MBA Student Wins International Award

From left to right, ECU Chancellor Cecil Staton; Pol Solanellas Manzanares; Dr. Jon Rezek, exec. director of ECU’s Office of Global Affairs; and Dr. Amy McMillan

Congratulations to Pol Solanellas Manzanares from Barcelona, Spain. This current MBA student recently received the annual International Graduate Student Award from ECU’s Office of Global Affairs. To be eligible for the award, Manzanares had to demonstrate academic excellence and a commitment to a positive contribution to ECU and the Greenville community.

Consider that requirement met. Hands down.

In 2014, he transferred to ECU as a junior where he hit the ground running, literally. He ran for the ECU’s cross-country and track & field teams, where he eventually became the teams’ captain. He participated in a variety of student organizations, was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, received the Outstanding Student Award, made All-academic Team for cross-country and Track & Field, and was the recipient of the Outstanding Interpersonal and Organizational Student Award. And, that’s not all.

He graduated with a BS in communications with a 3.9 GPA.

As an MBA student, Manzanares maintains a 4.0 GPA and works as a graduate assistant for the College of Business and the School of Hospitality Leadership. He is the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Scholar Athlete, as well as two scholarships: the 2017 David A. Dosser Pirate Service and Leadership Postgraduate Scholarship and the 2017 Vance & Sue Taylor Graduate Fellowship.

Plus, he completed more than 100 hours of community service over the last three years.

What’s Next?

After receiving his MBA, Manzanares plans to get his Ph.D. in business management, which he credits the decision to College of Business’ Dr. Amy McMillan and Brittany Wright Thompson (School of Communications) who, “awakened” his interest.

Once obtaining his Ph.D., he would like to become a faculty member and, “…interact with students, challenge them with new ideas, and educate them with the critical thinking skills needed in any branch of knowledge.”

Dr. Amy McMillan

“Pol is the student that, as faculty members, we dream of,” said McMillan, who supervises Manzanares as her graduate assistant. “He’s dedicated; he’s engaged; he’s excited to learn, intelligent, humble, kind; and he is going to go on to do amazing things.”

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