Author: Rosalind Early

Jerry (JinYu) Yang, MBA ’12, learned a whole new way of thinking in the Fudan University-Washington University executive MBA program. Now he’s helping the university come up with a new way of giving back in China.

Mentorship and support helped Joyce Buchheit start and sustain a successful business career. For decades, she has paid it forward, helping students, faculty and organizations advance and thrive.

While an undergrad in the engineering school, Robert Mullenger, BS ’89, soaked up advice from mentors. Now a grateful alumnus, he supports scholarships and offers today’s students advice and connections.

Albert Ip, BS’ 73, has volunteered with the university for more than 15 years. What keeps him coming back? He’s dedicated to higher education and the impact it can have on one person’s future and the world at large.

Deko Ricketts, BS ’17, is a rising star in the solar world. Prior to graduating, he was already a project engineer at Azimuth Energy, leading a solar-energy project in Kingston, Jamaica.

Through her blog, Scary Mommy, and two parenting books, best-selling author Jill Smokler (right), BFA ’99, takes a look at parenting in all its irritating, sleepless, joyful and hilarious glory.

What does it take to start a paper chemical processing company in China in the early 1980s? As Peter Young, BSChE ’80, found out, a lot of perseverance, hard work, and a bit of luck.

Documentary filmmaker and The Daily Show senior producer Sara Taksler’s, AB ’01, latest film, Tickling Giants, is about how political satire shook the halls of power in Egypt after the Arab Spring.

Mentorship is a key aspect of any robust startup community. Here, Cliff Holekamp, who was selected by Small Business Monthly as one of the area’s best mentors, shares tips on how to be a good mentor and why entrepreneurs need to build a network of advisers.

Andrew McCabe, JD ’93, was always interested in criminal law but an internship he had while a law student at WashU convinced him to become an FBI agent. After a long career that’s including busting up crime rings and fighting terrorists, he’s been named deputy director of one of the nation’s top security organizations.