By Nash Wills, Staff Writer
Last week, I wrote an article about the Thunderbird Honor Council. Here’s a little bit more about each member of the Honor Council and their goals for the Council.
Travis Hookham (left) is a first year MAGAM. His passion is honor and ethics, from his prior involvement with the Houston Halliburton Council on Ethics to his prior involvement in the Student Leadership Council. While at Thunderbird, his activities with the student government provided him with an introduction to the Honor Council. Since then, he has always been interested in their work and he currently serves as both a project manager and as an external relations coordinator.
Jeremy Ruiz (right) is a first year MGM student. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from
the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, he worked as an accounting assistant at ASIS Investments LLC. He assisted in the acquisition and divestiture of mineral leases in the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota. Functioning as a liaison between investors, oil and gas operators and joint venture partners for the firm, Jeremy coordinated the accounting for capital and operating expenditures for all parties involved. Jeremy is a current member of the Honor Council and he is determined to help the student body learn about ethical dilemmas that they may encounter while interacting in the global economy.
Nash Wills (left) is a first year MAGAM student from Georgia. Nash is currently a staff writer for Das Tor and prior to serving on the Honor Council, he acted as the Alumni Relations Representative for TSG. Nash studied history at The University of Georgia, and before coming to Thunderbird lived in Córdoba, Argentina where he taught English. It was his role as a writer and his interest in corporate ethics that led him to his current position within the Honor Council.
Prita John (right) is an MGM student graduating in Dec 2016. Having experience working collaboratively in
multicultural and cross functional teams for the education and media industries in India and United Arab Emirates, Prita, has gained the expertise needed to be a strategic and analytical thinker. She is currently working with TSG as the marketing and communications representative, serves as the president of the International Friends Club, and is acting vice president of the Technology Club. Prita is passionate about education, business, community, and ethics, which has all led her to take up the position of Vice Chair in the Honor Council.
Donald Kurangwa (left) is an MGM, a SHARE Fellow, and the current Chair of the Honor Council. He is a qualified pharmacist with experience in pharmaceutical regulation. He has worked as a senior regulatory officer and national inspector for the National Drug Regulatory Authority in Zimbabwe and was also appointed to the first Interim Examinations Board of the Pharmacists Council of Zimbabwe. Results-oriented innovation, targeted at bringing knowledge to decision making, motivates Donald. He believes that the best managers reduce the gap between theory and practice. His past experience in regulatory pharmacy was a great motivation for being part of the Honor Council.
Dawson Law (right) is an MGM student from Montana. He is excited to join the honor council as a new student at Thunderbird. Dawson is a member of the U.S. Foreign Service (Diplomatic Corp), he studied International Affairs at Lewis & Clark College and has lived overseas in four countries. Dawson’s role in economic and commercial relations at U.S. Embassies abroad led him to his interest in ethics issues and his role on the Honor Council.
Ryan Todare (left) is a first year MAGAM student from Arizona. Ryan is currently involved with Thunderbird Student Government as the Chair for Academic Affairs and before coming to Thunderbird, Ryan worked in Guatemala for the non-profit Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a group of homes for children located throughout Central and South America. Ryan studied Political Science and Energy at Texas Christian University. It was his degree in Political Science and the law classes included within it that persuaded Ryan to join the Honor Council.
Isabel Swoveland (right) is a first year MGM student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Isabel is currently the marketing chair for the Honor Council. Isabel graduated with a BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies at Earlham College. Prior to coming to Thunderbird she worked in a variety of roles in India, South Korea, and China in both the public and private sectors. She has worked in education, business development, international marketing, global market access, and translation and localization. Isabel’s roles held in international business consolidated her interest in corporate ethics, which led her to her current position as Honor Council Marketing Chair.
Bhavana Raina (left) is an MGM student from India. Bhavana is currently the community outreach representative for TSG. Previously she majored in industrial psychology and also holds a post-graduate diploma in marketing management. Bhavana has worked in the advertising revenue department of media companies in Mumbai. Her interest in seeking global opportunities brought her to Thunderbird. Her belief in the fact that “Ignorance should not lead to repentance” led her to her current position with the Honor Council.
Cedric Yumba (right) is a first year MGM student at Thunderbird. He hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central
Africa. Cedric completed his undergraduate studies in business management in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is currently a member of TSG as well as a campus ambassador. Cedric has a certificate on Ethics and Regulations from the South African Institute of Financial Markets. He is excited to join the Honor Council where he serves as a TSG representative and project manager.
Niraj Parekh (below) is a first year MGM student from India. An entrepreneur, Niraj worked in the healthcare industry for several years before coming to Thunderbird. Understanding the role and challenges of ethics in a business environment is one of his strongholds. Niraj has previously served as the Secretary to The Honor Council in Fall’15 while simultaneously serving in TSG. Currently, he shoulders the responsibilities of external partnership in Honor Council and the President’s chair at the Thunderbird Marketing Association Club.
Jeeku Saha (right) is a second year MBA student with a concentration in finance from India. He has served in the role of
Treasurer on the Honor Council and the Thunderbird Technology Business Club. Jeeku has an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Calicut, Kerala, India. Before coming to Thunderbird, he worked in both the electrical manufacturing and non-profit industries. It was his keen interest in understanding business ethics practiced in the US, and the differences of the understanding of ethics in different cultures which led him to join the Honor Council.