Two VSB Students Selected as Poets & Quants 2022 Best & Brightest Business Majors

Villanova, PA, April 5, 2022 - Two Villanova School of Business (VSB) students – Maria Espinoza ‘22 VSB and Austin Glass ‘22 VSB – were selected as Poets & Quants for Undergrads 100 Best & Brightest Business Majors of 2022. Poets & Quants chose 100 students from around the nation who use their skills to impact business in creative ways and who are poised to be the future leaders of the business world.

Maria Espinoza ’22 VSB

Maria is an Accounting major and Spanish minor from Philadelphia. She is heavily involved at Villanova University as a peer tutor, cantor at St. Martin of Tours Church, president and co-founder of The Society of Women of Color, president of The National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), and marketing chair for the Latin American Student Organization (LASO). Maria has also been awarded multiple scholarships and awards throughout her time at Villanova including the Martin de Porres Scholarship, Maguire Foundations Scholarship, 2021 AICPA Minority Scholarship, 2021 PICPA Scholarship, 2021 ALPFA Scholarship, 2021 NABA National Scholarship, and 2021 NABA Philadelphia Scholarship, while remaining consistently on the Dean’s List. She has interned at numerous companies including Goldman Sachs, PwC, and the Federal Credit Union. After graduation, Maria will return to PwC as an audit associate. She attributes her success to her parents for their sacrifices, motivation and constant support.

Stephen L. Liedtka, PhD, associate professor of Accounting at VSB spoke highly of Maria. “With Maria’s guidance and support, student organizations across our business school pledged to become more inclusive and counteract racial discrimination,” said Dr. Liedtka. “The fruits of those efforts already are obvious. Maria has organized academic, financial, and social support for countless students and has done all this with love. I am infinitely better for knowing her.”

Austin Glass ’22 VSB

From Lancaster, Pa., Austin is an Economics major and double minor in Finance and Business Law & Corporate Governance. Throughout his time at Villanova, Austin was awarded the St. Augustine Scholarship, remains a member of the Villanova Honors Program, was awarded as a 2022 U.S. Fulbright Program semi-finalist. He also served as the president of Villanova’s Blue Key Campus Tour Guides and Ambassadors, holds a seat on the Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Council as the chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and was elected a Class Senator of the Student Government Association. During his summers, he interned at Sompo Global Risk Solutions and The Joy of Sox Nonprofit. He looks forward to earning his law degree and aspires to live and work abroad. Austin attributes his success to his parents for their constant support and the encouragement from his professor Cathy J. Toner, JD, MJ, assistant dean, Talent & Staff Development, Community & External Outreach at VSB.

“Austin enhances the Villanova community with his presence,” said Toner. “He lives the Augustinian ideals of Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas every day. His positive energy and willingness to do the right thing and care for others impressed me as much as his intelligence and determination. He is a pleasure to know and someone who will continue to make a positive difference in the world.”

“Congratulations to both Maria and Austin for being recognized for their outstanding academic careers at VSB,” said Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD, The Helen and William O’Toole Dean of VSB. “We look forward to following their successes after graduation as they become business leaders for a better world.”

The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is top-ranked among business schools in the nation. Its online graduate business programs are ranked #5, and its online MBA program is ranked 16 by U.S. News and World Report. VSB has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to five Centers of Excellence – the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights and the Center for Church Management – with each designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and applied opportunities for students. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.