Nazarian College Undergraduate and MBA Teams Earn Top Honors at SBI Conference
Fort Myers, Fla.—Four Nazarian College student teams earned multiple awards across undergraduate and graduate categories at the Small Business Institute’s Project of the Year competition.
The organization announced the results of the competition on Saturday, April 11, at the 2026 SBI Annual Conference in Fort Myers, Florida.
Undergraduate students in Nazarian College’s Business Honors Program placed in the “Consulting” and “Comprehensive” categories this year.
The Santa Paula Trading Company team—Aida Agesyan, Natalia Basmadzhyan, Jai’lynn Griffin and Diana Ruiz—captured first place in the undergraduate “Consulting” category for a project that focused on business growth and operational effectiveness. The Business Honors Program has now placed first in the undergraduate “Consulting” category five of the last six years.
In the undergraduate “Comprehensive” category, the Level Eye Collective team—John Bryarly, Alicia Khashaki Chigani, Jacob Hauenstein, Annabel Jauregui and Tania Olmedo Montano—received an honorable mention. Students on this team developed a plan for the launch phase of the early-stage business.
“This year marked the 50th anniversary of the SBI Conference, making the competition especially strong,” says Drew Foley, management lecturer and advisor for Nazarian College’s Small Business Consulting Program. “These results reflect the commitment and client focus that our students bring in support of the small businesses that we serve each year.
Graduate students in the college’s MBA program entered two consulting projects for the SBI’s Project of the Year competition.
A spring 2025 MBA consulting team—students Melvin Gomez, Megan Ngo, Leia Pankovich, Roxanne Resma and Cory Soto—took first place in the “Graduate Consulting/Specialized” category for its project with client Blast Swimming. The team focused on the swim team’s operational feasibility to improve growth and attraction, using data strategically throughout the process.
In addition, a fall 2025 MBA team—students Tatyana Barrios, Shemaa Masry, Molly Torres and Sandra Torres—earned second place in the “Graduate Consulting/Comprehensive Feasibility” category for a project with a client in the banking industry. The team explored potential business model improvements using artificial intelligence in the highly regulated industry.
MBA Director and Paul Jennings Endowed Professor in Business Kristen Walker, along with faculty and alumni, coached both MBA teams.
“We are incredibly proud of our MBA students for both their performance and their commitment to supporting real businesses,” says Walker. “These projects go far beyond the classroom. Students work directly with clients to solve real problems, and in doing so, they apply innovative course experiences and build on their expertise to foster impact in their careers.”
Walker notes that the MBA program has earned multiple first-place awards at the competition over the years and is grateful for the Small Business Institute’s focus on connecting business, education and community.
Chandra Subramaniam, dean of Nazarian College, says the results show the strength of the college’s experiential learning opportunities.
“The combination of classroom learning and real-world application is what sets our students apart and prepares them to make an immediate impact after graduation,” says Subramaniam. “I’m proud of our students for the work they put in and the results they achieved, and I’m just as proud of our faculty who guide, challenge and support them through these projects.”
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