Meet Vanderbilt Owen’s MBA Class of 2020 - Poets&Quants

Every product has a selling point. It is that exclusive feature that seizes the imagination. It is the catalyst that drives people to brave risk and discomfort to make a change. Call it what you will – branding, positioning, or value proposition. In the end, this differentiator defines how customers see a product…and sets the expectation for what’s to come.

At Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, the selling point is unquestionably “class size.” Boasting 179 students in the Class of 2020, Owen is a “small school” par excellence. However, size alone isn’t why so many top students migrate to the “Harvard of the South.” Instead, it is the execution of this selling point that has earned effusive praise from classes past and present. In a nutshell, Owen’s allure is best summed up by first-year Colleen Flynn…

“I wanted to be a name, not just a number.”

OWEN KNOWN FOR PERSONAL ATTENTION AND “CONNECTEDNESS”

What exactly does this mean? Shanah Gaskill, a senior marketing manager from Uber, cites one of Owen’s values: “We take business personally.” In her experience, that means Owen takes a “people-first” approach where she has felt “exceedingly welcome and wanted.” Known for their personal touch and southern charm, the small school vibe offers an academic benefit that few MBA programs can match – particularly for students looking to switch careers.

“Being on a first-name basis with faculty and the ability to approach them was something I was certain I would need,” explains Raúl Méndez, an insurance executive who joins the Class of 2020 from Panama.

Inside Management Hall, home of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. Marc Ethier photo

“Having no business background, I felt it was important to be able to count on peers and professors for additional opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.”

The small class size also creates a certain “connectedness.” says Bennet Hayes, a 2018 grad and P&Q Best & Brightest who joined the Boston Consulting Group this summer. Rather than the anonymity inherent to a larger program, Owen is a place where students can engage in “meaningful conversations” with everyone in the class instead of “just getting acquainted with hundreds of people,” says first-year Brittany Hunter. For Tiffany Stillwell, a former U.S. Army Paratrooper, this dynamic has taken her back to her days at West Point.

“Sitting in a class at Owen during my interview visit, I was reminded of my time as a cadet in the classroom. Students were genuinely being themselves: relaxed, engaged, and comfortable in sharing their opinions during class.”

100% OF STUDENTS LAND INTERNSHIPS

This “team spirit” is carried outside the class too, observes Deepa Tudavekar, an aspiring entrepreneur from India. The school’s “close-knit” and “collegial” culture has reminded her of an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Her classmate, Gina Hisgen, uses a different simile to describe her experience so far at Owen. “If this program was a race, I felt like we would all be starting together, and rather than trying to beat each other, we would be encouraging and helping each other get to the finish.”

Alas, the small school experience always brings up the inevitable question: will fewer students mean fewer opportunities. That certainly wasn’t the case for the Class of 2018. In newly released employment data, the class notched average base pay of $111,168, supplemented by average bonuses of $26,415. By the same token, 92% of the class had landed jobs within three months of graduation – the sixth consecutive year of 90% or better placement during that timeframe. That’s not the most impressive streak at Owen. That honor belongs to internships, where 100% of students seeking internships landed one for the seventh straight year.

Give credit to Owen’s career services center, which ranked among the ten-best in The Economist’s most recent student survey. “Owen may have slightly fewer companies coming to campus than its larger peers,” Bennet Hayes concedes, “but I’ve seen countless classmates carve out paths to dream careers, even if their company didn’t have a huge recruiting pipeline at Owen. The Career Management Center and a supportive and increasingly expansive alumni network can more than offset any limitations the class size introduces.”

TOP BASKETBALL RECRUIT TURNS TRAUMA INTO TRIUMPH

So who makes up the Class of 2020? You can start with Gina Hisgin. Before she moved to Nashville, she taught Arabic at a U.S. Army language school, where her work enhanced the nation’s intelligence readiness. She wasn’t the only class member to do that. Tiffany Stillwell served as the associate dean for the U.S. Army’s Korean Language School. You can add Curtis Duke to the group. A U.S. Army project engineer, he was selected to lead clean up operations after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean last year.

“By the time I was returning to the Corps of Engineers District, our team had removed over 100,000 cubic yards of debris, installed more than 2,000 temporary roofs, and installed a multitude of generators for critical public infrastructure,” he says.

Exterior of the Owen School of Management

The class also features some impressive athletes. After suffering a devastating injury in high school, Crosby Wright walked onto the Purdue Boilermakers. By the time he left, he was a starting tight end and team captain on teams that upset Ohio State and Michigan. Then there’s Brittany Hunter. In 2003, she was the nation’s top women’s basketball recruit armed with a scholarship from powerhouse Connecticut. A year later, she was out of the sport after suffering a career-ending injury. That didn’t deter Hunter, who forged a new identity off the court. She became a vice principal whose biggest achievement (so far) has been helping her 4th grade class achieve a 100% pass rate on both the New York State Math and English Language Arts exams.

“The road was long and beyond difficult, but one that has shaped who I am today. I was forced to find other passions and open my mind to other interests and various paths I might have otherwise never taken, hence this MBA!”

A CLASS THAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER

This path less traveled has exposed Hunter to some amazing people. Shanah Gaskill, for one, was among the leaders that Uber chose to spearhead projects designed to boost the development, retention, and morale of employees in light of several lawsuits faced by the firm in 2017. When Colleen Flynn worked for the Nashville Predators NHL franchise as a marketing activation manager, she admittedly went from “Hockey for Dummies” to “Manager of the Year” in her first season. Flynn wasn’t the only class member who only needed a year to make a deep impact. In that time, Deepa Tudavekar built a business that served meals to over 200,000 people.

The class also made this impact in a variety of industries. Take Ishan Saran. He describes the social sector in India as a vicious circle, where non-profits lack the funding to raise awareness; companies fail to properly invest in causes; and volunteers struggle to find organizations who can channel their passions. To build synergies between these parties, Saran created a platform – Those In Need – that brought them together.

“Since 2015, we have been able to provide financial and operational support to more than 200 non-profits, channel corporate social funds more innovatively, and efficiently, and help 6,500+ people to find skill-based volunteering opportunities,” he says.

Crosby Wright also possesses a knack for bringing people together. At Nike, he developed a platform that connected and developed employees at the company’s 1,000+ retail stores. “This new product, which was a back-of-house digital touchscreen with a robust set of content management tools, became the primary way that Nike delivered communications, training, and other forms of digital content directly to their retail employees across the country” he says.

“This group will definitely give you FOMO”

MBA graduates at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management

Outside work the class is equally compelling. Tiffany Stillwell managed to jump out of several military planes…despite being terrified of heights. During her very first pickup as an Uber driver, Shanah Gaskill got nailed with a speeding ticket. Each year, Brittany Hunter gets her 15 minutes of fame when ESPN broadcasts the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Dunk Contest, where she was a participant…along with LeBron James. In many classes, Ishan Saran might win an award for endurance. He consumed 3.3 pounds of stuffed flatbread in 30 minutes during an “Eating Champion” competition. However, most classes don’t have a Deepa Tudavekar in them.

“I have travelled solo for more than 135,000 miles in my lifetime,” Tudavekar asserts. “That’s about five times around the earth. I backpacked for three months along the lengths and breadths of the United States, and I have travelled to central parts of Europe and almost all of India. Experiencing and exploring and over seven countries solo, I learned to face my fears. I got mugged, missed flights, and even got stalked by drug dealers. I learned to work through uncertainties, in cultures foreign to me and in languages that I couldn’t fathom.”

Thus far, the Class of 2020 has made a strong impression on each other. Mackenzie Craig, a Cornell grad photography director from Time, Inc., has been struck by how outgoing and supportive her classmates have been. “I recently moved to Nashville, and I was posting silly Instagram stories about the struggles of settling into a new place,” she recalls. “A girl in the class ahead of me reached out and offered to send a classmate to help me hang curtains! It was such a thoughtful gesture, and the thing is…she really meant it. To me, that sums up the Owen spirit.”

