MBA Candidate Urges Fellow AAMU Students to Explore Transformative Opportunity

Pearson Wheatley, a second-year MBA candidate at Alabama A&M University with a concentration in supply chain management, recently completed the highly competitive Hennessy Fellows Program – a yearlong corporate leadership experience that began in April 2024 and concluded this May.

Sponsored by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in partnership with Hennessy, the program is designed to elevate high-achieving graduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) through curated executive development experiences. Each fellow participates in leadership training, immersive boot camps, and networking opportunities, while receiving up to $40,000 in scholarship support and a $10,000 stipend.

Originally from Springfield, Virginia, Wheatley earned his undergraduate degree in agribusiness from Tuskegee University. He was selected as one of only ten fellows nationwide, chosen from a pool of over 200 applicants. He is also the first student from Alabama A&M University to be accepted into the fellowship since its inception.

“Throughout this fellowship, I learned what it takes to reach C-suite positions and gained firsthand insight into what operating at that level entails,” said Wheatley. “I also developed key skills including project management, design thinking, executive presence, case pitching, Lean Six Sigma, conceptual thinking, and emotional intelligence.”

Wheatley's fellowship included travel across the country. In April 2024, he attended orientation in Atlanta, Georgia. In July, he met with the Hennessy team and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits in New York. That fall, he joined other fellows in Washington, D.C., for the National Black MBA Association Conference. His consulting experience was with Sister.ly Drinkware out of Chicago, Illinois, offering hands-on work with a real-world client.

“These experiences provided tremendous career and professional development opportunities,” said Wheatley. “They also opened doors to enhanced networking with fellow cohort members, executive coaches, mentors, and leaders from both Hennessy and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.”

Wheatley encourages other Alabama A&M students to consider applying, citing the fellowship’s emphasis on leadership growth, business consulting, and real-world experience.

“This is a chance to stretch yourself mentally, balance competing priorities, and build relationships that last a lifetime,” he said. “It truly reflects Hennessy’s motto: ‘Never Stop, Never Settle.’ I hope to see more students from Alabama A&M become part of future cohorts and represent the excellence we produce here.”

Wheatley is scheduled to graduate in Fall 2025. He hopes to pursue a career in consulting, venture capital, or private equity.

To be eligible for the next Hennessy Fellows cohort, applicants must be 21 or older and entering a two-year MBA program beginning in Fall 2025. To learn more and apply, visit https://whosnext.tmcf.org/jobs/1571?lang=en-us. The deadline to apply is July 1, 2025.