Student speaker Shaima Ahmed is graduating from Champlain College with a Master of Science in Business Administration (MBA). She will address fellow Champlain College Online graduates during the 3 PM ceremony on Saturday, May 10.
From Canton, Ohio, Ahmed currently works as a Financial Analyst for Keurig Dr. Pepper. This role was created to help her department transition to a brand new software halfway through her program at Champlain. It provided her a versatile opportunity to collaborate with esteemed leaders in the department, manage cross-functional projects alongside software developers, and serve as a liaison to an overseas team—all while embracing a dynamic work environment where no two days look the same. She credits her time at Champlain for helping launch her career in this strategic, data-driven, and diverse role.
In addition to her core responsibilities, Ahmed has led the Employee Onboarding Program for Finance at KDP for the past three years, helping to foster a welcoming company culture. She was also recently elected to serve on the company’s Employee Relief Fund Committee, which supports team members facing personal hardship.
Ahmed has consistently pitched beverage innovations to Keurig Dr Pepper, driven by a deep care for national public health. She dedicated her capstone to exploring how soda companies can redeem the more deceptive aspects of their legacy through transparency and nutritional literacy as a catalyst for industry-wide reform.
She previously earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Neuroscience from The Ohio State University, where she served as President of the Pakistani American Students Association, wrote and performed original poetry, and taught students from grades K–9. Her most rewarding teaching experience was with Breakthrough Collaborative, a national nonprofit that creates educational opportunities for underrepresented students, teaching literature to middle schoolers from inner-city school districts in Pittsburgh.
Ahmed has worked across a wide range of industries—including restaurants, education, lawn care, the collision industry, healthcare, and now beverages. Her finance skills have evolved through many of these roles, and she has also studied data analytics. She aspires to find a future role at the intersection of data, collaboration, and a purpose that she can be proud of.
“I welcome the challenge and opportunity derived from continuous and diverse learning, and my eagerness to apply my knowledge base will only grow as I complete my MBA,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed currently lives in Dallas, TX with her husband of five years. She loves to get lost in a book, travel, be with friends and family, and train to become the strongest version of herself. Her latest goals include completing a full pull-up, becoming an adept surfer, swimming with a whale in the ocean, and continuing to find work that stretches her mind, but also brings good to others, as she has seen her parents do their whole lives.
To tune in to the livestream of Ahmed’s speech, visit commencement.champlain.edu for the 3 PM ceremony.