Canadian Dan Gherasimenco outscored thousands of other international students last spring to win The Economist’s Brightest Minds MBA Scholarship Contest. At 29, he’s already proven himself as a successful serial entrepreneur. Now he’ll add “Schulich MBA candidate” to his list of accomplishments.
Brightest Minds is an international competition in which entrants are challenged to write The Economist’s GMAT simulation test. The competition offers a $25,000 scholarship to attend a preeminent partner business school.
Gherasimenco, who won in May of this year, is a graduate of the BBA program at Trent University and will begin his full-time Schulich MBA program this fall. He credits his win to a combination of strategic, disciplined study and regular breaks for squash, ping pong, swimming and cooking.
Now in the midst of launching his second venture in the fashion industry, Gherasimenco hopes his Schulich MBA will provide him with “efficient interpersonal and communication skills” needed for continued growth.
“I was interested in Schulich for its vast choice of courses and specializations, experienced faculty and strategic positioning in Canada’s business capital,” he said.
“People overemphasize the importance of organizational skills, calculated risk and even luck,” he said. “In doing so, they forget that none of these would matter without hard work and commitment.”
Gherasimenco’s work ethic, creativity and resilience that arise from his entrepreneurial pursuits will be an asset to his colleagues in the rigorous MBA program.