individual accomplishments and to the impact I make in cultivating advancements and opportunities for communities in need.”
Devon Gethers (MBA 2025)
Before joining HBS, Devon frequently spoke at underfunded high schools nationwide, hoping to inspire marginalized communities by showing how education can unleash their potential. This service led him to assist more than 300 minority students in gaining admission to top 10 deferred MBA programs and securing highly competitive full-time career positions. Devon intends to continue this work by investing in underrepresented entrepreneurs through venture capital and breaking down traditional barriers. Devon said, “Looking ahead, I aim to mentor and empower minority populations to enter the world of finance and entrepreneurship.”
Sabrina Grandhi (MBA 2026)
Sabrina is a first-generation Indian American. As a consultant, she was pivotal in starting her firm’s pro bono practice, mobilizing company resources to combat issues disproportionately affecting people of color and driving discovery into the US immigration and prisoner reform systems. At P&G and Apple, she leveraged her resources to mentor several women of color and expand hiring practices. After HBS, Sabrina hopes to continue this advocacy as an executive leader in corporate philanthropy, brokering partnerships that bring the resources and influence of enterprise to the causes and people that need them. She said, “I believe that to cause meaningful change in the world, we must engage effectively with the people and institutions that control it.”
Michah Holmes (MBA 2025)
Micah comes to HBS from the National Football League’s highly selective rotational program and KPMG’s sports sponsorships team. Before HBS, he co-founded Overtime Sports Group, providing free youth football camps to marginalized youth in Cleveland, with mentorship from NCAA Division I and NFL athletes. He also served as program director for the Herman J. Russell West End Academy Barber Shop Talks, where he worked with students in the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program at Morehouse College to mentor high school students about career pathways and higher education. He also co-founded the Morehouse College Sports Business Conference, which empowers HBCU students by connecting them to opportunities in the sports business industry. “At HBS, I plan to expand my network and continue creating pathways for marginalized students, offering mentorship, scholarships, and career guidance in sports and entertainment industries,” he said.
Isaac Hung (MBA 2026)
Before HBS, Isaac dedicated his career to serving marginalized communities of color in the US by directing the Crimson Care Collaborative. In this primary care clinic, he expanded services and implemented measures to address social determinants of health. As a consultant at Bain & Company, Isaac launched a racial equity challenge to foster an inclusive corporate culture. While in medical school, he led a pro bono project with Mission Plasticos to expand their capacity to provide free reconstructive surgeries to underserved Latinx communities. “I plan to continue promoting equity and inclusivity at HBS and beyond, aiming to embed these values into healthcare and business leadership to drive systemic change,” he said.
Mireya Iglesias Ayala (MBA 2025)
As a first-generation Mexican American raised near the US-Mexico border, Mireya’s personal experiences with educational inequities inspired a deep commitment to empowering underrepresented communities. She founded Envisions Project, a nonprofit organization that provides first-generation and/or low-income high school seniors with college scholarships and professional mentorship. She said, “After completing my MBA, I will continue to scale Envisions to other states while pursuing my professional career, ensuring its long-term impact on the next generation of diverse leaders.”
Matt Jones (MBA 2026) Prior to HBS, Matt served as a high school math teacher on the Leeward Coast of O'ahu, where he also supported the volleyball, surf, and DECA afterschool programs. In addition to his teaching role, Matt has been dedicated to promoting equity and economic mobility through his work at Blue Meridian Partners and Bain & Company, where he helped foster inclusive sourcing, grant-making, and recruiting practices. After business school, he aims to continue in this work by building EdTech solutions centered on creating more equal opportunities for students at scale.
Danno Lemu (MBA 2026)
Danno is a joint degree MBA/MPP student at HBS and Harvard Kennedy School. He has over four years of experience designing, implementing, and conceiving government policies that directly support low-income, majority-Black communities. Most notably, as a grassroots community organizer, he helped advocate to create Washington, DC’s, first-ever $10 million Black homeownership fund. He said, “I intend to use my time at HBS to turn my vision for community-centered urban development into an actionable, scalable business model.”
Lee Martin (MBA 2026)
Lee began a mentorship and tutoring affinity group to uplift the academic and social confidence of Black and Latinx students from vulnerable communities in Chicago’s most prestigious high schools. DA CREW—named by the first cohort of mentees—has supported over 25 students (grades nine-12) since fall 2019. Additionally, Lee partnered with ATLAS Fellows, whose mission is to change the face of finance by providing summer internship opportunities to New York City and Chicago undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds. Lee said, “I hope that the HBS community and its resources will equip me with additional tools in pursuit of broadening the visibility of diverse talent in academia and the financial services industry.”