Friendly and helpful, yes. That doesn’t mean the class is afraid to step forward when it is warranted. “People have been very open and honest about giving positive and constructive feedback,” writes Deepa Tudavekar. “It is easy to applaud and praise your classmates, but it takes courage to honestly assess and critique them while having their best interest at heart. It is because of them that I have already been able to improve myself every day. I am a better version of myself since I first started.”

Perhaps the best description of the Class of 2020 was delivered by Brittany Hunter. Her assessment of her classmates? “This group will definitely give you FOMO.”

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

BIG JUMPS IN FEMALE AND MINORITY STUDENTS

By the numbers, the Class of 2020 held their own in a down year for applications. During the 2017-2018 cycle, Owen received 224 fewer applications. As a result, the acceptance rate jumped from 43% to 61%. By the same token, average GMATs fell from 688 to 678, with the median also falling by 10 points.

Such numbers also created opportunity for the incoming class. The percentage of women, for example, rose from 26% to 30%. Similarly, the share of U.S. minority students also increased from 11% to 15%. The percentage of international students held relatively steady at 16.5%, with international students arriving from countries like Ethiopia, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

Overall, 120 educational institutions and 160 employers are represented in the 2020 Class, including notable firms like Bain & Company, Goldman Sachs, and PwC. Contrary to the impression of Owen as a “southern school,” just 37% of the class hails from the south. The rest of the American students are nearly equally divided, with the Midwest composing the next largest group at 13%. Overall, the largest bloc of the class consists of business, accounting, and economics majors. They account for 49% of the class, followed by engineering (14%), humanities and fine arts (13%), social science and legal (10%), science (5%). Professionally, health care services has the highest representation in the class at 12%. Government (11%), consulting (7%), education (5%), and high tech (5%) also make up sizable blocs of the class.

MORE RESOURCES DEVOTED TO THE STARTUP SPACE

What’s new at Owen? In a statement to Poets&Quants, Dean Eric Johnson points to a $4.5 million dollar renovation of the Walker Management Library, with added space and state-of-the-art resources that has turned it into a hub of campus life. “The renovation enables new programming that supports our personal-scale culture,” Johnson explains. “From Alumni Receptions to Humans of Owen live storytelling events and one-on-one conversations, to Executive Fireside Chats with leaders like Emerson Chairman and CEO David Farr or Dollar General former Chairman and CEO Cal Turner, our Walker Management Library offers students a multi-dimensional space to study, learn, and collaborate.”

Dean Johnson also lauds the school’s increasing push into entrepreneurship. In recent years, Nashville has emerged as a popular startup spot, buoyed by the area’s cosmopolitan vibe and diverse strengths in the healthcare, music, and manufacturing industries. Recently, three Nashville-area startups – Digital Reasoning, Confirmation.com, and Aspire Health – generated a combined $220 million dollars in funding according to Inc. magazine. At the same time, Intermedix made a $460 million dollar exit in 2018. To capitalize on such middle market opportunities, the school recently launched its Center for Entrepreneurship to offer, in Johnson’s words, greater “structure and resources” to Owen MBA students.

Vanderbilt Owen Dean Eric Johnson

“Besides the Center’s programming and seed funding for startups,” Johnson notes, “we are also developing a significant new Entrepreneurship Conference in Nashville, with associated events in San Francisco and New York. The conference will offer students exciting opportunities to practice and develop leadership skills, showcase their entrepreneurial ideas, and learn from seasoned and rising entrepreneurs.”

When students think of Owen, “small school” isn’t the only word that comes to mind. One is leadership, thanks to the school’s acclaimed “Leadership Development Program (LPD), a voluntary program, customized to each student, that offers assessments, coaching, and experiential opportunities normally reserved for selected executives in large firms. Another might be “social sector,” with the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures and Project Pyramid providing MBAs with opportunities to engage with leaders in the field and gain industry experience through school-sponsored projects.

NASHVILLE HEALTHCARE FIRMS GENERATE $92 BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY

However, these selling points pale in comparison to the biggie at Owen: Healthcare. Nashville is home to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. One of the largest hospitals in the nation, the center receives over two million patient visits a year. Even more, the Nashville metro serves as the headquarters for some of the largest healthcare providers in the world, including the Hospital Corporation of America and Community Health Systems. How big is the reach of these organizations? HCA alone operates 178 hospitals and 119 surgical centers in the U.S. and U.K. – employing 249,000 people who manage 28 million patient visits a year.

According to the Nashville Health Care Council, over 500 health care companies operate out of Nashville. These firms are also supplemented by another 400 boutiques that offer specialized healthcare services in areas like legal, accounting, and accounting. Overall these healthcare firms generate over $92 billion dollars in annual revenue and account for 570,000 jobs. They also manage over half of all private hospital beds in the United States. Such scope has also spawned investment, with Nashville area health care companies drawing over $1.6 billion dollars in investment from 2005-2015.

Add to that, the industry is growing at a 5% annual clip, with Americans spending $3.5 trillion dollars for health care each year – or nearly 20% of U.S. GDP according to Dean Johnson. As a result, the industry is evolving, requiring a more “professionalized” and model-driven approach. That creates unprecedented avenues for MBAs says Johnson in a 2018 interview with P&Q.

The Simulation Operations Manager shows Vanderbilt Owen students around the lab. Hands-on training is a key part of the Vanderbilt healthcare MBA. Vanderbilt photo

“The U.S. health care system is in a constant state of churn, and it’s creating a lot of opportunities to roll up all kinds of specialties. For example, anesthesiologists, emergency room doctors, whatever, they get bundled up as a service sold back to hospitals. It’s very much a roll up kind of industry right now, and that’s an MBA sweet spot. MBAs love conquering the world, rolling up industry and a very fragmented industry at that.”

THE PLACE TO BE FOR HEALTHCARE

Owen MBAs are capitalizing on this sweet spot, with 16%-20% of graduating classes entering the healthcare industry. Dean Johnson notes that the Owen’s healthcare concentration is flexible enough for students to pursue careers in consulting, corporate, and care delivery. Being the program’s only industry-focused concentration, healthcare is often paired with a wider specialization such as finance, operations or human and organizational performance. The defining feature of the 13 year-old program, however, is its week-long “firehose” immersion program, where students watch how healthcare is actually practiced by doctors and nurses on the floor. This includes everything from watching surgeries to visiting clinics. In the process, students experience the same day-to-day as practitioners and patients.

Jameson Norton (’15), CEO at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics and executive director at Vanderbilt Behavioral Health, believes such experiences, coupled with the healthcare-centric curriculum and Nashville’s abundance of health facilities, gave him an advantage that he couldn’t find anywhere else. “Owen allowed me to come in with somewhat of a head start and knowing where the industry is headed,” he tells P&Q in a 2018 interview. “We’re talking a lot about how things are evolving and you’re able to learn about some of the potential disruptors and the ways that things are transforming. That helps you anticipate where things are moving. It gives you a vision for where we’re headed.”

“It’s just the place to be,” adds Owen’s Christie St. John, Owen’s MBA admissions director in a separate interview with P&Q. “Why would you want to be anywhere else? Because you’ve got personalized attention — personalized services. All the alums, all the companies are right here at your fingertips.”

The same could be said for Nashville as a whole. Since 2010, Music city has added 170,000 jobs – a 21.6% growth rate. At the same time, Nashville’s population has swelled by 25%. Home to 18 colleges and universities, the Nashville area is a Fortune 500 magnet beyond healthcare, featuring big names like Nissan North America, Dollar General, and Bridgestone Americas. That doesn’t even count the city’s $10 billion dollar music industry, which is spawning new ventures in areas like digital technology.

