From mastering real-world finance in global markets to leading iconic campus traditions snow-deep in spirit and strategy, Michigan Tech's Business Huskies lead with heart, hustle, and a healthy dose of Husky grit. Meet four standouts who showcase the vibrant breadth of the College of Business and inspire the next generation of business innovators at Michigan Tech.
Ruby's Road: Journey of a Leading Scholar
If her face looks familiar, it might be because Michigan Tech has chronicled Ruby Walker's academic and extracurricular achievements since the then-high school senior landed the University's highly competitive premier scholarship—the Leading Scholar Award.
That was 2023. Now a third-year marketing major, Walker has progressed from Leading Scholar to campus leader.
During the 2024-25 academic year, she served as president of both the American Marketing Association student chapter at Michigan Tech and the Douglass Houghton Hall Council. Walker, a College of Business Student Ambassador, also serves on Blue Key National Honor Society's Public Relations Committee. She'll continue her work with AMA in the new academic year, joining the organization's President's Council.
Walker also looks forward to increasing her leadership in the scholarship program as engagement executive on the Leading Scholars Executive Team.
"I hope I can encourage and inspire the next generation of Leading Scholars," she said. "I'm excited for the opportunities this role brings and the meaningful relationships that will grow from it."
In the position, Walker will help build connections between current and future Leading Scholars.
"One of the reasons I went for the Leading Scholar Award is because the only thing standing between me and the realization of going to Michigan Tech was money. Throughout high school I sought out leadership positions in the organizations I was a part of, and I envisioned myself doing the same once I got to college. The Leading Scholar program seemed like the perfect way to show the University the leadership skills I had and meet others with the same mindset," Walker said.
Her advice to current and future applicants? "Be You!!! In your essay, make sure you talk about the things that make you unique."
Catch up with Walker's adventures and accomplishments.
There's No Business Like Snow Business: Meet Winter Carnival 2025's Student Manager
Skyler Spitzley '25 remembers building her first Michigan Tech Winter Carnival snow statue as a new Husky. During her senior year, she was in charge of the entire event.
Spitzley graduated in spring 2025 with her Bachelor of Science in Management. But in 2022, as a first-year student, she worked on St. Albert the Great University Parish's winning All-Nighter entry for the snow statue competition. "I stayed up the whole night. I was so proud of myself and I remember being so proud that we erected a statue as large as it was in 15 hours! I still have the Instagram reel of it," she said.
Spitzley went on to accomplish even more momentous feats during her time at Tech. As the 2024-25 president of Michigan Technological University's Blue Key National Honor Society chapter, she led the organization and operations of this year's Winter Carnival—one of her biggest endeavors yet.
Peek behind the scenes to see how Spitzley made her impact on Winter Carnival.
Playing to Win: Finance, FinTech, and Stock Market Strategy Propel Senior to Success
The 2024-25 academic year was a big one for Elijah Joseph. What lies ahead this fall is even bigger, as the finance major with a financial technology (FinTech) minor gets ready to walk the stage at Michigan Tech's 2025 Midyear Commencement.
The 2024-25 academic year was a big one for Elijah Joseph. What lies ahead is even bigger, as the finance major with a financial technology (FinTech) minor gets ready to launch his career. Dive into Joseph's Q&A, where he looks back on the experiences that have shaped his education and forward to what's in store.
Her Best Investment: Future Financial Planner Leverages Everything Tech Has to Offer
When Sydney Lurvey crossed the commencement stage in April, the award-winning College of Business student knew exactly where she was headed: Wausau, Wisconsin, to pursue a career in financial planning and advising through the postgrad program at Northwestern Mutual.
Lurvey's self-assured certainty is in character for the finance and economics double major, who minored in financial technology (FinTech) and was a teaching assistant in the College's Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP). A Wisconsin native, Lurvey was valedictorian of her class at Three Lakes High School and won the statewide Her Best Investment: Future Financial Planner Leverages Everything Tech Has to Offer Herb Kohl Go-Getter scholarship award. As a Husky, she also found a myriad of opportunities to expand her skills. "There is nowhere else I would have rather gone to school," said Lurvey. "It's such a unique experience to have such close relationships with professors, the dean, and staff. The College of Business at Tech really allows for a unique and individual experience, and I think that's not something you can get at other business schools."
Find out more about Lurvey's Michigan Tech experience in the full story.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
