MBA Brochure 2020/21 FINAL-MBA-Brochure-2019-20-pages | Page 83

The competition was founded
by Hult graduate Ahmad Ashkar,
while studying for his MBA
in 2009.
Left: Winners of the 2018 Hult Prize, Rice Inc., interviewed
local farmers in Myanmar as part of their research to meet
their goal of harnessing sustainable energy to improve the
lives of ten million people by 2025.
TEAM GREEN HANDS
Doing business to do good
Sumana Samuk’s Hult Prize team Green Hands
made it to the top three in the Regional Finals in
2017. She recently returned to Hult SF for the
Hult Prize campus round—this time as a
member of the judging panel.
What got you involved with the Hult Prize?
The challenge was restoring dignity to ten
million refugees. I thought I’d be the last person
who could help—I’d never even met a refugee
and had zero understanding of what it was like
to be one. Then I met a Hult student from Syria
who was displaced to Lebanon herself. Hearing
her story and what happened to her people truly
moved me and I knew I had to give it a shot.
What’s behind Green Hands?
We focused on Lebanon, which has the
highest density of refugees in the world. To us,
restoring dignity meant empowering them with
the chance to earn a living. We had a simple
concept: collect and convert waste plastic
bottles into jackets and sell on.
How did it change you as a person?
The whole experience was very intense and it
completely changed me. I look at the person
first and bring humanity into my work ethic now.
How did it feel to come back as a judge?
It was amazing to have the chance to see it
from the other side. I made sure to ask very key,
fundamental questions and give detailed
feedback. I will always be associated with Hult
Prize in whatever ways I can, helping the students
that are coming through it now and helping take
it to the next level. It’s a part of me now.
S
 tay up to date with Hult Prize at
hult.edu/blog and search “Hult Prize”
The Hult Prize is run in partnership with the
United Nations; advocates and past judges
include former U.S. President Bill Clinton and
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus.