Fifteen graduate students have been named high achievers by the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University.
Selected by graduate programs faculty members for outstanding academic achievements and contributions to their respective program, the students are graduating with at least one master's degree in one of the three business graduate programs at Appalachian: the Master of Science in Accounting, the Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics and the Master of Business Administration.
Master of Science in Accounting
Sierra Bumgarner, Sophia Moran and Jana Zal have been named high achievers in the Master of Science in Accounting program.
Hudson, North Carolina native Sierra Nichole Bumgarner has served as a member of the advisors club, the Quidditch Club and the national society of collegiate scholars. She will be a two-time graduate of Appalachian, having earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from Appalachian in 2018.
Sophia Joan Moran of Hampstead, North Carolina has served as a member of Pi Sigma Epsilon, Beta Alpha Psi and APPS while at Appalachian. She will be a two-time graduate of Appalachian, having earned her BSBA from Appalachian in 2019 with a double major in accounting and management.
At Appalachian, Raleigh, North Carolina native Jana Zal has been a member of Beta Alpha Psi and served as a graduate assistant. She will be a two-time graduate of Appalachian, having earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from Appalachian in 2019.
Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics
Megan MacDonald, Timothy Ojo and Joshua Williams have been named high achievers in the Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics program.
Megan K. MacDonald, from Geneva, Illinois, is a member of Executive Impact and a graduate research assistant at Appalachian. She served as a bee innovation analyst, utilizing software to investigate the effects of Varroa mites on honeybee hives. MacDonald holds a bachelor's degree in geosciences from Boston College and her Appalachian master's degree includes a focus on sustainability analytics.
Related: MacDonald earns outstanding graduate student award from Appalachian State University
Nigerian native Timothy Ojo served as the MSADA representative in Appalachian's Student Government Association. Ojo holds a master's degree in economics from Bowen University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Obafemi Awolowo University.
Ann Arbor, Michigan native Joshua A. (Josh) Williams served as the co-captain for the App State Analytics Team, participating in hackathons, and as a researcher for the Center for Analytics Research and Education, using data to save the bees.
Williams was recently named the top student in Appalachian's Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics program.
Master of Business Administration
Nine Appalachian MBA students were named high achievers.
Five students in the full-time, on-campus MBA program were named to the list. They are Maira Compagnone, Nika Davenport, John Huckert, Verena Gerheiser and Viktoria Kovtun.
Boone resident Maira Compagnone is earning an MBA as well as a Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management (IOHRM). The IOHRM program, administered jointly by the Walker College and Appalachian's College of Arts and Sciences, is the only cross-disciplinary master's degree program in the nation. At Appalachian, Compagnone has served as a leadership coach and as a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. She also holds a bachelor's degree in political philosophy from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Mill Spring, North Carolina native Veronika (Nika) Davenport is earning an MBA with a concentration in economics from Appalachian. Davenport provided outstanding service as a graduate assistant in the office of graduate programs and research. Davenport also holds a bachelor's in economics from the College of Charleston.
Charlotte, North Carolina native John Huckert has served as recruitment director for Pi Sigma Epsilon and as a graduate assistant for the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Department. He was recently named to App State's Best for 2020.
Verena Gerheiser, from Germany, is earning her MBA with a concentration in international business. She holds degrees in international production engineering and mechanical engineering from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany) and the University of Padua (Italy), respectively.
Boone resident Viktoriia Kovtun is earning an Appalachian MBA with a concentration in human resources. She is a member of Executive Impact at Appalachian and earned the Breazeale King Professional Development Award.
Four students from the part-time, evening MBA program were named to the list; they are Shannon Collins, Jeffrey Hardy, Amy Hollar and Jonathan (Heath) Huggins.
Shannon E. Collins, of Morganton, North Carolina, is earning his MBA from Appalachian. Collins is senior healthcare solutions executive at Ricoh Healthcare. He was a study abroad participant at Appalachian. Collins also holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from North Carolina State University.
Jeffrey Hardy, of Asheville, North Carolina, is an account executive and field sales trainer at Ethicon, Inc. Hard who holds a bachelor's in organizational communications from Rollins College.
Amy M. Hollar is the pharmacy operations manager at Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, North Carolina. She also holds a doctor of pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
J. Heath Huggins, of Morganton, North Carolina is a CPA and manager of corporate treasury for Equitable. Huggins also holds a master's degree in accountancy and a bachelor's degree in business administration and law from Gardner-Webb University and Western Carolina University, respectively.
About Appalachian State University's MBA Program
Appalachian State University's MBA Program provides educational experiences to prepare our students for life-long learning and professional leadership responsibilities in a dynamic global environment. The program provides individualized attention through extensive student-faculty collaboration and offers frequent networking and team building opportunities. Flexible programming allows each student to receive the best educational experience possible through full-time on-campus or part-time online programs. For more information, visit mba.appstate.edu.
About the Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics Program at Appalachian State University
Organizations increasingly rely upon both structured and unstructured large-scale data for operational and strategic decision-making. Appalachian's Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics degree provides students with not only the technical skills to work with data, but to do so within the business context. The program develops business professionals who understand and apply data analytics concepts, techniques and tools to promote effective organizational problem-solving. Learn more at business.appstate.edu/analytics.
About Appalachian's Accounting Program
The Department of Accounting with Walker College has built a strong reputation for excellence in accounting education, and is highly regarded by accounting employers in North Carolina and throughout the Southeast. Accounting graduates are recruited by the largest international, national, and regional accounting firms as well as local accounting firms, industry and government agencies. The Department of Accounting offers the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) degree and the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Accounting. The faculty and staff in the department are deeply committed to the success of our students. Learn more online, accounting.appstate.edu.