To Jasmine Kannikal (BBA ’09), a magna cum laude graduate with a marketing major and a mass communications minor, and the William G. McGowan Scholar for 2009-2010, Miami offers the environment in which to thrive.

Opting for the Master of International Business (MIB) degree, she plans to complete the one- to two-year program in one year and enter law school in 2010 with a goal of practicing corporate law.

Jasmine Kannikal

“Because Miami is such a key player internationally, I felt the MIB program would open my horizons to companies with offices here, including multinationals,” said Kannikal, whose tuition will be covered for one year by the scholarship.

An undergraduate recipient of a Florida International University (FIU) Academic Excellence award, Kannikal has always been interested in business, particularly for its “extreme practicality” and “its balance of theory and creativity.”

And her interest in creativity extends beyond business: an art enthusiast, she loves to frequent art galleries and museums.

“Art is the ability to communicate a different message to different people through a single work,” she said. “This is truly remarkable in itself.”

Community service plays role in scholarship award.

Kannikal–whose parents came to the United States from India, wanting to build a better life for their two daughters–aids others seeking the same. She works with the International Rescue Committee, supporting the organization in its efforts to resettle refuges in this country and helping them to become self-sufficient. In 2008, she coordinated a toy drive for relocated children.

Such community service is part of the requirement for the McGowan Scholar applicants, as is an essay about McGowan, a noted telecommunications leader.

“His perseverance in the face of adversity impressed me,” she said. “He challenged the monopoly of AT&T which ultimately led to increased competition, and thus had a positive ripple effect on prices and service.”

The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, Inc., a donor to the business school for the past several years, helps the college award scholarships to outstanding students like Kannikal.