Meet Stanford GSB’s MBA Class Of 2019

Alex Pruden

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Former U.S. Army Green Beret looking for a new adventure at the intersection of tech/business

Hometown: Tucson, AZ

Fun Fact About Yourself: I speak two dialects of Arabic

Undergraduate School and Major: United States Military Academy (West Point), International Relations & Arabic Language Studies

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: U.S. Army Infantry, U.S. Army Special Forces

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Having the opportunity to serve my country and defend its citizens and values over the course of three deployments to the Middle East.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Give yourself plenty of time to complete the application.  Everything is important, but the essays are where you really have the chance to differentiate yourself from the crowd.  Make the most of that opportunity

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? I chose to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business because of the unparalleled opportunities to learn about entrepreneurship from both leading scholars and successful founders from the heart of Silicon Valley.  I also appreciate the diversity of the campus, and being surrounded by classmates who are as passionate as I am and who inspire me by their accomplishments and ambitions.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Successfully founding and leading my own startup in the blockchain technology space, while balancing my responsibility to be a good partner to my wife and father to my son.