Meet Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA Class of 2018

Stephiney Y. Xie

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Innovative and unrelenting self-starter who thrives in challenges; and hell-bent on making a difference.

Hometown: Long Island, New York

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I picked my own name. My family and I immigrated to New York from Shanghai, China, when I was nine years old. Since I learned English by watching television series, I named myself after my favorite TV persona, Stephanie Tanner from Full House.

Undergraduate School and Major:

United States Military Academy at West Point (2009)

Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership with a track in Environmental Engineering, Norwich University (2014)

Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Commerce

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Upon graduating from West Point, I commissioned as a transportation officer in the United States Army as a lieutenant. My lieutenant years were filled with leadership opportunities as a platoon leader and executive officer of a 50 person truck platoon with dozens of military vehicles and millions of dollar worth of equipment.

Subsequently, I was selected to serve as the executive assistant to the brigade commander. In 2012, I deployed to Afghanistan as a brigade support operations officer in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. I was responsible for air, aerial delivery, and ground operations in commands south and west of Afghanistan.

The culmination of my military career ended at the Defense Language Institute where I was the Associate Dean of Asian Schools and then a company commander charged with leading over 350 soldiers in language acquisition and military training.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: During my seven-and-a-half years of active duty service in the Army, I’ve been honored with many accolades. However, the highest honor I have received thus far is the Department of the Army Transportation Officer of the Year Award for fiscal year 2012. I was selected out of approximately 30,000 qualified peers. That year, I served as the aviation transportation director for the southern half of Afghanistan, managing all air and ground logistical resupply to NATO soldiers and civilians serving overseas. Through my team’s hard work and diligence, we executed over 500 missions and streamlined processes which saved $95 million in government funds.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants?

• Don’t give up! Don’t give up! Don’t give up! Surround yourself with a strong support system that can pick you up when you’re getting knocked down.

• Take the necessary pause to recharge and reflect.

• Bring your authentic self into all aspects of the business school process (i.e. essays, interviews, recommendations, and interactions with admissions).

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? It was love at first interaction. My MBA search began very methodically. I created a weighted matrix that included preferences in location, culture, emphasis on major, ranking, and cost. My pragmatism came to a screeching halt when I visited my target schools.

It boiled down to the people. The Tuck admissions team was my first interaction with Tuck, and I was blown away by the professionalism, helpfulness, and just plain niceness. Kristin Roth, my admissions rep at Tuck, connected me with alums and current students.My second interaction with Tuck was the Women in Business (WIB) summit where I fell even more in love with the people, the professors, and the school. WIB demonstrated Tuck’s dedication to diversity and inclusion. The third interaction that solidified my decision in choosing Tuck was with the incredibly tight knit alumni community. I have yet to have a Tuckie not return my “cold call” or “cold emails.” There is something very unique about Tuck that is difficult to describe until you’re fully immersed in the Big Green culture.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? The Army has whet my palette for leadership and innovation, but now I am ready to make an impact in a different capacity. I am strongly convinced that Tuck will help me achieve my professional goals by serving as a stepping stone in learning quantitative financial skills and honing business acumen. What intrinsically motivates me is the belief that I can create positive, lasting, and measurable results through transformational leadership and innovative disruption. It is this passion that will continuously drive my ideals and selection while I explore the various industries that I have not previously been exposed to such as the finance, consulting, technology, and entrepreneurship.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? One constant that lies throughout any military career is change. The continual adaptation to that change has developed my sense of humility for unabated growth and learning, but more importantly a sense of humor and positivity when dealing with difficult situations or problems. I think these characteristics will greatly benefit my classmates’ experience when we collaborate. Lastly, I hope my classmates will always think, “I can always count on Stephiney.”