Nashville is home to 400 healthcare businesses, giving Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management an edge in the placement of healthcare MBAs. Wikimedia

“Nashville is a thriving, up-and-coming city that will be a fantastic place to spend two years on both a personal and professional level,” says Crosby Wright. “Combining that with the perfect culture fit of the program made the decision to attend Owen an easy one.”

Ask any Owen MBA: Those two years can go by fast. What does the Class of 2020 hope to do after graduation? Raúl Méndez envisions himself as a “trendsetter,” a leader who “embraces risks” and challenges the status quo. In contrast, Brittany Hunter is looking forward to living in the moment. “Two years are going to pass, regardless of what I do – how I spend my time in those years is what really matters,” she explains. “I wanted to be able to say that I invested in myself in that time. That, my friends, is invaluable!”

Likewise, Mackenzie Craig comes to campus with an open mind. “I’d like to find a way to continue my career in a creative space. I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a business, but I’m also interested in brand management. Or who knows, maybe I’ll realize I love finance!”

That uncertainty – and the possibilities it represents – is what excites Gina Hisgin so much when she reflects on what she hopes to do in the future. “The fact that I have so many answers to this question is what excites me the most about starting this MBA journey.”

What led these professionals to enter business schools? Which programs did they also consider? What strategies did they use to choose their MBA program? What was the major event that defined them? Find the answers to these questions and many more in the in-depth profiles of these incoming MBA candidates. 

Student	Hometown	Alma Mater	Last Employer
Mackenzie Craig	New Canaan, CT	Cornell University	Time, Inc.
Curtis Duke	Morristown, TN	Sewanee: The University of the South	U.S. Army
Colleen Flynn	Wall Township, NJ	Vanderbilt University	Nashville Predators Hockey Club
Shanah Gaskill	Dodge City, KS	University of Kansas	Uber
Gina Hisgen	Pittsburgh, PA	College of Wooster	U.S. Army
Brittany Hunter	Columbus, OH	University of Connecticut	Harlem Village Academy
Cali Livingstone	Portland, OR	Colby College	Mercy Corps
Raúl Méndez	Panamá City, Panamá	Universidad Católica Santa María la Antigua	Mapfre Panama
Ishan Saran	Lucknow, India	Thapar University	Lending Hands Foundation
Tiffany Stillwell	Seoul, South Korea	U.S. Military Academy	U.S. Army
Deepa Tudavekar	Belgaum, India	Visvesvaraya Technological University	ExploreLifeTraveling.com
Crosby Wright	Carbondale, IL	Purdue University	Azzip Pizza

Mackenzie Craig

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

Dive bar loving book nerd with a penchant for string cheese and Friday Night Lights.

Hometown: New Canaan, Connecticut, USA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m kind of an Eric Church groupie. I once drove 8 hours both ways in one weekend to see him play his hometown, and I usually go to his shows by myself so I can concentrate! I actually wrote him a fan letter once, and his team called me on the phone—I think I stopped breathing.

Undergraduate School and Major: Cornell University, majoring in English

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Time Inc. (Meredith Corporation) / Food & Wine and Cooking Light Magazines / Photography Director

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Last summer, Food & Wine magazine moved out of New York City and hubbed a portion of the editorial operations with Cooking Light, an existing Time Inc. publication based in Birmingham. I was asked to be the Photography Director across both brands, and the transition was the single most challenging experience I have ever been a part of.  Everything—and I mean everything—felt impossible in those first few months. We started with three people on staff at Food & Wine and none of the technology or software lined up across the two brands.  The content was not only unplanned but also a month behind schedule at the time of the transition. This kind of hub had never been created before, so we were figuring out every process from scratch. We worked until midnight and every weekend, recruited, brainstormed, tried some new things, failed a few times, and stepped into roles that were far beyond our job descriptions. I’m still amazed by this, but we actually got that first issue out the door—and it was good! Through all of this, I was working for a second brand at the same time. I’d say my biggest professional accomplishment is surviving this past year. But seriously, I’m proud of what we accomplished as a team, and I’m proud of the critical role I was able to play in it.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Supportive. I had the privilege of meeting some students in the class ahead of me last summer. In the last year, each and every one of them has reached out and made a concerted effort not only to offer support and guidance with regard to school, but to just say hi, what’s up, and how are you. Let me offer one example of the above-and-beyond nature of Owen students. I recently moved to Nashville, and I was posting silly Instagram stories about the struggles of settling into a new place.  A girl in the class ahead of me reached out and offered to send a classmate to help me hang curtains!  It was such a thoughtful gesture, and the thing is…she really meant it. To me, that sums up the Owen spirit.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? I know this is a buzzword, but it’s very real: community. I looked at a lot of different programs across the country, and no other school came close to making me feel as comfortable, supported, and valued as I felt at Owen, by the admissions team members, faculty, and students I met. I don’t have a traditional business background, and I saw Owen as a place where that would be celebrated and encouraged.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’ve always been fascinated by gender roles in the workplace, and I’m all about that #girlboss movement—even though I find the phrase annoying! I’m really looking forward to getting involved with the Women’s Business Association at Owen.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  The print publishing industry is having a tough time. I have loved my career in magazines. I have also loved the opportunity to be both creative and practical in my role, so it was a difficult decision to leave.  I’ve spent almost 10 years doing this thing that I love, but as I looked forward to the next 10 years, I couldn’t see where I would go next. I’d reached the top of my career, and I needed to build a bridge to the next chapter.  Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how to do that on my own. I hope that an MBA will help me pivot my skill set from one industry to another.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I’ve always planned on pursuing a graduate degree, and an MBA made the most sense for me. I think education is always worth the investment!

What other MBA programs did you apply to? McCombs, Ross, Kenan-Flagler, McDonough, Foster, Haas, Stanford, Fuqua, Columbia

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I’m a pretty practical, measured person. I like pro-con lists, and I like explanations. But the truth is that for me, choosing an MBA program came down to a gut feeling. Of course, I considered all the big questions: location, strength of specific programs, class size, culture, curriculum, etc. Most of all, I was looking for a program that would see me as an individual and help me shape a career path based on my strengths.  A lot of the programs had very similar selling points on paper, but I found that taking a step back from the B-school jargon and just paying attention to the people I met and talked to during the application process and on visits was far more helpful than comparing pros and cons on a list. I was lucky to have a bunch of great options, but in the end, I picked Owen because it just felt like the place I couldn’t live without.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I think everyone has lots of little defining moments, and maybe a couple of big ones. A big one for me was an autoimmune disease diagnosis at a young age. I had to grow up pretty fast, and I learned a lot about myself as I went through the various stages of wanting to be perfect, realizing I wasn’t. I felt angry at the world, but eventually accepted this thing that was going to be a part of my life whether I dealt with it or not. The experience helped me recognize that people are often much more complicated than they appear at first glance. That being said, I’ve actively chosen not to let this part of my life be the one thing that defines me. I think I am who I am because of the smaller, less serious defining moments—like that time I went to Paris by myself after a bad breakup!

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I’m trying to go into school with an open mind! I’d like to find a way to continue my career in a creative space. I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a business (my best friend and I have an idea that I think is so fun), but I’m also interested in brand management. Or who knows, maybe I’ll realize I love finance!

Where do you see yourself in five years? This is a hard question! Ruling the world? Retired?

Curtis Duke

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Passion for the outdoors, sucker for Broadway and everlasting devotion to my brothers in arms.”

Hometown: Morristown, Tennessee USA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have the world’s greatest dog. She is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon whose name is Daisy Duke, and she pretty much goes everywhere with me.

