Meet Cornell Johnson’s MBA Class Of 2019

Shawn Driver

Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Proud veteran, husband, and father with an insatiable desire to learn and experience life.

Hometown: Arlington, VA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love to travel. I’ve visited 24 foreign countries and spent one quarter of my life living abroad.

Undergraduate School and Major: Virginia Military Institute, BA International Studies

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

US Army

101^st Combat Aviation Brigade: Blackhawk Helicopter Platoon Leader

160^th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR): Blackhawk (DAP) Helicopter Platoon Leader

3^rd Combat Aviation Brigade: Blackhawk Helicopter Company Commander

160^th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR): Assistant Operations Officer

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: As a Company Commander, I deployed an organization of over 60 soldiers and ten helicopters to Europe for nine months in an effort to strengthen NATO alliances. The first rotation of its kind, my unit was based in Romania and conducted training all over Europe. The major challenge I faced was planning and executing a high volume of missions from Romania while my immediate supervisor ran the headquarters in Germany. As a result, the responsibility to network, develop and execute training with surrounding units resided heavily on me and my small leadership group. I was fortunate to have an incredible team and recent Special Operations training, which I drew from throughout the deployment.

Over the course of nine months, we flew over 1000 hours and conducted training that ranged from flights over the Black Sea with the U.S. Navy to the first flight of a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter into Ukraine. I’m extremely proud of the fact that we accomplished what we did without a single accident or injury, but I’m most proud of the opportunity I had to develop soldiers. In fact, two of my former pilots ended up passing the rigorous selection process to join the 160th SOAR — an accomplishment for which I’d like to think I helped them prepare.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Be authentic. The MBA application process is designed in part to learn about yourself by reflecting on your past experiences, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. In order to effectively connect the dots and think about the next step in your career, you have to be authentic. If you’re not, it will come through in every aspect of the application.

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? There’s a video titled “Glorious to View” in which Cornell is referred to as “elite but egalitarian.” That couldn’t be truer at Johnson. From the first conversation I had with a student and every encounter since, I’ve found that this is a place where grounded individuals come for academic excellence and personal growth.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? I’m passionate about aviation, travel and leadership and hope to continue applying what I’ve learned from the Army and Cornell in an internship program within the airline industry. Looking back a year from now, I hope to have made strong bonds with my classmates, challenged myself in new and exciting ways and completed a successful internship.