Class of 2023 Student Leaders Practice the Innovation they Preach

ValedictorianSamueleMian,salutatorianNicholeSmith,andStudentBodyPresidentRaymondJuballahave inspiredtheclassof2023throughouttheiryearsatMenloCollege.Beforecommencement,theeditorsof MenloCollegeMagazineaskedthemabouttheirexperiencesandplans.

Valedictorian Samuele Mian

Valedictorian Samuele Mian ’22 comes from Palmanova, Italy, a small town near Croatia, and was Menlo’s first FinTech (Financial Technologies) major. He cofounded the Business Analytics Club, was an FEI Rising Stars Advisory Board member, and served on the leadership board of the Finance & Investments Club.

What can you tell us about your academic journey?

I was the first in my family to receive a high school degree and wanted to experience life in another culture—almost no one in my family has lived outside Italy. I considered a job offer in Germany, but my relative who relocated to California encouraged me to come here to expand my thinking and learn a new language. I’m proud to be earning my degree from Menlo, and I’m looking forward to balancing tradition and progress by giving back to my family, who have supported me with frequent calls and videos and, most important, the handwritten letters that always make me smile.

What’s important about being the kind of global citizen you exemplify?

Being a global citizen is an opportunity to embrace and foster a sense of community and belonging across different cultures. I believe in mutual respect and I try to achieve some understanding between cultures. We grow up, of course, with different traditions in different languages but we also realize that diversity is what makes us equal. That perspective definitely makes us stronger.

Congratulations on coauthoring the article with Dean Mouwafac Sidaoui and fellow Menlo student Zach Arslankhuyag ’23. You are the first two Menlo students ever to publish a peer-reviewed article. Tell us about that.

The process was an exciting eight months, from data collection and analysis to publication. The article, “Fintech and Islamic banking growth: new evidence,” compares Islamic and US banking systems, showing how Islamic banks are using financial technologies to drive growth during an economic downturn.

Salutatorian Nichole Smith

Salutatorian Nichole Smith is an Accounting major, president of the Accounting Club, and was an intern at Ernst and Young.

Besides being a star student, you enjoy being a gamer. Tell us about that. I love classics such as Minecraft and Pokémon, and recently I’ve gotten into the horror genre, especially Amnesia: the Dark Descent, which has inspired a research project I’m doing with Professor Jodie Austin. I’m looking at the historical transformation of thought from religion to science and the corresponding growth of Gothic horror fiction, especially the stories of Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe. I want to discover what exactly makes horror games so scary, especially because these things aren’t happening to us in real life. I’m interested in how artistic horror elements such as sound and light and dark play into the horror experience.

What do you think about Mary Shelley?

Authors like Shelley and Poe were ahead of their times not only in developing Gothic horror as a genre but also in subtly implementing psychological horror, as in “The Cask of Amontillado,” which explores the idea of being locked away and having your individuality or your decisions taken away from you. That’s profound, as is how Mary Shelley took a known entity—a human being—and made him into something unknown, a creature.

How do you maintain your renaissance-ness?

I try to maintain my child-like sense of wonder in everything around me, allowing my mind to gravitate to whatever I think is interesting. That’s definitely reflected in the classes I’ve taken at Menlo. Though I am a business major I still really have a deep appreciation for the arts, theater, and philosophy. I never want to set those things aside just because I’m focusing on a professional business track. Allowing myself that freedom to explore things that interest me will not only bring me balance as a person but also enable me to give attention to every part of my life, both professional and non-professional.

Student Government Association President Raymond Juballa

Student Body President Raymond Juballa was a transfer student who revived the Oaks Innovation Club after the pandemic, became the first PR1 rower at Menlo, was inducted into the University Innovation Fellows, served as a campus orientation leader, and was awarded the Golden Oaks Service Award.

What is it like being a maker?

I have always been a tinkerer. Today, I focus on the idea of swiveling, or, pivoting, in terms of how to respond when making, or how to respond when life throws you a roadblock. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to find a new path toward the goal.

You clearly offer a talent for hope.

I tie hope into the idea of innovation, where it’s not hope so much as problem-solving. I have always been a fixer, a problem-solver. I see something I used to do handily and set my sights on figuring out how I might do it differently with the abilities I have today. I see no value in complaining when I can start innovating.

How have your leadership qualities grown over time?

Before student government, I was a club officer and teen leader in a very well-structured youth development program. From that, I brought a passion for community involvement, a vision for sustainable structure, and a strong work ethic. As student body president I developed delegation skills and the patience and tolerance to let people learn by doing, while still moving forward toward establishing a strong student government foundation. I consistently based our activities on the constitution, rules of order, and record-keeping to provide a strong engaged community experience on our campus.

What’s next for you?

First up, I am excited to return to driving this summer. After four years, a fully customized van is on its way and will bring me increased independence and the ability to drive myself to work. Then, I will be free to pursue part-time work and a master’s degree. I am watching for the Menlo Executive Information Systems program to come to life. I see myself staying connected to Menlo. I fully expect to find ways to acknowledge the value of my Menlo experience and lead other fellow Oaks to do the same.