Undergraduate School and Major:

Sewanee: The University of the South, majoring in Physics

Missouri University of Science and Technology, MS in Geological Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: United States Army, Project Engineer

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Hurricane Irma and Maria caused utter devastation throughout the U.S. territories in the Caribbean in late 2017. I was selected to manage operations on St. Thomas and St. John, USVI. By the time I was returning to the Corps of Engineers District in Saint Paul, MN, our team (the Corps of Engineers and contractors) had removed over 100,000 cubic yards of debris, installed more than 2,000 temporary roofs, and installed a multitude of generators for critical public infrastructure. I was so thankful for the resilience of the local community and the volunteers who raised their hands to help. The public/private partners executed the mission with extraordinary operational efficiency.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Personable. I do not know how the admission team differentiates personality by looking at resumes and reading applications, but I would love to be a fly on the wall. From Welcome Weekend through Orientation, the creativity, intellect, and empathy was utterly apparent through the thousands of messages flowing through our online community.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The alumni network was completely outstanding. It revealed the true nature of the school and the vibrant and expansive network of truly genuine people with complete loyalty to their school.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Without a doubt, the Turner Family Center of Social Ventures. The breadth of initiatives and experiences highlighted by the current students during Vanderbilt’s Discover Weekend was incredible. I cannot wait to augment my education with involvement in a social venture of this magnitude.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? During a counseling session with a Veteran mentor, I was anxiously describing my love for the Army while cautiously alluding to my desires step away after almost 10 years. I was pondering what it meant to step away. This mentor, whom I had only known for a short time, suggested pursing an MBA while still maintaining purpose by volunteering within the Veteran community. That was it!

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Anything worth having takes time (and money) to achieve. Being worth the investment was never a thought that crossed my mind.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

University of Texas, McCombs School of Business

University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management

University of Tennessee, Haslam College of Business

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I looked at a variety of factors, including geolocation (to be near family after 10 years), relationships and correspondence with alumni, veteran presence, class size, and office of admissions communication. Owen fit all these factors, and the care and diligence in interactions with peers, alumni and admission officers was utterly stunning.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? It was certainly not a specific moment, but more of a timeframe. At age 23, I was a platoon leader for a route clearance platoon in Iraq for about 7 months. What defined this time was the professionalism and poise of the soldiers (age 18 to 35) and the amount of knowledge I gained from my commanders, peers, and, especially, the soldiers and noncommissioned officers within my platoon. They imparted me with wisdom, experience, and really knowing what it means to be a leader.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I want to work in finance with a focus in renewable energy.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Career-wise, I wish I knew!  I will always be involved within the veteran community. I hope to on the board of a local veteran nonprofit in my spare time away from my career.

Colleen Flynn

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Started my first NHL season with Hockey for Dummies; ended as Manager of the Year.”

Hometown: Wall Township, New Jersey USA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have hiked hundreds of miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago (English: The Way of St. James)

Undergraduate School and Major: Vanderbilt University, majoring in Spanish

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Nashville Predators Hockey Club, Marketing Activations Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Reshaping the image and reach of the Nashville Predators’ grassroots marketing efforts. Helping to grow the understanding and appreciation of the sport in a nontraditional market.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Engaging – there has been a pervasive and genuine interest in exchanging stories, backgrounds, and goals.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The camaraderie of Vanderbilt and the program size influenced my decision. Regardless of which graduate school I attended, I knew I wanted to be a name, not just a number. I gravitated towards smaller programs that both the local community and alumni noticeably took pride in. This was important to me, because as a future alum seeking new opportunities, I will not only be leveraging the knowledge gained from the curriculum, but also the brand and reputation of the institution.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school?  I am excited to get involved with the innovative Project Pyramid course and the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  As much as I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic nature of my most recent role, I could see the end of the line, where my potential for growth would level out and plateau for the foreseeable future. As my role had evolved, I had also come to recognize the gaps in my business knowledge. I decided this would be an ideal time to return to school to augment my professional skills.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? The versatility of the degree solidified my decision, but it was not one I made lightly. I will be financing my education through loans, and acquiring debt of that size is incredibly intimidating. But it is a calculated investment in my own potential and one I will hold myself accountable to living up to. I feel it will be worth the investment, because the potential to leverage an MBA is limitless since the curriculum and experience are applicable across a myriad of job functions and industries.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None—I actually applied to several law schools. I had convinced myself that law school was my next step. Despite offers of admission and even scholarships, I could not seem to get excited about it. So, I continued to explore different avenues, and the Vanderbilt MBA kept coming up on my radar. After information sessions with the admissions team and additional homework, I realized that Owen was where I was meant to be.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? To get a feel for the culture at the programs I considered, I took full advantage of all the campus visits, shadowing of current students, and opportunities to meet alumni. LinkedIn proved to be a great resource to find connections with current or former students, and I followed the schools, programs, and student ambassadors on social media to see what activities and events they supported. Alumni engagement was also a priority in my research. I wanted to be a part of something that people enjoyed and valued long term. After graduation, when the loan payments hit hardest, the hours at the office are long, and no one from the institution is looking over your shoulder–did alumni still find time to demonstrate support or interest in their school? To me, that demonstrated the true staying power of the brand and the program.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Getting my (undergraduate) Vanderbilt University letter in the mail at my parents’ house. I was too nervous to open it and too excited to realize it already read “Congrats” on the outside of the envelope. I made my mother open it for me on our porch and anxiously held my breath with each word until I could process that I had been accepted. My time as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt afforded me some of my most significant friendships and professional opportunities.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After graduation, I plan on working full time in a Marketing or Brand Management role.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself living back on the East Coast, working to promote and bolster a brand that I am passionate about. Hopefully, I have made a large dent in paying back my student loans and found a place with a backyard for my dog.

Shanah Gaskill

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“A people-first Kansan fueled by ambition, humor, and loyalty.”

Hometown: Dodge City, Kansas, USA

Fun Fact About Yourself: Feel free to choose your favorite…

• My friends call me Big Shan.
• My hometown, Dodge City, KS, coined the term “Get the hell out of Dodge”
• I got a speeding ticket on my very first trip as an Uber driver.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Kansas, majoring in Marketing and Leadership & Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Uber, Senior Marketing Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In early 2017, Uber dominated daily headlines at breakneck speed, experiencing a continual stream of negative press coverage. Externally, the company’s brand reputation underwent heavy scrutiny and criticism. Internally, attrition was at an all-time high and employee morale was at an all-time low. Inspired to create meaningful change and confident I had the skills to do so, I ran head-first toward one of the organization’s biggest problems—culture. After pursuing opportunities outside of my marketing role, I was selected to project manage a few large culture-related projects. From recruitment to attrition, I worked with people across the organization to analyze, understand, and positively impact the life cycle of all employees at Uber. Through this work, I was able to oversee and implement strategic employee development programs that were rooted in first-hand feedback from organizations across the company.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Good-natured and team-oriented. I’ve yet to spend a ton of in-person time with my classmates, but we do have a lot of online chat activity happening. With this, it’s clear that the members of our class are more than willing to lend others a hand. Whether it is questions about a summer course or the best place to grab dinner, people are always chiming in and helping out. I’m excited to see how this will play out both inside and out of the classroom.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? One of Owen’s values is, “We take business personally.” This value states that Owen will continually take a people-first approach in all aspects of the experience, and this value has been shown to me multiple times throughout the application process. Whether through conversations with alumni, staff, or current students, each person has gone above-and-beyond to lend me a hand. I’ve never once felt like a number at Owen. I have felt like an individual who is exceedingly welcome and wanted in this program—which was extremely unique to Owen and apparent in its intentionally smaller class size.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Professionally, I’m looking forward to joining HOPA (Human and Organizational Performance Association). Since I’m switching careers from marketing to human capital, it’s important for me to network and learn from professionals within this function of the business.  Personally, being a part of the Tech Club and Christian Business Association will allow me to work with other students that have similar interests and priorities.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I came to a fork in my career where my day-to-day title and expectations were within the marketing organization, but I was becoming increasingly involved with projects that fell within the people organization. Through my work on employee experience in the people org, I realized my professional passions lie in the human capital space. Because of this, I’m pursuing an MBA to help launch my career switch from marketing to human capital.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I’m fortunate to have a strong network of mentors, both professional and personal, that helped walk me through the pros and cons of investing in an MBA. Ultimately, each conversation encouraged me to go after my best professional self, and an MBA is one of the strongest ways for me to do exactly that.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Kellogg, Darden, Ross

