Paul Lwin

Yale School of Management

“Navy veteran born in Burma and raised in California. Passionate entrepreneur looking to make an impact.”

Hometown: Essex, CT

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was a Naval Flight Officer in the U.S. Navy and flew combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m also a graduate of United States Naval Test Pilot School. As a Test Flight Officer, I got the opportunity to fly in more than 25 different aircraft from World War II–era planes to the latest modern jets.

Undergraduate School and Major:

United States Naval Academy (B.S. Aerospace Engineering), University of Maryland (M.S. Aerospace Engineering), Johns Hopkins University (M.S. Computer Science)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: United States Navy, Naval Flight Officer/Engineering Test Flight Officer

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: After Test Pilot School, I was assigned to lead a high-visibility project that had historically underperformed in developing and releasing new weapon systems. During the first few months of my tenure, I took the opportunity to observe and understand the challenges that led to the teams involved underperforming. My observations led me to believe that the teams were weighed down by organizational inertia that prevented them from innovating and adapting to a rapidly changing environment. I made it a personal and professional goal to change the inertia by being an understanding leader while forcing disruptive innovation. At the conclusion of my tour, I was able to lead many teams and individuals involved in the project to successfully innovate and develop better products for the warfighters. While I was unable to completely change everyone’s minds and habits, I was able to change the behavior and tendencies of the organization to strive to improve continuously instead of accepting a flat trajectory that prevented innovation.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The MBA classmates I’ve met are extremely passionate. They display a curiosity to want to understand their chosen fields and to be impactful leaders.

Aside from your classmates, 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? During my visit, it was very obvious that the SOM community was energetic and innovative. I was very drawn to the passion and energy of the staff and students that I met. In addition, the curriculum is unique at SOM and strives to be creative in how it educates future business leaders. I wanted to learn in an exciting environment surrounded by passionate people.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m looking forward to meeting and learning from fellow entrepreneurs and innovators in the Entrepreneurship Club and the Tsai Center For Innovative Thinking at Yale. I’m interested in joining the Veterans Club and helping future transitioning veterans navigate the change more effectively.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I recently transitioned out of the U.S. Navy. My post-Navy goal is to successfully launch and develop Curiosity Innovations, a technology company that will provide modern and innovative solutions to the warfighters by leveraging my tactical experience and engineering backgrounds. While starting Curiosity Innovations, it became obvious that a better understanding of the intricacies of finance and navigating the civilian business sectors would help me achieve my goals more efficiently.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? While starting Curiosity Innovations, I learned that there was still a tremendous amount that I needed to learn in order to successfully start a company. That experience convinced me that the two years spent in an MBA program learning and networking would be worth the return.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Quinnipiac University

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I was limited geographically to schools in Connecticut due to my wife’s successful career as a periodontist. However, even if I were able to attend other schools, I would have chosen SOM due to its unique curriculum and innovative culture.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? When I was ten years old, my family and I immigrated to the United States as political refugees from Burma (now known as Myanmar). Back then, I was too young to realize how fortunate it was that we were allowed to immigrate to the U.S. Throughout my life, I’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the world. During these travels, I met other Burmese refugees. The defining moment in my life was realizing that I would not have had the same opportunities I have had in the United States if I had ended up in any other country. As an immigrant who learned to speak English at the age of ten, I was given the opportunity to attend the United States Naval Academy, become a Naval Flight Officer, lead as a Naval Officer, graduate from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and now be given the chance to attend the Yale School of Management. That realization about how special a place we live in has fostered my desire to continue serving in all that I do, so that we remain a special place and a place of hope for other refugees like me.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to continue developing Curiosity Innovations into an innovative and productive technology company that will provide the warfighters with modern, cutting-edge systems efficiently and effectively.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself successfully running Curiosity Innovations and continuing to make the company more efficient and effective. I also see myself getting more involved in the community in order to continue giving back for all the opportunities that I’ve been given.