Winner announced in Tomorrow’s Leaders contest

Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics today announced the winner of its “Tomorrow’s Leaders” Flex MBA Scholarship Program, awarding Orange County resident Christopher Lorenzana with a Flex MBA scholarship valued at $57,500.   Lorenzana was one of seven finalists selected from 54 participants who submitted essays which described how the applicant would use their MBA to positively impact the Orange County business community.  The announcement was made today at a noon reception at Chapman University, as the seven finalists and their families and friends, business leaders and University officials anxiously awaited.

Lorenzana, currently serving as a regional communications director for the United States Small Business Administration, wrote an essay stressing the impact that small businesses have on the country’s economy, as they represent over 95 percent of all businesses in the U.S.  He plans to continue working as he pursues his Flex MBA program part-time, with classes beginning in September 2010.

“Christopher’s plans for putting his MBA education to use were exactly what we were looking for,” said Arthur Kraft, Ph.D., dean of Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics.  “His role within the U.S. Small Business Administration, combined with an MBA education, will give him the knowledge and the authority to positively impact the Orange County business community.  He meets all of the qualifications for a MBA candidate, and we are proud to have him joining us this fall.”

Quoting a nomination letter written on Lorenzana’s behalf, Jon Kaplan assistant dean, graduate and executive programs at Argyros, said the scholarship winner had a quiet style of self-confidence that “lifts everyone up and results in a sense of calm for everyone involved.”

The “Tomorrow’s Leaders” scholarship contest was

designed to tap the best and brightest individuals in Orange County and give them the opportunity to make a significant, positive impact on the local business community.  Chapman University officials expressed at the onset of the contest that one of the strongest paths to maximizing the talent in Orange County and fulfilling business needs is for higher education, the business community and the individuals within that community to work together to build a better Orange County.