Meet Yale SOM’s MBA Class Of 2019

Ifeanyi Okafor 

Yale School of Management 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A thought-driven initiator with a high personal risk threshold.

Hometown:  Anambra, Nigeria

Fun Fact About Yourself: I can only swim backwards (the backstroke technique). When I try to swim forward, I sink. I hope to change that at the Payne & Whitney Gym before graduating.

Undergraduate School and Major: Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria. Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Company: Schlumberger

Titles: Field Engineer, Senior Field Engineer, General Field Engineer and Field Service Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Leading my team (out in the ocean in Sao Paulo, Brazil) to deploy the Quanta-Geo geological imaging tech device — the first time this product was being deployed in Latin America.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Most times, there is just something about a certain school on your list that makes your mind feel at home at the mere thought of the school. Invest a lot in the application for that school. Do what you can to get into that school. You will need that inner peace and connection to the school when the uncertainties of business school set in.

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 main thing that attracted me to Yale is the human atmosphere. By human atmosphere, I mean the air around the students and faculty. The classism that has been reported in some of the elite b-schools in the country is not present in the SOM. This enables students to foster meaningful and natural relationships irrespective of social background.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school?  Moving into the corporate strategy side of the energy industry.