THE FAMILY THAT GIVES TOGETHER Brothers Andrew and Jay Hawthorn took different career paths after growing up in Houston. Years later their lives converged as Rice MBA candidates in the class of 2005, though one gravitated to marketing and the other to finance. After graduation, Andrew stayed in Houston to work for HP, and Jay moved to New York to work for Lehman Brothers. Seven years later they have united again, with their parents Hubert and Kay and Jay’s wife, Catherine, to establish the Hawthorn Family Scholarship. “Rice not only had an impact on my life and Jay’s, but on our whole family,” Andrew says. “Our parents got to experience our growth and journey with us—as two different people, pursuing two different disciplines with different career goals. To this day, they proudly look to us for counsel and get great satisfaction out of the thought leadership that we developed in the program and have continued to develop as our careers have progressed.” The brothers say that their parents taught them, through example, that in life one gives back to organizations that make society a better place. “It was the merging of that philosophy, that demonstration of giving that brought us together to establish a scholarship,”
Andrew explains. “We want to see the Rice MBA program continue to attract future generations of business leaders.” TRANSFORMING BUSINESS THOUGHT “When I graduated from college,” Andrew says, “I told myself that I was done with my education. Years later, I realized that wasn’t the case. When I was at Rice, I had a very different educational experience—more intense, more focused, and with a bigger goal ahead of me. Now, I look at the world around me through a very different lens.” Establishing a scholarship will allow another student to enjoy that same transformative experience. And what advice would he have for that scholarship recipient? “Take the opportunity to make the absolute most of your experience. Branch out, explore new things, forge relationships. Learn from your mistakes, but don’t become discouraged. Become the best possible brand ambassador for the Rice MBA program. You will get out of your experience exactly what you put into it, and your experience helps educate those around you. Contribute your time and talent, both now and in the future.”
ANDREW HAWTHORN IS A PRODUCT LINE MANAGER IN THE INDUSTRY STANDARD SERVER BUSINESS AT HP WHERE HE MANAGES THE STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE SUCCESSFUL LINE OF PROLIANT SERVER BLADES. HE IS A GRADUATE OF EMORY UNIVERSITY AND HOLDS AN MBA FROM THE JONES SCHOOL. IN HIS SPARE TIME, ANDREW VOLUNTEERS FOR A FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE HOUSTON AREA AS A PARAMEDIC AND HOLDS THE RANK OF CAPTAIN.
ANDREW HAWTHORN RICE MBA ‘05 BUSINESS.RICE.EDU