High-Achieving LSU Business Students Selected as 2025 Ourso Outstanding Eight

Michal Daszkiewicz is set to graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in economics. As an LSU Men's Swimming & Diving team member, he consistently earned academic honors, including the SEC Academic Honor Roll from 2022 to 2025. In 2024, the LSU Department of Economics named him the Outstanding Student in Microeconomics. A native of Poland, Daszkiewicz was a multi-medalist at the Poland Swimming Championships from 2017-2022, setting junior division records in freestyle events. His community activities include volunteering with the LSU Food Pantry and at the Halloween BooZar at the Baton Rouge Zoo, serving as a volunteer swim coach in Poland, and supporting hippotherapy sessions for children with mental challenges. Following graduation, Daszkiewicz will complete an internship with a company specializing in AI and its applications to healthcare economics. In the fall, he will begin a graduate program in economics at the University of Lugano in Switzerland. 

Reya Machen is pursuing a bachelor's degree in marketing with a concentration in digital marketing and minors in sociology and digital media arts & engineering. She is a member of the Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College. Machen has applied her knowledge in real-world settings, notably through internships with Accenture and the Wilmer Economic Development Corporation, where she gained hands-on experience in marketing research and social media management. Machen has also demonstrated leadership in campus organizations, currently serving as the social media coordinator for the National Association of Black Accountants. Her community involvement extends beyond campus, including volunteering at the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, Geaux Big and the LSU MLK Day of Service. After graduation in May, she hopes to return to Dallas to pursue a career in digital marketing or marketing analytics, where she aims to combine her analytical skills with her dedication to making a meaningful impact. 

Wesley Powell is pursuing a bachelor's degree in information systems and analytics with a concentration in cyber risk and minors in internal auditing and analytics. He gained professional experience as an IT audit intern at Vulcan Materials Company, where he tested IT-SOX controls and authored analyses on AI risks. Powell is an undergraduate teaching assistant for entrepreneurship and information systems and analytics courses. He also worked as a supplemental instructor for microeconomics. In addition to serving as head of recruitment and outreach for the Association of IT Professionals, his on-campus activities include Delta Sigma Pi, LSU Student Government, Volunteer LSU, LSU Ambassadors and the LSU Table Tennis Club. He is also a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors. After graduating in May, Powell will return to Atlanta to work in strategic assurance and SOC services for Grant Thornton.

Karly Robledo is a junior majoring in finance. She made history as the first LSU student accepted into the prestigious Girls Who Invest Summer Intensive Program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; there, she completed rigorous training in finance and investment concepts, followed by an internship at TPG Twin Brook Capital Partners in Chicago. Her campus leadership includes roles as vice president for Women in Business at LSU and head of the technology sector for the 1860 Investment Fund. Robledo's other campus activities include being a member of the Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College; she also served as a content tutor for student-athletes. She will spend the summer in Philadelphia while interning with The Vanguard Group's investment management team.

Eli Shortess will graduate with a bachelor's degree in finance this May. As president of The de Soto Society, LSU's premier high-finance organization, Shortess leads workshops on corporate finance, mentors students throughout the competitive internship recruitment process, and has facilitated new investment banking recruitment opportunities. He also serves as grand treasurer of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, managing a $1.2 million annual budget and ensuring financial stability for one of Louisiana's largest fraternity chapters. During his college career, he earned multiple scholarship awards. His professional experience includes internships with Brown Gibbons Lang & Company, Johnson Rice & Company and Kean Miller LLP. This summer, he will join Truist Securities as an investment banking analyst in a full-time role. 

Paige Snyder will complete her bachelor's degree in management with a concentration in strategic leadership and a minor in communication studies in May. Her professional experience includes serving as an administrative intern at MedStar Health Ambulatory Services, where she managed projects to enhance the patient experience and improve business processes. Snyder has also served as a student worker for the compensation section of LSU Human Resource Management. She is vice president of membership for Women in Business at LSU. She has also held leadership roles in Pi Beta Phi Sorority. Snyder's academic excellence earned her the Rucks International Scholarship, which enabled her to study in Barcelona. She was also named a spring 2025 Rucks Fellow. Her community involvement includes volunteering at St. Joseph's Hospice Center. Following graduation, she plans to gain knowledge in the field before pursuing a graduate degree with a focus on healthcare operations.

Abigail Soudelier is majoring in management with a concentration in human resource management and minoring in leadership development. She applies her leadership training as the president of LSU's Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) chapter as well as leadership roles in Pi Beta Phi Sorority and the Greekwide Student Ministry. Additionally, she was named a 2025 LSU Global Ambassador and traveled to Senegal over spring break. Her professional experience includes serving as a student worker in the LSU Rucks Department of Management and working as a human resource intern at Living Water International, where she developed a comprehensive job profile inventory and implemented cost-saving digital transitions. This summer, she will enhance her skills through a human resources internship at Halliburton. She also volunteers with the Friends of the Animals Adoption House and Champions are Readers.

Mary Caroline Wilcox, a member of the Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College, will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minor in Spanish, earning full College Honors. Wilcox demonstrated leadership as the competition coordinator and an executive board member for Beta Alpha Psi, where she helped LSU secure first place in the 2024 best practices competition. Thanks to her recent regional win, the chapter will return to the finals this summer. She also represented LSU as a finalist in the 2022-23 Deloitte Audit Innovation Case Competition. In March, she successfully defended her capstone thesis on AI adoption in public accounting. Wilcox’s other academic achievements include being named to the LSU President's Honor Roll for six consecutive semesters and receiving multiple scholarships. Wilcox studied at the National University of Córdoba in Argentina. She supports the E. J. Ourso College's business law course and assisted in creating content for negotiation courses offered by LSU Executive Education. Last summer, she worked as an audit intern at CBIZ, conducting comprehensive audits of employee benefit plans and client-site visits. Wilcox will pursue a master's degree in accounting in the fall, following an internship with Ernst & Young in Dallas.