How did you determine your fit at various schools? At this point, there are just a few MBA programs that explicitly focus on human capital. I prioritized the programs that have this focus—it was important for me to get the educational background and experience in the human capital space so that I can hit the ground running post-graduation. During the application and decision process, I leaned on Poets & Quants as well as program websites to better understand offerings and culture.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? In the fall of my sophomore year of college, I felt passionate about leading the community of women I’d grown to love, and I knew I could do so in a positive way. Because of this, I decided to run for sorority president despite my age. Traditionally, an underclassman’s priorities include academics, volunteer activities, and trying not to get lost on campus. But on election day, I received a phone call from the sororities’ election committee to let me know that leadership would now be one of my priorities because I’d been one of the youngest members to ever be elected president. I immediately assumed responsibility for nearly 200 women’s academic and campus success. And with the help of an executive board and many advisors, my year as president snowballed into future campus leadership positions. Whether it’s applying for campus leadership roles, tracking down summer internships, or making professional leaps post-graduation, I pin my confidence and ambition to apply for things that may seem out of reach back to this defining moment.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? At this point, my plan is to join an employment brand team for a fast-paced tech company. My goal is to help companies recruit and keep top talent through strategic initiatives that positively influence the employee experience.

Where do you see yourself in five years? After graduation in 2020, I am going hit the ground running. I will be working toward becoming the Head of People for a startup within the tech industry. Whether that’s by working my way up through the employment brand team or taking on new people-related challenges, I will be working to make workplace teams extremely productive, strategic, and ultimately, happy.

Gina Hisgen

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Determined and energetic with a sense of adventure and insatiable desire for success.”

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fun Fact About Yourself: I spent my summer breaks through high school and college working at a carnival.

Undergraduate School and Major:

College of Wooster, majoring in History

California University of Pennsylvania, MA in Arabic Language and Linguistics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: US Army, Arabic Linguist

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Thanks to my proficiency with the Arabic language, I worked as an instructor at a language school where I was able to directly impact national strategic intelligence readiness by training fellow linguists and enhancing their language abilities.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why?Impressive—everyone has such a unique story.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Every person I interacted with from the school, whether a member of the admissions team or a current student, was so welcoming and helpful. I got the impression that it was a community based on collaboration and genuine friendship. If this program was a race, I felt like we would all be starting together, and rather than trying to beat each other, we would be encouraging and helping each other get to the finish. It was something I wanted to be a part of.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to participating in Project Pyramid. International social enterprise essentially sums what I would like to do in the future. I can’t wait to work on real projects with real impact, and having the opportunity to do that while I am still in school is very exciting.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Throughout my time in the military, I gained practical leadership experience and developed my networking skills for effective management. An MBA from Owen will help me translate those skills into the civilian sector and supplement the analytical aspect also required for success in the corporate world.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment?An MBA is so much more than a degree. It is experiences, opportunities, people and personal growth.  The success stories that come from Owen and any other great MBA program are inspiring and made the decision very easy.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, University of Pittsburgh

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I knew I wanted a small cohort and the opportunity to develop relationships with my peers and professors. Career management was also important, because I know I am going to need guidance for the recruiting process. I spoke to current students and interacted with admissions teams. I felt like I was best able to make a judgment, and pretty quickly, as to whether a school was right or not when I stepped on campus. There is a vibe at each school. For me, it was clear to see whether it was the kind of environment I wanted to be in when I was physically there.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? After graduating from college, I didn’t have a solid plan for my future. Rather than work in a position or industry I didn’t like, I decided to enlist in the Army. It wasn’t an easy path, and no one had expected me to do something like this. Choosing to serve my country allowed me to learn what is really important to me. The sense of duty and serving a greater cause is humbling and empowering.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I would like to do international consulting in the Middle East. I spent a long time mastering the Arabic language and learning about the culture. Moving forward, I hope to couple those skills with those from my MBA and work on development projects in the region.

Where do you see yourself in five years? The fact that I have so many answers to this question is what excites me the most about starting this MBA journey.

Brittany Hunter

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“A wine-loving wanderlust who is the occasional bookworm!”

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was in the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Dunk Contest. In fact, that year’s event reruns almost every April because it was LeBron’s year. How do I know this? Because I get a phone call every year from someone who saw me on TV…

Undergraduate School and Major: UConn, for both graduate and undergraduate, majoring in Sports Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Harlem Village Academy, Vice Principal

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Being a 4th grade teacher was not only the HARDEST position that I’ve ever held, but it was by far the most rewarding (shout out to all the teachers out there!). There will never be a salary that does justice to the many hats that teachers wear. While building relationships with my students and families was top priority, in my final year as a teacher I was able to get 100% of my 4th grade class to pass BOTH the New York State Math and English Language Arts (ELA) exams, which is not an easy feat.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? I absolutely adore my classmates—they are 95% of the reason that I chose Owen! They are beyond excited to engage with each other. This group will definitely give you FOMO.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The small class size was a selling point. I would rather have meaningful conversations with faculty, administrators and fellow students than to just get acquainted with hundreds of people.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am most excited to join Out & Allied, our LGBTQ organization at Owen. The social and political climate has been a challenging one in the past few years, and having allies, for any group of minorities, be it people of color, women, those with disabilities, or others, is very important to me. With that being said, I want to be a catalyst for creating more allies for the LGBTQ community at Owen and build onto the great things that the club has already done.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I taught my students that being illiterate can be a life-threatening disability. There are so many opportunities and circles that a person can be left out of because of their illiteracy. In that vein, I felt illiterate when it came to business acumen and finance. I want to be literate in the business world and acquire the acumen that will make me a force to be reckoned with.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Money comes and goes, so I believe that I will make my financial investment back. The investment in time, especially because I will be 34 when I graduate, was one that I struggled with. However, it’s a pretty black-and-white issue. Two years are going to pass, regardless of what I do – how I spend my time in those years is what really matters. I wanted to be able to say that I invested in myself in that time. That, my friends, is invaluable!

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Michigan, Ohio State, Texas

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I spoke to a lot of alumni and I visited every school. I wanted to make sure that I could see myself there. I definitely utilized Poets & Quants, because of the diversified articles and school features. My advice would be to go to the mixers that each school holds so you can meet the alumni, which is the best way to get a feel for the culture of the school. It’s also a good idea to start looking at the companies who recruit at the different schools. It’s normal to now know what function you want to hold, but you may have an interest in a certain industry or company, so be on the lookout for that.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Sadly enough, getting hurt while playing basketball completely changed my life trajectory. I was the number one recruit in the nation coming out of high school, and I suffered a career-ending injury in my freshman year of college. I was told that I was never going to play basketball after college because of the damage, and they were correct. What they didn’t tell me was that I was going to have to find a new identity. The road was long and beyond difficult, but one that has shaped who I am today. I was forced to find other passions and open my mind to other interests and various paths I might have otherwise never taken, hence this MBA!

What do you plan to do after you graduate? TBD

Where do you see yourself in five years? The goal in five years is simple. Be a boss, in every sense of the word. Of course, I want to be well-connected and I want to be living comfortably, but I also want to be a connector for other people and live life with purpose.

Cali Livingstone

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Six years in China, Kenya, Nepal as a humanitarian data geek, passionate about triple-bottom lines.”

Hometown: Portland, Oregon, USA

Fun Fact About Yourself: My bamboo bicycle has carried me on amazing road trips in China, South Korea, Nepal and the US.

