Joann Stephen 

Rice University – Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business

“I am a bubbly, kind and dauntless person who loves solving puzzles and problems.”

Hometown: Cochin, Kerala, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was a national level Judo Player and the heaviest person I have thrown was twice my body weight.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Technology, Chemical Engineering, Government Engineering College, Thrissur, India

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Reliance Industries Limited, Manager – Technologist

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Fresh out of undergrad, I joined a project commissioning the World’s Largest Gasification complex. The pace of the work and the hours were insane. There were days when we worked 16 hours at a stretch. It was super important to be alert the whole time too because any lapses in our attention could result in disasters. The most challenging part of the project was that it was the first of its kind, which meant no one else had prior experience running the plant, implying that quite often we were on our own to figure out the right path forward. My biggest accomplishment during this period was a temperature tool that I built which could accurately predict the temperature inside the Gasifier reactor. I was able to save my team millions of dollars in terms of the money that they would have had to spend to acquire the tool.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? This is the easiest question I have had to answer recently. Think of that feeling when you get to go home after a long time — the warmth, the feeling of belonging and the comfort of being there, that is what my class feels like.

What makes Houston a great place to live and earn your MBA? Houston is a diverse city. It has excellent restaurants and places to go out. Houston is a land of opportunities with multiple industries centered here. The friendly Houston community and the Rice University ultimately make Houston a great place to live and earn my MBA.

Aside from your classmates and location, 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? Throughout my admissions process, the character of Rice as a school shined through. Every step of the way, the admissions committee, the alumni, and the students were so supportive and kind. I knew that this was the school I wanted tied to my name for the rest of my life.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The activity that I am most looking forward to is the Board Fellows Program, where you are paired up with a non-profit organization and you are given the privilege to sit on their board and contribute to their working as a non-voting member. Throughout my life, I have worked with various charities. In the past few years, I have been able to start my own initiatives too. However, never before have I had the opportunity to contribute to such a large scale program. I hope to give my best to it, affect it positively, and also learn from it so that I can continue to give back.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? “What do you want to do after your MBA?’ This was the question that I dreaded the most, especially when they went into the specifics of it. I found it quite difficult to articulate my thoughts about an industry I didn’t know much about in depth.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Working on a commissioning project showed me at a very early stage in my career that an organization is about so much more than just the technology that I was used to working with. It is also about the people, the ideas, and the systems in place. I wanted to learn more about the organization as a whole and be able to make a wider impact on it. Also, I was able to work with consultants who came to work with my team on the projects and I knew that it was the right fit for me as a person.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Yale and Rotman.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? The thing I prioritized the most was the learning environment where I would be. Rice – with its small class size, amazing culture, and brilliant faculty –seemed like the right place for me to be. It was hard being an international student and making this choice without being able to visit the schools. However, interacting with the alumni, current students, and the faculty helped me know where I wanted to go. The true culture of Rice was really reflected in all my interactions with the school.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? A little boy begging on a train was the biggest and most significant defining moment of my life. While he was begging, the train suddenly jerked and he slipped and fell on a man, spilling the man’s coffee. The man got so angry, he got up and slapped the boy. I was a little girl who was no match for that big man, but I stood up to him and defended the child. It was one of those rare moments in life when you actually realize that you are more capable than you thought you were. It was one of those moments that made me question the ways of the world around me and challenge things to make them better for everyone. I have held onto that belief that I am capable of more than I give myself credit for on multiple occasions. I have pushed myself to achieve things that I normally would hesitate to even attempt. I have also realized that I have more privileges than a vast majority of people in the world and it is my duty and privilege to give back in every way that I can.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? In ten years, I see myself working in roles that positively affect people and organizations.