Gina Hisgen

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Determined and energetic with a sense of adventure and insatiable desire for success.”

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fun Fact About Yourself: I spent my summer breaks through high school and college working at a carnival.

Undergraduate School and Major:

College of Wooster, majoring in History

California University of Pennsylvania, MA in Arabic Language and Linguistics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: US Army, Arabic Linguist

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Thanks to my proficiency with the Arabic language, I worked as an instructor at a language school where I was able to directly impact national strategic intelligence readiness by training fellow linguists and enhancing their language abilities.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why?Impressive—everyone has such a unique story.

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? Every person I interacted with from the school, whether a member of the admissions team or a current student, was so welcoming and helpful. I got the impression that it was a community based on collaboration and genuine friendship. If this program was a race, I felt like we would all be starting together, and rather than trying to beat each other, we would be encouraging and helping each other get to the finish. It was something I wanted to be a part of.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to participating in Project Pyramid. International social enterprise essentially sums what I would like to do in the future. I can’t wait to work on real projects with real impact, and having the opportunity to do that while I am still in school is very exciting.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Throughout my time in the military, I gained practical leadership experience and developed my networking skills for effective management. An MBA from Owen will help me translate those skills into the civilian sector and supplement the analytical aspect also required for success in the corporate world.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment?An MBA is so much more than a degree. It is experiences, opportunities, people and personal growth.  The success stories that come from Owen and any other great MBA program are inspiring and made the decision very easy.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, University of Pittsburgh

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I knew I wanted a small cohort and the opportunity to develop relationships with my peers and professors. Career management was also important, because I know I am going to need guidance for the recruiting process. I spoke to current students and interacted with admissions teams. I felt like I was best able to make a judgment, and pretty quickly, as to whether a school was right or not when I stepped on campus. There is a vibe at each school. For me, it was clear to see whether it was the kind of environment I wanted to be in when I was physically there.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? After graduating from college, I didn’t have a solid plan for my future. Rather than work in a position or industry I didn’t like, I decided to enlist in the Army. It wasn’t an easy path, and no one had expected me to do something like this. Choosing to serve my country allowed me to learn what is really important to me. The sense of duty and serving a greater cause is humbling and empowering.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I would like to do international consulting in the Middle East. I spent a long time mastering the Arabic language and learning about the culture. Moving forward, I hope to couple those skills with those from my MBA and work on development projects in the region.

Where do you see yourself in five years? The fact that I have so many answers to this question is what excites me the most about starting this MBA journey.