Undergraduate School and Major: Colby College, majoring in International Relations, minoring in Art and Mandarin Chinese

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Mercy Corps, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor for the SE Asia Region

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: We hear about the “big data revolution.” In my work, I focus on the “small data revolution,” or helping average people interact with data and engage in meaningful, impactful reflection. I persuaded Mercy Corps executives to fund my first-of-its-kind role to focus on shifting team culture to intrinsically value data and improve programmatic approaches and impact. Today, a 500-person staff is more equipped to strategically grow its programs with data.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Diverse and exciting, both in their backgrounds and their motivations to pursue an MBA. I can’t wait to immerse myself in the textured experiences of the Owen students I’ve met so far.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA, and why was it so important to you? Coming from the non-profit sector, I believe that for society to thrive, we need business, government, and civil sectors to collaborate in more meaningful ways. For example, there are huge gains to be made in how international supply chains consider environmental and social impacts of their sourcing methods. I believe that business (with directions from communities and incentives by governments) is in the best position to make massive positive impacts in this space. Between the Turner Family Center, the dynamic mod structure, and the small class size, Owen felt like the best fit to allow me to pursue these ideas in depth.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? There are so many great clubs to pick from! I’ll definitely be making time for Project Pyramid, the Adam Smith Society, Women in Business, NetHope, and the Greater China Business Club!

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I reached a point in my career at Mercy Corps where I was noticing some critical gaps in my skills. Even though I had new job offers on the table, I knew I would not be prepared for the leadership positions that I am most interested in pursuing in five to 10 years’ time without the rigorous financial and analytical training that an MBA provides. I am also interested in expanding my professional experience into the corporate world, drawing on my international experience and learning from my classmates about the challenges of running, scaling, and innovating in a multi-national business environment.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I am proud of the international network of friends and colleagues that I have built during my time abroad. I knew that an MBA program network –especially one as close-knit and responsive as Owen’s alumni network – would be essential in making the career pivot I’m chasing after. Since 2015, I have applied to international relations and geo-political master’s programs in the US and the UK and kept turning down offers because the programs didn’t “fit” just right. I realized that the gaps in these degrees I was looking for were all business related, so I adjusted my focus to pursue an MBA!

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley and Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

How did you determine your fit at various schools? The three criteria I sought in an MBA program were a collaborative working environment, an international focus, and socially conscious courses. Each school where I applied demonstrated these traits.  What was most distinctive about Owen was the emphasis on collaboration I found on graduate school ranking sites. I know the competition out there is fierce and that the only way to beat it is to learn how to collaborate with your teams – and classmates.  I’m so thankful that Owen has built this type of culture!

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I studied Spanish for 13 years, beginning at age five. In college, I wanted a new challenge, so I switched my language focus to Mandarin. I think I was always aware about the power that translating ideas across language divides holds, but it didn’t fully come to light until my first exchange visit to Xi’an, Shaanxi, China in 2010. After just three semesters of Mandarin, I could string together a handful of simple sentences, and yet I was floored by the excitement and response I got to my Mandarin skills from the Chinese shopkeepers and restaurant owners I met every day. They wanted to teach me everything about China, endless idioms and proverbs, and they never let me leave before they were sure I had fully grasped the idea. As I translated my American perspective to them, they shared with me a distinctly different Chinese version. After growing up in a world that seemed to always have one “right” way, these conversations showed me that there are, in fact, many varied and diverse “right ways” of accomplishing the same thing. And mastering language and translation is essential to discovering the various paths.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I would like to work in the international supply-chain space to reduce negative impacts and grow profits through transparent and accountable business practices. I want to work for a multi-national company that is committed to harnessing its billions of dollars for real impact for both consumers and producers.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I would like to manage a team charged with measuring the impacts of international supply chains using Social Return on Investment (SROI) approaches. I want to capture more than just the monetary value of the flow of goods and services in our global economy – and maybe live with my dog in the Horn of Africa or Western China, or back in my hometown of Portland, Oregon.

Raúl Méndez

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“A highly competitive, results-driven Panamanian striving for academic excellence, professional achievements, and personal growth.”

Hometown: Panamá City, Panamá

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have represented Panama in karate, baseball, and football.

Undergraduate School and Major: Universidad Católica Santa María la Antigua, Law & Political Sciences

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: MAPFRE PANAMA, Sales Strategy Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I reduced the end-to-end time for the issuance of an insurance policy by 50%. I noticed my company’s back-office processes took place exclusively in its corporate headquarters, forcing branch offices to rely on a foreign team and leaving the branch offices with no control or oversight of the process. Through consultations and meetings with various teams, I adjusted the process so that back-office duties pertaining to the issuance of policies could take place remotely, empowering the branch offices to take control of the entire process for their cases.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The quality that best describes my MBA classmates is “diverse.” My peers come from very different backgrounds (geographic and professional) and are willing to share their experiences and to learn from mine, creating a learning environment within the classroom and in everyday conversations.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The key factor for me choosing Owen was everyone’s responsiveness and willingness to help. From the moment I began researching schools, Owen was by far the most responsive, from the admissions staff to Owen alumni. During phone calls and emails, I noticed that people from Owen take pride in their school and go out of their way to lend a helping hand. This was important to me, because the purpose of an MBA is furthering your career. I believe that first-class faculty teaching me technical skills, along with a highly responsive student and alumni network that can help open doors, are two tremendous tools to do just that.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I look forward to joining the Owen Strategy and Consulting Club. I plan on using my MBA education to pivot into consulting, and this club will allow me to learn from peers that have had previous experience in the industry and to prepare for case interviews required to get into the industry.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I felt I had reached a ceiling in my career. My lack of technical skills was hindering my growth within my company and limiting my opportunities in career paths I was looking to pursue.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? In Panama, a graduate education is an unspoken requirement to aspire to senior leadership roles. Having a degree in law and no educational background in business, pursuing an MBA was a no-brainer. The pay gap between MBAs and non-MBAs is considerable, and I saw an MBA as an opportunity to expand my network beyond Panama while also putting myself in a great position to succeed professionally and financially when I decide to return to Panama.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

University of Miami Business School

University of Michigan (Ross)

University of Texas (McCombs)

University of California Los Angeles (Anderson)

How did you determine your fit at various schools? After researching rankings, admission requirements, locations, and teaching methods, the way I determined fit was by visiting campuses for interviews and reaching out to current students and alumni. Current students’ willingness to share their experiences in their respective schools spoke volumes about the schools’ cultures and helped me get a clearer picture of where I wanted to be and who I wanted to surround myself by for the next two years. I knew Owen particularly fit my goals because being on a first-name basis with faculty and the ability to approach them was something I was certain I would need. Having no business background, I felt it was important to be able to count on peers and professors for additional opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. Also, the responses I received from the alumni I reached out to were insightful and well thought-out. I felt confident that I would someday be able to reach out to the alumni base and be able to network effectively.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was moving from the United States to Panama when I was eight years old. I had to face a language barrier and what at the time seemed like the overwhelming task of having to build new friendships. In the long run, though, what seemed like a tough transition helped me understand that great things can result from leaving your comfort zone. Not only did I acquire a new language, but I learned to appreciate the importance of creating relationships with as many people as possible, and the virtue of refusing to be complacent, whether in school, sports, or any other aspect of life.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After graduation, I plan on learning the ins-and-outs of diverse industries and putting my skills, honed from an unconventional background, to good use by identifying areas of opportunity, providing and implementing creative and effective solutions, and driving change. The best way of accomplishing this is through the consulting industry, which is why after graduating from Owen, I look forward to joining an influential consulting firm.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I see myself as a trendsetter! I see myself as a person who has accomplished enough to be trusted to take leaps and embrace risk beyond what is accustomed in the consulting industry. I want to be able to stretch the realm of possibilities when it comes to strategic plans and developing roadmaps. I see myself leading and endorsing change to the status quo. I see myself influencing how industries work and creating impact that will have a positive effect far beyond a client’s P&L statement.

