The McDonough School of Business received the 2012 Brillante Award for Educational Excellence from the National Society of Hispanic MBAs at a fundraising gala in Orlando, Fla. last Friday.

NSHMBA grants five Brillante awards every year to recognize corporate, educational, membership and volunteer excellence and has honored big name companies such as Sara Lee, State Farm and American Express in the past, according to the official organization website.

This year, other recipients included IBM, Su Casa Hispanic Center, an organization in Cincinnati, Ohio, that provides aid to immigrants, Cosette Gutierrez, a community relations employee at Target and former Chairman of the NSHMBA Board of Directors and Julio Rocha, founder of Rocha Financial Group, LLC.

“Winning a national award like Brillante showcases how Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business continues to be at the forefront of business education,” Elaine Romanelli, senior associate dean for MBA programs, said. “We are honored to be among this year’s award recipients.”

The university’s application for the award was submitted by alum Mary Jean Duran (MBA ‘91), an active member of NSHMBA.

To be considered for the award, candidate schools must advocate for diverse communities and students, promote representation through a diversity initiative, prepare minority students for future careers and engage in collaborative partnerships that foster recruitment, retention, development and graduation of minority students, according to an MSB press release from Oct. 1.

“Serious and sustained discourse among people of different cultures promotes a deeper understanding of international business,” Romanelli said. “I am proud that our program was recognized for its achievements in the area of diversity.”