Paola Martorell (MBA 2026)
During her career, Paola worked to empower a predominantly Latino workforce by establishing mentorship opportunities, translating company communications into Spanish, and teaching financial literacy in both English and Spanish. These initiatives helped foster inclusion and career growth for Latino employees who had previously lacked access to leadership roles. Additionally, she has helped Puerto Ricans prepare for careers by guiding them through resume building, job applications, and interview preparation, and raised funds for disaster relief and infrastructure projects. She said, “At HBS, I plan to use my MBA to create a startup that prioritizes hiring and empowering Latinos, building an inclusive work environment where underrepresented communities can grow and thrive."
Daniel Parra (MBA 2025)
Daniel spent his time before HBS on Wall Street, most recently as an associate on Goldman Sachs' Launch with GS team, a $1 billion initiative to invest in companies and funds led by diverse entrepreneurs. He serves on the board of directors of Ascend Learning, a network of K-12 public schools in Brooklyn serving predominantly Black and Latino communities with the mission to empower students to live a life of boundless choice. Seeking to further advance the interests of underserved communities, Daniel also served on the advisory council for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and at various volunteer engagements in New York City. His goal after graduation, he says, is to "do everything I can to ensure that diverse, underserved groups are equipped for success and receive the investment they deserve in a country where anything is possible."
Shahaan “Haan” Razak (MBA 2025)
Haan spent six years advocating for educational equity in Baltimore and Camden as a science teacher with Teach for America, earning the Sue Lehmann Award for Excellence in Teaching. Witnessing the stark health disparities faced by his students and their families, Haan was driven to pursue medicine at Harvard Medical School. Realizing that achieving health equity requires a deep understanding of business, he joined the dual degree program at HBS, where he is building the Global Health Innovation Fund, a venture philanthropy initiative investing in bold entrepreneurs solving healthcare challenges in low- and middle-income countries. He also launched Medina Partners, a for-profit venture empowering physicians to reclaim autonomy by launching their own private practices, countering the increasing consolidation in healthcare. “I’m committed to bridging my passions for medicine and business as I prepare for my residency, with a vision of driving transformative change across both fields,” he said.
Gloria Samen (MBA 2025)
Prior to HBS, Gloria served on Owl Venture’s diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion committee and volunteered with VC University as a mentor for underrepresented students and young professionals interested in venture capital, aiming to increase representation in the industry. In a previous role at Education Resource Strategies, she collaborated with district and state leaders on frameworks for school system-wide equity strategies. At JP Morgan, Gloria partnered with colleagues to create an interactive learning series in the summer of 2020 that continued beyond her tenure. “At HBS, I’ve taken an active role in volunteering through the African American Student Union and the Africa Business Club to provide coffee chats and mock interviews for prospective students,” she said. “Moreover, I’ve recently taken a role in case writing, looking to highlight underrepresented protagonists.”
Malek Sarhan (MBA 2026)
Malek is a Palestinian-American from the Midwest who co-founded Thabaat, a community space focusing on building spiritual and social connections for Muslim young professionals in the Detroit area. “I’m passionate about serving the Muslim-American community and hope to spend my time at HBS exploring opportunities to merge my interests in sustainability and Muslim community activism,” he said.
Allegra Tomassa Massaro (MBA 2026)
With more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and activist, Allegra is passionate about how business can drive transformational change in local communities. Allegra comes to HBS from Washington, DC, where she worked at Latham & Watkins, leading diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as a member of the firm's global citizenship team. In 2020, she co-founded a grassroots organization, Fuel the People, that provided over 50,000 meals to communities in Washington, DC, and New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic through paid partnerships with minority-owned restaurants. "At HBS and beyond, I aim to build inclusive spaces where people are empowered and have the access and agency to design their own destiny," she said.
Kyle Weil (MBA 2026)
Kyle served on the Denver Commission for People with Disabilities for over three years as the then-youngest chair in the commission’s history. During his tenure, he worked to promote accessibility and equality through community initiatives and policy advocacy. He has also been an active advocate within the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, raising awareness and funds to support those with chronic illnesses. “I’m currently focused on founding a startup aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities, driven by my passion to create innovative solutions for this underserved community,” he noted.
Amir Williams (MBA 2025)
Born and raised in North Carolina, Amir is a documentary storyteller with a commitment to advancing equitable outcomes in education. Before joining HBS, she served on the associate board of 826 Valencia, an education nonprofit dedicated to supporting under-resourced students’ writing skills. "Through my work at 826, I’ve seen firsthand how storytelling and empowering voices can change outcomes in education,” Amir shared. As a practitioner of inclusive design, she focuses on integrating user voices into products that foster human connection, ultimately aiming to advance equity in education through technology. At HBS, she is committed to exploring new ways to use technology as a tool for equity, aiming to broaden educational access and impact.
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