Ishan Saran

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“A fun-loving guy, an amateur professional chef, a soccer devotee, and a nocturnal gamer.”

Hometown:Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a proud winner of the ‘Eating Champion’ contest at “Chacha Paranthe,” an Indian cuisine establishment – gorging on 3.3 pounds of stuffed flatbread in 30 minutes. The prize – free food for life!

Undergraduate School and Major: Thapar University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Lending Hands Foundation, Head of Strategy – Those In Need

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The social sector in India is unstructured. Most non-profits have inadequate funds to raise awareness about their work or attract skilled volunteers. Companies are struggling to meaningfully utilize their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. At the same time, people find good volunteering opportunities hard to come by. Each group – the non-profits, the companies and the volunteers – is struggling to establish synergies with the other. I am proud to have created a unique platform (Those In Need), which brings together these three groups so they can interact seamlessly with one another. Since 2015, we have been able to provide financial and operational support to more than 200 non-profits, channel corporate social funds more innovatively, and efficiently, and help 6,500+ people to find skill-based volunteering opportunities.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? One quality in my classmates that stands out is the willingness to share and grow. Before coming to Owen, I had this notion that there would be an intense, cutthroat environment. I couldn’t be more wrong. In less than a month, I have seen that learning and collaboration takes precedence over everything else. My peers are willing to learn from my experiences and embrace my ideas while sharing their own. My class is very forthcoming and welcoming.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Given my work in the social sector, and my inclination to continue my career in the same field, I was drawn towards the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures. The idea that social wellness and profits can go hand-in-hand has always excited me. Being the only such student-run organization in the US gives you a lot of exposure and ownership. The idea to solve unique problems in the social sector and to be a part of real innovation is what drove me to apply to Owen’s MBA program.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’ve always been a part of a technology-based start-ups and have thus developed an entrepreneurial mindset. I am really looking forward to the Vanderbilt Entrepreneurship Association and Owen Technology Club. I am especially eager to participate in Owen Venture Challenge and have started working on my venture idea!

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Through my experiences at Mogae Media and Lending Hands Foundation, I have learned how to turn ideas into products, anticipate the market’s requirements and build a business blueprint around products. However, I felt a need to renew my approach to business, cultivate a global outlook, and learn to plan more strategically, to realize my full potential. Before taking on bigger responsibilities and leading larger teams, I realized that it would be a good idea to prepare myself for it.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I believe that an MBA degree is a long-term investment. Most of us have about three decades of professional life in front of us, and an MBA education equips us with tools that are necessary to navigate professional life and rise to the very top in our careers. Two years spent among world-renowned professors and excellent peers who are future leaders will allow us to undergo a significant personal and professional transformation that will pay off on many levels.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

UT Austin – McCombs School of Business

University of Washington-Michael G. Foster School of Business

USC-Marshall School of Business

How did you determine your fit at various schools? While researching schools, there were two criteria for me: (1) The resources and opportunities available to help me further my career and prepare me for my desired post-MBA roles; and (2) the community and feeling of belonging that I felt when I interacted with current students. I interacted with many current students and alumni from each program to take their feedback on career development resources and the culture of the schools. After weighing every aspect of my professional and personal aspirations, I decided that Owen is the best fit for me.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? The decision that has shaped the last year of my life and will shape many more years to come is when I decided to take the plunge and begin my entrepreneurial journey. Building Those In Need from the ground-up has been an intense experience, both personally and professionally. An introvert by nature, I surprised myself by taking the lead in negotiations and event pitches. I found myself juggling between roles – be it a marketer, a designer, or an accountant. I discovered different facets of my personality – an expectation manager, a conflict resolver and a non-conformist – that I never thought I had in me. The journey has allowed me a great opportunity at self-reflection and development.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to continue my career in the social sector. I intend to leverage my previous experiences and business education to build more socially responsible, sustainable yet profitable businesses.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself managing my own CSR consulting firm, advising organisations on meaningful utilization of funds for social development and creating a larger impact for good!

Tiffany Stillwell

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Korean-American, combat veteran, wife, foodie, and mother of two.”

Hometown: Yongsan, Seoul, South Korea

Fun Fact About Yourself: Although I am scared of heights, I am a certified Army paratrooper and have jumped out of several perfectly good airplanes during my military career.

Undergraduate School and Major:

United States Military Academy, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Systems Engineering

Naval Postgraduate School, concentrating in Security Studies, Far East Asia

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: United States Army, Associate Dean of the Korean Language School- Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Learning to be a leader is no easy task. Being a young, female leader in combat surrounded by much older males can be even more intimidating. At only 23 years old, I was responsible for 11 soldiers and over $2 million in equipment. We were tasked with collecting signals intelligence across 17,000 square miles of Afghanistan. One of my biggest accomplishments was overcoming my own insecurities to confidently lead my team collecting valuable intelligence across some of the most dangerous territory in the world.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Genuine. As one of Owen’s Forte Fellows, I had the privilege of meeting some wonderful and very accomplished ladies at a recent conference with other fellows from other business schools. As I noticed the interactions of the ladies around me, I can honestly say that the ladies from Owen are so warm and welcoming. Between my interview day and meeting my classmates so far, I really feel like I’m part of the Owen family. 

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Owen prides itself on offering small class sizes so people can really get to know each other, have real relationships, and actively build a strong community. After experiencing small class sizes at West Point, I knew that class size was going to be a key component in selecting a program. Sitting in a class at Owen during my interview visit, I was reminded of my time as a cadet in the classroom. Students were genuinely being themselves: relaxed, engaged, and comfortable in sharing their opinions during class. I wanted to find a smaller program and get to know my classmates and professors on a deeper level and Owen offers exactly that.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Along with the Armed Forces Club, I am excited to join the Healthcare Club. Nashville is home to a diverse range of healthcare companies, and I’m looking forward to building relationships in and learning more about this exciting industry.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After over a decade on active duty, I wanted to jumpstart the next chapter in my professional life. I knew that if I wanted to have the same level of responsibility and influence that I had in the military, I needed to get an MBA. Although I learned a lot about leadership and developing teams from my military service, I was missing the foundation in business that I would need to be successful in the private sector.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? After speaking with several friends who had transitioned out of the military, I noticed a common theme.  Of my friends who had left the military and went straight into the workforce, a large majority of them went back to school within 2-3 years to get an MBA to advance and be in positions of greater responsibility and influence. I realized that if I wanted to make an impact on a larger scale, I needed to have an MBA.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

Berkeley

Duke

Emory

UNC

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I’m at a very different spot in my life than most MBA candidates, and finding a positive and supportive culture was most important to me. The only way to really evaluate a culture is to go visit and spend time talking with current students and alumni. During my visit at Owen, the director of admissions went out of her way to introduce me to other student veterans and really made me feel at home. When I returned home from my visit, I knew that Owen was the right fit for me.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? The military taught me to expect the unexpected, but nothing could have prepared me for the night we received my husband’s cancer diagnosis. At 31 years old, my husband was fighting Stage III cancer and would go through four rounds of chemotherapy and two major surgeries to remove tumors that had spread throughout his body. I had no choice but to be strong, not only for my husband but also for our 1-year old daughter as we sought to make life as normal as possible for her throughout my husband’s treatments. Paired with my duties as an Army officer, this was by far the most challenging time in my life. Looking back on this experience, it’s easy to lose perspective on what is most important when you are busy in the day-to-day hustle of life. Today I can say, without a doubt, that I am a stronger and more conscientious person because of this moment and I learned never to take anything for granted.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After a family trip to Disney World to celebrate this huge milestone, I look forward to joining a local firm dedicated to creating positive change and making a difference in healthcare.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Growing up as part of a military family and through my own career in the Army, I have learned the importance of contributing to a cause greater than myself. Healthcare is facing many challenges from an aging population to social pressure to cost control. In five years, I see myself contributing my unique perspective as a minority, female veteran to solve problems facing an industry that touches every American.

