Meet Stanford GSB’s MBA Class Of 2024

3 REASONS TO CHOOSE STANFORD GSB

Personal Development: “I was really attracted to Stanford’s focus on personal development and interpersonal dynamics. So much of being a leader is about how well you know yourself and how you interact with others, and it was clear to me that Stanford’s curriculum understood this. There are several classes in the core curriculum, such as Leadership Labs, Managerial Skills, Managing Groups and Teams, and Leading with Values, that directly focus on these invaluable skills. Additionally, I knew myself to be a relatively risk-averse person, and the GSB has a strong culture of risk-taking and optimism that I wanted to learn and grow from.”
Esteban Socarras (’24)

“I kept myself anchored around one question throughout the process: “Which program will help me become closer to the person that I want to be?” Applying to business school, I felt equally motivated by professional and personal goals. I wanted to go to business school to pause, reflect and grow into a stronger people-focused leader. Stanford GSB stood out to me because the programming emphasized interpersonal skill development and intentional introspection coupled with deep relationship formation. When I spoke to current MBA candidates at the GSB, I was stunned by how much they mentioned the changes they were already personally experiencing as part of their classes. From taking courses such as “Touchy Feely” and “Leadership Laboratory”, to engaging with TALK and the Impact Fund, students raved about the way the program challenged them to be better.”
Sandy Uwimana (’24)

2) Career Services: “I’ve been really blown away by the Career Management Center (CMC) here at the GSB. Every time I go to the CMC for career guidance and support, I feel like I leave with a clearer vision of what my career post-GSB could look like. The advisors are incredibly helpful at big-picture brainstorming and reflection to help you hone in on potential career paths that may make the most sense for you. To the extent you are coming to the CMC with a clearer picture of the types of opportunities you are interested in, they are also very helpful at connecting you to the most relevant companies, faculty, and alumni for your job search. I knew the GSB had career support, but I didn’t expect the level of care and attention that the CMC dedicates to your career search or the incredible strength of our passionate alumni community.”
Esteban Socarras (’24)

3) Leadership Development: “The GSB is more than a platform for leadership development – it’s an active partner, providing the resources, coaching, and community required to help us reach our fullest potential within and beyond our time at Stanford. That emphasis on personal growth and mission-driven leadership brought me to the GSB. Even in a span of a few short months, I’ve been pushed far beyond my comfort zone to question limiting beliefs I once had and take bigger risks in the way I show up. Whether in classes like Leadership Labs or through programming driven by the Center for Social Innovation, the GSB is a place where students are deeply committed to becoming better than they were yesterday and where the broader institution invests in that commitment.”
Katie Deal (’24)

“I assumed that Stanford would have a very specific, centralized theory of leadership – that you’d be taught a single, proven way to make decisions or lead organizations. But GSB’s strength is in its focus on equipping students with tools, theories, and structures that span teaching methods, sectors, and pedagogies. Individual professors share wildly different perspectives–we’ve literally had professors openly reference and challenge each other’s work in class–and push students to develop their own conclusions. As a result, a lot of your personal leadership development happens outside the classroom when you’re processing and synthesizing your lessons. That decentralized education format is not for everyone. But I think, if you really harness the power of that approach, you can come out with a leadership style and voice that’s perfectly customized to you.”
Nikhil Gupta (’24)

ADVICE TO PROSPECTIVE APPLICANTS

“When Stanford’s application asks, “What matters most to you, and why?” they really want to know. Don’t fall into the trap of focusing on career accomplishments. Take this opportunity to genuinely reflect on the experiences and decisions in life that make you who you are. Write from the heart.”
Dara Canavan(’24)

“Really ask yourself: Who are you? Why have you made the decisions in your life the way you did? What do you really want in life?”
Lennart Funke (’24)

“Being authentic and vulnerable is the most important part. For example, the best advice I received while writing my essays was that I should write it in such a way that I would be terrified if I left it on the printer at work. I would encourage you to try your hardest to bring your full self in your application and interviews.”
Evi Muca (’24)

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Malika Aubakirova	Astana, Kazakhstan	NA	Chronicle Security (Google Cloud)
Dara Canavan	Derry, Northern Ireland	Imperial College London	Deliveroo
Katie Deal	Johnson City, Tennessee	University of Virginia	T. Rowe Price
Andrea Epelbaum	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Universidad de Buenos Aires	Boston Consulting Group
Nathan Fewel	St. George, UT	U.S. Naval Academy	U.S. Navy
Lennart Funke	Münster, Germany	University of Münster	Mercedes pay
Gabriela Gonzalez	Medellín, Colombia	Universidad EAFIT	Frubana
Nikhil Gupta	Bethesda, MD	Johns Hopkins University	Thread, Inc.
Yukiho Ishigami	Tokyo, Japan	University of Tokyo	Bank of Japan
Evi Muco	NA	McGill University	Partech Partners
Esteban Socarras	Santa Marta, Colombia and Asheville, NC	University of North Carolina	Netflix
Sandy Uwimana	Rochester, NY	Harvard College	Buoy Health