Meet Stanford GSB’s MBA Class Of 2019

Stacey Christiansen

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Spanish-loving, soccer-playing, beach-bumming Californian (rainbows sold separately)

Hometown: Redondo Beach, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: My favorite respite is a week waterskiing on a houseboat at Lake Powell, at the border of Utah and Arizona

Undergraduate School and Major: Stanford University, Human Biology

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Manager-in-Training at Apple Retail; Engagement Manager in Professional Services at Medallia

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:  I created and launched a competency-based developmental matrix to my company’s global professional services department. After identifying the obvious need for more structure in professional development, I led brainstorming sessions, vouched for my vision, defended the principles I believed in, and relentlessly pushed the project to fruition.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Each of us has our own full, complicated, and intriguing story – the challenge is how to make that shine through your application. Spend time not only writing the words for the essays, but truly considering the bigger picture of the story you are telling about yourself. This is your one chance to share all aspects that make you who you are, so take advantage of this opportunity. Allow yourself to even learn more about your own motivations and aspirations through the process.

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 culture at the GSB stood out to me apart from the rest – from the individuals that make up the class to the leadership perspectives the curriculum is built around, the GSB culture is apparent through and through. Stanford has a strong point of view on how to cultivate essential leadership skills and the curriculum brings that point of view to life. In my opinion, the GSB creates the most hands-on, dynamic, and real-life experiences both inside and outside the classroom that pushes each of us out of our comfort zone and challenges us to test out new things every day. This environment then attracts the students that seek out challenges like this and are ready to experiment, allowing you to grow personally as well as meet and work alongside the most interesting peers you can imagine.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Success for me will be to seek out and take on the newest and scariest challenge I can. Whether personal, professional, or a mix of both, I hope to use my time at the GSB to continue to push my boundaries and try things that I previously would not have thought possible. My community and peers at the GSB have helped me hone in on passions, strengths, and growth opportunities, and I hope to continue learning with every day here.