Graduate student Ian Myre (far right) receives 2017 Distinguished Leadership Award

The dean's Distinguished Leadership Award was created in 2011 to recognize student leaders from Rutgers Business School's graduate programs and its undergraduate programs in Newark and New Brunswick. The award is given to students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, service to Rutgers Business School and leadership potential.

The name of each recipient is engraved on the Rutgers Business School bell, honoring them for posterity.

Distinguished Leadership Award recipients for 2017 carried the Rutgers Business School bell and led the graduating class procession into High Point Solutions Stadium during the Rutgers University Commencement on Sunday, May 17.

Ian Myre, who completed the MBA/Masters of Public Policy dual degree program, is a recipient of this year's award. After graduation, Myre, who concentrated his MBA studies in finance, will work at Quest Diagnostics in the pricing strategy department.

"Getting an internship offer was a real defining moment for me. It was a huge risk for all of us in the Full Time MBA program to leave our jobs because nothing was guaranteed. We were not guaranteed an internship for the summer or a job once we graduated, so there was this huge weight on all of our shoulders when we first started."

"When I got an internship offer for the summer, it was the first time that I got solid confirmation that coming to Rutgers Business School was the right decision and that I would be okay going forward. Since graduation, I can say that I couldn't be happier with my decision to leave my job years ago. I started a new full-time job at Quest Diagnostics a few weeks ago in the pricing strategy department so I'm ready to start that next chapter of my career."

-Sean Ireland