Meet Vanderbilt Owen’s MBA Class Of 2021

Poets&Quants: You recently launched a Center for Entrepreneurship. What has been your biggest success story to come out of it? How did the Center nurture this success?

Michael Bryant: “Our biggest success was the increase in companies launched upon graduation. Before the Center, there were usually about 2 companies that would launch a year, now we are launching about 4-5 a year. Another big win that is just materializing right now is the creation of a Vanderbilt mentorship and angel network. We have also increased grants for research to students by about 8 times prior to the center’s opening, and student independent studies with venture capital firms and local startups have roughly doubled.”

Poets&Quants: Nashville is one of the country’s fastest-growing cities. What types of opportunities are available for students to gain professional experience and build networks in this city?

Emily Anderson: “We are very excited that Nashville is a growing market for business opportunities. There are several larger companies that have the capacity and the workforce plan to recruit graduate business students and have a formal recruiting process.  These companies will engage with our students throughout the year in various recruiting activities. They are generally looking for interns and graduates interested in finance, operations management, marking or data analytics. Some of the larger companies have graduate leadership development programs which are great entry points for students. There are mid-size and smaller companies that look for talent as needed. Much of their recruitment comes through networking and access to the student body, so we try to find ways to bring them in contact with students through facilitated networking events on campus, projects or job postings. We also encourage our students to join local professional groups such as the Nashville Healthcare Council to stay informed and to begin to build a local network. Our goal is to be a go-to source of talent as Nashville continues to grow.”

A HEALTHCARE LEADER

Nashville is known as “Music City” for being home to venues like the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium – along with launching careers of artists like Patsy Cline, Amy Grant, Taylor Swift, and Blake Shelton. In reality, it is a healthcare hub. Over half of all American hospital beds are managed out of Nashville – not bad for an industry that represents nearly 20% of American GDP. Closer to home, healthcare injects $11 billion dollars into the local economy each year according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis – or $1.50 of every $10 in the metro’s economic value. The region is also headquarters to some of the country’s biggest healthcare companies, including the Hospital Corporation of America and Community Health. Together, they produced nearly $61 billion dollars in revenue in 2018. That same year, 35 Nashville-area startups attracted $733 million dollars in VC funding – with health firms like SmileDirect and OneOncology leading the charge.

Not surprisingly, Owen boasts one of the top MBA healthcare concentrations in the country. In 2019 alone, 19% of the graduating class entered the field. What’s more, the Vanderbilt Medical Center – ranked among the best hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report – is just a five-minute drive from Owen. In other words, Owen MBAs can access the top healthcare companies, leaders, networks, and facilities in the country. Make no mistake: the program leverages these resources to the hilt. For example, coursework opens with an immersion, where students shadow doctors, nurses, and patients. In the process, they experience the day-to-day rhythms, demands, and bottlenecks in the system. Such experiences better equip them to make decisions that truly make a difference.

That’s exactly what Junchu Du has been seeking since she left China for Nashville. “Owen has an amazing healthcare program,” she asserts. “Coming from a healthcare services background, I want to further explore the broader healthcare industry with future Owen peers to help to develop strategic partnerships between international healthcare institutions to facilitate the flow of patients and promote the exchange of medical resources… Thus far, I have learned about the healthcare services industry by practice, but I am lacking systematic training in health care from a provider’s standpoint to round out my vision. Owen’s healthcare program is a perfect fit for me to learn more about various factors in the healthcare realm such as hospital and pharmaceutical company operations, medical technology, cost containment strategies, and how to improve patient outcomes.”

The healthcare concentration isn’t the only way that Owen MBAs can experience the industry at Owen. “MBA students also participate in a consulting trek,” adds Yvonne Caroline Uduba. “This exposure will enable me to become attractive to companies with strong healthcare consulting portfolio and who also facilitate on-campus recruitment processes. The Vanderbilt location in Nashville – a healthcare hub with over 700 healthcare companies in the city – was something I really considered because it allows interaction with healthcare companies easily.”

NASHVILLE ADVANTAGE

Of course, Nashville isn’t just healthcare and music. After all, the metro is home to companies as diverse as Bridgestone, Genesco. Cracker Barrel, Hobby Lobby, and Nissan North America. At the same time, the area is rapidly growing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Nashville metro’s employment grew by 38.1% from 2009-2019 – second only to Austin among the country’s 100 largest metros. Locally, the joke is that 100 people move to the city each day. That may be stretching it, but a 2019 University of Tennessee study projects that the region will grow by a half million people over the next 20 years. Maybe the best indicator of the area’s robust health? Nashville Airport traffic climbed to 18.3 million travelers in 2019 – a 2.2 million person increase in just one year!

