Meet the Indiana Kelley MBA Class of 2018

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Seann J. Kim

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I’m a gritty Green Beret who’s always pursuing the next challenge in life.

Hometown: Palatine, IL

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m a first generation American of half-Korean, half-Finnish descent.  My wife is a beautiful redhead from the South. Together, we brought amazing blonde children into this world.

Undergraduate School and Major: United States Military Academy – West Point (major in Systems Engineering)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

  • 1st Special Forces Group (U.S. Army)
    • Special Forces Detachment Commander
  • 1st Infantry Division (U.S. Army)
    • Battalion Logistics Officer
    • Reconnaissance Platoon Leader
    • Rifle Platoon Leader

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I’ve been fortunate to lead America’s finest in some of the world’s most austere environments. However, all warriors must move on at some point in their lives. My biggest accomplishment, by far, has been mentoring and advising them on civilian opportunities before, during, and after their transition from the military. I influenced many of these seasoned veterans took advantage of the GI Bill and go back to school. All of them have successfully transferred the skills they learned in the military to the corporate world or to the non-military public sector.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Have a mission. Know why you are going back to school and what you want to get out of that particular business school. Set specific benchmarks and make the time during the application process to assess if and when you are hitting those benchmarks. If you’re not hitting those benchmarks, you will either have difficulty achieving mission success or you need to rethink your mission.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I chose Kelley because of fit. As a true career changer, I needed an intimate program where peers, faculty, and staff would focus on my career development and growth. As an added benefit, Bloomington is a one-of-a-kind college town. This city has embraced my family with open arms.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream job is with a mergers and acquisitions group within an investment bank or a large tech firm’s corporate development division. I’m confident that Kelley’s analytical toolkit will help me foster an environment where a team can successfully advise and transact on deals that are significant and sometimes monumental to a company’s future success.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? He understood the importance of relationships, had the willingness to take risks, and desired to have the best experience possible – and had fun while doing so!

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