Deepa Tudavekar

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“I am a resolute self starter, driven by my passion.”

Hometown:Belgaum, Karnataka, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have travelled solo for more than 135,000 miles in my lifetime. That’s about five times around the earth. I backpacked for three months along the lengths and breadths of the United States, and I have travelled to central parts of Europe and almost all of India. Experiencing and exploring and over 7 countries solo, I learned to face my fears. I got mugged, missed flights, and even got stalked by drug dealers. I learned to work through uncertainties, in cultures foreign to me and in languages that I couldn’t fathom.

Undergraduate School and Major: Visvesvaraya Technological University

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: ExploreLifeTraveling.com, Head of Product

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I started a company and grew it from zero to $350,000 in revenue within a year. I won over 30 corporate deals and served packed meals to over 200,000 employees in just four quarters.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? They are very forthright and honest. In my experience, people have been very open and honest about giving positive and constructive feedback. It is easy to applaud and praise your classmates, but it takes courage to honestly assess and critique them while having their best interest at heart. It is because of them that I have already been able to improve myself every day. I am a better version of myself since I first started.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The thing I loved the most about Vanderbilt is the community and its collegial culture. Everyone at Owen – students, faculty and alumni – believes in preserving relationships. They don’t just preach team spirit; they practice it. They don’t try to best each other; rather, they believe in progressing as a community. To quote an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” It was very important for me to be in a close-knit, collaborative, team-driven and learning environment.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am most excited about the group projects and case work. Working with people from different disciplines, backgrounds and cultures has always appealed to me. Group projects and case work will give me the opportunity to gain and share different perspectives, practice leadership in a diverse team and hone my leadership skills, carving my path towards being an influential leader.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? While my past experiences have exposed me to a wide variety of business cases and developed me as a leader, they also highlighted a few skills I lack. For instance, while running my business, I made a few novice mistakes and could not sustain it. I am proud that I had the courage to run a company that had $350k revenue and did not hesitate to shut it down when necessary. I realized that I lack an understanding of the fast-changing market and a comprehensive knowledge of key strategies. I believe an MBA will provide me with insights on formulating sound product strategies and understanding broader competitive dynamics. The Corporate Strategy and Competitive Industry Analysis courses will give me a firm foundation in strategic management and data-driven decision making. Solving real business cases and project-based experiential learning will train me to thoroughly assess the viability of business models. And an MBA will be invaluable to my leadership development.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? My ultimate aim is to spearhead initiatives that make a meaningful and impactful contribution in the world. I believe you cannot pour from an empty vessel, so any investment in myself that will make me reach my aim and potential is a worthy investment. The network that these top B-schools will expose me to is invaluable, and the returns translate to far more than the monetary investment I am currently making.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)

Cornell University (Johnson)

UNC (Kenan Flagler)

How did you determine your fit at various schools? A close-knit community where I could be a part of continuous learning environment was of most importance to me. The other important factors I considered were offerings in terms of academics, recruitment and leadership development programs, and whether they matched with what I wanted to do post-MBA. The best resources for me were the current students and the alumni. They give me an honest opinion on the school culture and its offerings. I also visited a few schools and attended their MBA admissions and information events. Poets & Quants was my most bankable and trusted website, apart from school websites, that I frequently visited to know more about school rankings, alumni records, and job market standings.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? The defining moment in my life was when I had to shut down my business. The experience was particularly important, because it made me stop and self-reflect. It is very important to be self-aware, and it is often difficult to acknowledge your shortcomings when you achieve continuous success. It’s only when you face failure that you learn so much about yourself. Failure gave me a chance to understand my strengths and weaknesses. Since then, self-awareness has empowered me to make better decisions, and it is because of that awareness that I am pursuing my MBA today.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Post-MBA, I want to be a Product Manager at a technology company such as Amazon. I am passionate about finding solutions to day-to-day problems, and I have the enthusiasm to implement those solutions with the knowledge I have gained. A product management role will allow me to keep following my passion for solving problems through my products.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I see myself heading a line of products at a leading technology company. In the long term, I aim to steer a company as a Chief Strategy or Executive Officer and create frameworks for sustainable long-term growth.

Crosby Wright

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Energetic leader who strives to empower and motivate teams with an analytical mindset and enthusiastic spirit.”

Hometown: Carbondale, IL, USA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I joined the Purdue Boilermakers football team as a non-scholarship “walk on” player, and I worked my way up to becoming a starter at the tight end position and a team captain. We defeated both Ohio State and Michigan and made a few post-season Bowl Games during my time as a Boilermaker!

Undergraduate School and Major: Purdue University, majoring in Business Management (Concentrations: Marketing & Entrepreneurship)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Azzip Pizza, Management Consultant (Strategy & Expansion)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In my role as a Product Owner at Nike’s world headquarters, I was tasked with devising a solution for a long-standing issue. The vast majority of Nike’s full-time employees are stationed at the company’s 1,000+ retail stores around the world, and the company had not developed tools to communicate, teach, and develop their human capital across their fleet of retail stores. I was able to drive the creation of a new tech product from the requirements stage all the way through a live in-store pilot and eventual rollout to Nike’s retail stores across North America. This new product, which was a back-of-house digital touchscreen with a robust set of content management tools, became the primary way that Nike delivered communications, training, and other forms of digital content directly to their retail employees across the country.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? There is a genuine family spirit amongst my classmates. While everyone is highly qualified and comes from a variety of diverse backgrounds, I’ve been thrilled to discover how friendly, collaborative, and approachable my classmates are.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The location! Nashville is a thriving, up-and-coming city that will be a fantastic place to spend two years on both a personal and professional level. Combining that with the perfect culture fit of the program made the decision to attend Owen an easy one.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Getting involved with the Wond’ry Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship…and playing literally all of the intramural sports that are available.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Getting an MBA has been a long-term goal of mine. In my career-to-date, I have gained experience across a variety of industries, including consulting, tech, and cross-functional experience working for a start-up. I was ready to take that set of experiences into an MBA program to drive the next phase of my career.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Through analyzing both the short and long-term ROI, in addition to considering the less tangible factors involved like building my personal & professional network and opening opportunities in new roles & industries.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

University of Texas (McCombs)

Washington University (Olin)

How did you determine your fit at various schools? The single biggest factor for me was visiting each school in person and gathering as much information as possible. Meeting with professors, chatting with current students over coffee, and developing relationships with people affiliated with the program helped me determine if the school’s culture and environment were the right fit for me. 

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Heading into my senior year of high school, I was healthy, prepared, and ready to have the best season of my life to propel me toward my lifelong goal of playing Division 1 college football. Then, three days before the first game of the season, I dislocated my elbow during practice and shredded all the ligaments that stabilized my arm. Because the injury had to be surgically repaired, I missed my entire senior season, which derailed my dream of getting an athletic scholarship to play in college. Without the football scholarship offers I had been seeking, I made the choice to attend Purdue University for purely academic reasons. My entire mindset changed; while before I had been singularly focused on athletics, after the injury I decided to prioritize my academic path and set myself up for a career beyond sports. I became a much more well-rounded person, as I realized that I needed to broaden my focus, goals, and energy beyond just football. Because life is funny and wildly unpredictable, I ended up joining the Boilermakers football team as a walk-on, fulfilling my lifelong dream of competing in Division 1 athletics, while earning a degree that set me up for my career beyond graduation. While devastating at the time, the moment I got injured in high school shaped both my personality and life for the better in every way.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I’d like to work with innovative, fast-moving teams where I have some degree of autonomy to shape the strategic direction and working culture of my team and broader organization.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Working on an entrepreneurial venture with a focus on creating sustainable change and empowering those within my organization and community.

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