Indeed, Nashville continues to attract founders and incumbents alike. A week ago, Accenture announced that it would be adding another 165 jobs in the city. This fall, the city will be opening its Nashville Yards, a 17 acre downtown development that includes new housing along with retail, and dining establishments. In sum, the project is expected to add 15,000 jobs. Such growth assures students like Craig Kuphall that he can set down roots in the area after graduation.

“I was looking for a school that was well-integrated with a growing, vibrant city,” he says. “With a young family, I prioritized being able to intern and begin a new career without moving again after graduation.”

INTENSIVE COACHING

To make that transition, MBA students need support. That’s why Owen also runs an optional two-year Leadership Development Program (LDP) – one that over 90% of students complete. The program features three dozen executive coaches – or one for every nine students (no different than the program’s enviable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio). The program begins with an assessment, which is followed by a debrief where students can better understand their strengths and styles. From there, they can choose from three paths: individual (one-on-one coaching), team (real-time feedback in exercises), and flexible (a mix of the two). In the process, students practice how to navigate areas like managing conflict and communicate persuasively. During the second year, LDP integrates a wider array of workshops, speakers, and discussions, with students challenged to assume leadership roles in clubs, activities, and even boards. Once they graduate, alumni can still take advantage of LDP tools and coaching.

Amalia Mariaca, a Georgetown-trained budget analyst, credits the LDP program for her decision to come to Owen. “[LDP] empowers students with tools to become successful world leaders,” she writes. “Having worked for executive leaders, I have witnessed the positive impact of executive coaching on the effectiveness, culture, and success of the organization. As a developing leader, I value all opportunities to improve my weaknesses and become the best version of myself. The LDP offers more than that.”

Joshua Olamide Eniola is equally enthused about the LDP program. “Developing myself holistically as a leader has been one of my life goals,” he adds. “At Vanderbilt, I was pleased to see that I can combine my passion for leadership with my interest in an MBA program. Experiential workshops and mentor circles offer the close-up leadership development to guide my future aspirations.”

THE NEXT STEP…

What’s next for the Class of 2021? Looking ahead, Tia Secasiu envisions herself “moonlighting as a traveling yoga instructor who also rescues animals” – when she isn’t busy mentoring young women, that is. Joshua Olamide Eniola’s motivations are equally personal. A decade ago, he lost his sister to malaria and typhoid due to “poor healthcare management” in his native Nigeria. As a result, he plans to return home and work on the country’s infrastructure issues.

“I see myself leading Nigeria’s industrial revolution by tackling the twin bugbear of infrastructure limitations and institutional challenges. I intend to achieve this by fine-tuning policies that address the preconditions private investors typically require to finance significant infrastructure assets.”

In ten years, Daniel Cortez sees himself leading a human resources operation – and helping his company navigate through an increasingly-disruptive landscape. Still, like any MBA, he is careful to add a ‘That depends’ caveat to his plans. “Increased automatization, rapid technology adoption, and a changing political and cultural environment are transforming the workplace. Businesses need to adapt if they hope to be successful in the future. I want to help organizations and workers manage this change. That being said, I always strive to be flexible and open to opportunities as they arise.”

What led these professionals to enter business schools? Which programs did they also consider? What strategies did they use to choose their MBA program? What was the major event that defined them? Find the answers to these questions and many more in the in-depth profiles of these incoming MBA candidates.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2021: THE GO-GETTERS

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Rachel Chapnick	Lake Worth, FL	University of Miami	UK Department for International Trade
Daniel Cortez	San Antonio, TX	Rice University	Deloitte Consulting
Junchu Du	Shanghai, China	Denison University	Devon International Group
Joshua Olamide Eniola	Ibadan, Nigeria	University of Lagos	Nestle
Lucas Hagerty	Charleston, SC	George Washington University	3 Sons Media
Stephanie Jones	Naples, FL	University of Florida	ESPN
Craig Kuphall	Milwaukee, WI	Marquette University	U.S. Army
Alex Luna	Nashville, TN	University of Tennessee	Norfolk Southern Corporation
Amalia Mariaca	La Paz, Bolivia	Georgetown University	CIDVER Corporation
Tia Secasiu	Portland, OR	University of Washington	Nike
Yvonne Caroline Uduba	Manila, Philippines	Manila Central University	Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group
Severin Walstad	Anna Maria, FL	University of Florida	U.S. Navy