Seven graduates honored with Tulane 34 Award

The Tulane 34 Award is among the most coveted university-wide honors bestowed upon graduating students. Named for the year Tulane University was founded, the award recognizes 34 students from across the university who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate lives by demonstrating exemplary leadership, service and academic excellence.

This year, seven graduates of the A. B. Freeman School of Business were honored with the award. The Freeman School is proud to recognize the following Tulane 34 Award recipients.

Briggs Barrios (BSM ’14), a native of Metairie, La., is a member of the Tulane varsity baseball team and was twice named Tulane Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for maintaining the highest grade point average among all male student athletes. Barrios’ academic performance led to his being selected to participate in the invitation-only Darwin Fenner Student Managed Fund honors seminar. Outside the classroom, Barrios organized the Tulane baseball team’s Vs. Cancer events, which raised more than $10,000 for childhood cancer treatment. For his activities, Barrios was awarded a 2014 Tulane Athletics Torch Award for excellence in service to Tulane Athletics, Tulane University and the entire New Orleans community.

Erynn Bell (MBA ’14), from Jacksonville, Fla., served as 2013-14 president of the Graduate Business Council, the Freeman School’s graduate student government organization, and was named the 2014 MBA class representative to the Freeman 50, an organization of recent MBA graduates that works to support the school in the areas of career management, development and alumni relations. Bell participated in the Renewable Energy Case Competition and in the IDEAcorps Challenge, which brought teams of students from top MBA programs around the country to New Orleans to work with startups. Following her wedding, Bell will join Tidewater Inc. in New Orleans as manager of corporate applications.

Amber Bennett (BSM ’14), a native of West Columbia, S.C., is a member of Tulane’s volleyball team and was elected as Tulane’s female representative to the Conference USA Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Among her many service activities, Bennett chaired the “Let’s SAAC Hunger!” food drive, helped organize Conference USA fundraising efforts for paralyzed Tulane football player Devon Walker, and served as a volunteer with Court Watch NOLA and the NCAA Samaritan’s Feet program. In recognition of her activities, Bennett received the Conference USA Spirit of Service Award. Academically, Bennett earned honors including Dean’s List, 3.5 Club and the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Adam Griego (BSM ’14), a native of Metairie, La., served in multiple campus leadership positions during his academic career, including serving as president of the Green Wave Ambassadors in 2012, president of the Inter-fraternity Council in 2013, homecoming king in 2013, and Orientation team leader for the classes of 2015 and 2016. In addition, Griego was an active member of Zeta Psi fraternity and served as past philanthropy chair and social chair with the organization. An honors student, Griego also served as a research equity analyst for the Freeman School’s Burkenroad Reports program in 2013-14.

Zachary Hoyt (BSM ’14), a native of Delran, N.J., graduated with a BSM in finance, a minor in Legal Studies and specializations in entrepreneurship and energy. He also earned a BA in Latin American studies. Hoyt served as a Burkenroad Reports analyst, was vice president of membership for business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, and was finance chair of Tulane’s Latin American Studies Organization. He also presented his research at a number of Latin American Studies conferences. A Public Service Fellow, Hoyt worked with 10 education-based community partners dedicated to engaging youth in the community and represented the Tulane delegation to the Model Organization of American States.

Tommy Milburn (MFIN ’14), from Warwick, N.Y., created, managed and was a frequent contributor to the Tulane Master of Finance blog and served as an MFIN Student Ambassador, helping prospective students learn more about Tulane through campus tours, emails and phone calls. Milburn was a member of the Freeman Consulting Group, the Tulane Black MBA Association and the Tulane Energy Club. Outside the classroom, Milburn volunteered at Joseph A. Craig Elementary School, helping to teach children about the vital role they and their families play in the local economy. Milburn will soon join the Deutsche Bank’s Emerging Markets Immersion Program as an investment banking analyst in Mumbai, India.

Klara Vyskocilova (BSM ’14), a native of Klatovy, Czech Republic, excelled as a scholar athlete on the Tulane tennis team. Vyskocilova was Louisiana Player of the Year in 2013 and played in the All-American Tournament twice. She was named Conference USA Player of the Week on two occasions and was a member of the 2013 Conference USA Honor Roll and the 2014 Conference USA Women’s Tennis All-Academic Team. Vyskocilova also worked on the Greening Yulman project, which aimed to help Tulane build a more environmentally friendly football stadium.

The Freeman School congratulates each of its 2014 Tulane 34 Award winners.