Stephen Flynn

Stanford Graduate School of Business

“Engineer, business strategist, and leader with a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Hometown: Tullamore, Ireland

Fun Fact About Yourself: Our family convenience store was my classroom as a teenager, where I absorbed lessons on entrepreneurship, financial management, and the value of a loyal customer base, igniting my interest in business.

Undergraduate School and Major: University College Dublin, Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Power Grid Automation Engineer

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Stanford GSB’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? There are many immersive entrepreneurship classes available at the GSB and across the wider University. My goal is to start something of my own and I think these opportunities will help me to be better prepared for that.

What has been the most important thing that you’ve learned at Stanford GSB so far? The importance of being open to trying new things and seeing where they take you. It’s not just about book learning but also about jumping at new chances and learning from whatever happens, good or bad. It’s pretty much about staying curious and not being afraid to step out of your comfort zone, because that’s where all the cool discoveries and personal growth happen.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Stanford GSB? I’ll go with a course for this one. I’m currently taking a class called Product Launch where we go through the considerations that should be made when assessing how to launch a product, or whether to launch at all. The lecturers do a really great job of maintaining a high-energy environment which I enjoy.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates you’ve met so far? Give an example why this is true. I expected everyone to be smart, accomplished, and ambitious. However, I was slightly surprised by how genuinely caring and considerate my classmates have been. Everyone is leading such a busy life here that it’s easy to get caught up in your own little world. Nevertheless, I’ve been continually impressed by how willing and proactive people have been to take time and help classmates, celebrate milestones, etc.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishment in my career so far was the contribution I was able to make when I was volunteering as head of operations for a start-up social enterprise in Ireland. Prior to wrapping up the project, we were able to facilitate the donation of 250,000 meals to children in their place of education in the developing world.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? I imagine this is a bit of a cliche answer, but honestly getting to know the people I’ve met so far. It’s been exciting to meet so many interesting people and fulfilling to get to know them on a deeper level.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? My favourite memories so far are probably from a trip I did over Thanksgiving to Santa Barbara and Joshua Tree with a small group of classmates. Getting to spend quality time with a cool group of people at a much slower pace was a really enjoyable experience.

What advice would you give to a prospective applicant looking to join the Stanford GSB Class of 2026? I don’t think there’s any silver bullet. Take the time to write a strong application that really puts your best foot forward. Be authentic in your answers. But try to keep everything in perspective, business school is an amazing opportunity, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE STANFORD GSB MBA CLASS OF 2025