Kevin Cheung

MIT, Sloan School of Management

“I am an engineer hoping to move the world (literally and figuratively).”

Hometown: Long Island, NY

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a trained forklift operator; it is harder than it looks!  I was taught by the patient staff at Food Lifeline, a Seattle food bank that I volunteered at for the past 5 years.

Undergraduate School and Major: Washington University in St. Louis, Systems Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Boeing, Program Manager for Seat Product Development (Projects included United Airlines’ brand-new business class, Polaris and Emirates’ “Game Changer” high-tech first-class suite)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment so far was delivering the first United Polaris business class seats. In working on this project, I contributed to setting new standards for aerospace product development and passenger comfort. For over two long years, I worked tirelessly with my amazing team to create a bespoke premium seat with unique materials and customized electronic systems for United. This was all performed on an accelerated schedule, while also defining new engineering processes. I will never forget the cold, dreary December day when I watched the completed airplane lift off the ground to be delivered to Chicago.  Finally seeing the product of my hard work gave me a great sense of accomplishment.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Inspiring: I have met many dynamic classmates from many different backgrounds with inspiring goals and amazing stories.  This includes people from Israel to Australia, representing industries from ecommerce to consulting all hoping to make a bigger impact.  I can’t wait to connect with more classmates and learn how we can continue the “Sloanies helping Sloanies” culture!

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? The action-driven culture was the key factor that led me to choose Sloan.  I was immensely inspired by worldwide experiences to solve real world problems through Sloan’s quintessential Action Labs. I was also amazed at how that action driven culture connects Sloan to the rest of campus through amazing partnerships with other schools and research centers.  I remember walking out of the business school into a team of students from across campus working on their self-driving tricycle prototype on the sidewalk. It was action-driven collaboration like this and the innovative environment that led me to choose Sloan.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school?  I am looking forward to transitioning from a massive corporation into the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Sloan (such as the Trust Center, Media Lab, 100k competition, Delta V).  I love the idea of taking concepts from the classroom and instantly applying them to real world problems under the guidance of incredibly knowledgeable faculty and peers.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  In reflecting upon my career to date, I realized that “I am most comfortable when I am uncomfortable” and I want to learn how to push myself out of my comfort zone while in a safe space.  Both realizations led me to obtaining an MBA to round out my skills and knowledge so that I could truly start driving towards achieving my goals and dreams.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment?  Much of my decision was based on discussions with my mentors, friends from MBA programs, and family. I also contacted current students and alumni via “cold” emails (Sloan was the only school with a 100% response rating).  Finally, I ran through publically available return on investment data.  Just like any business problem, I decided that an MBA was worth the investment based on the qualitative and quantitative data that I collected.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard

How did you determine your fit at various schools? First, I needed to understand my own motivations for getting an MBA and what kind of school I could thrive at. I then carefully collected information on each school, down selecting to a small group that fit my criteria on paper. Finally, I validated my research by visiting the campuses, which turned out to be the most beneficial step for me because I found what I was looking for when I visited Sloan.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are?  My defining moment was achieving a childhood dream of working for Boeing. As a child, for a long time, my focus was on becoming a pilot. But that dream transitioned into a deeper interest in how planes worked and I realized that I wanted to become an engineer and design airplanes for Boeing. This became my goal throughout school. When I started at Boeing, I remember taking a pause and realizing how important of a career milestone this was for me. Experiencing a childhood dream become reality has given me confidence to pursue my other childhood dreams and to think big.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?  I hope to apply the leadership and management skills that I gain from Sloan towards a position at an innovative technology company or startup company focused on transportation technologies and mobility.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I will hopefully either be in a managerial position at an innovative transportation technology company or starting my dream company focused on making transportation completely seamless, efficient, enjoyable and equitable.