Stanley Tong

Harvard Business School

“I’m an engineer and artist who works in both industrial 3D printing and ceramic sculpture!”

Hometown: Houston, TX

Fun Fact About Yourself:

1. Outside of being an engineer, I’m also an artist! I’ve been working with ceramics and sculpture for almost four years!

2. As an artist, I’m best known for my work around gun violence awareness/prevention. My work has been featured on CNN and a number of publications! I’m trying to balance a technology focused career with my art career!

3. I love to cook! Before I moved into a dorm, I used to cook everything with my trusty wok. I would cook nearly everything with my wok!

Undergraduate School and Major: Texas A&M, Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: General Motors, Lead Engineer – Additive Manufacturing (Industrial 3D printing)

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? It forces you to take a stance and think through what you would do in the driver’s seat of a real situation. In reality, there are very few black and white situations. The case method embraces that to create a complex dialogue around the pros and cons, qualitative and quantitative aspects, and cultural and geographical implications of each decision. By forcing us to make a decision with the limited information provided and learning to defend this position, it creates a deeper level of learning that is foundationally grounded in experience.

As we discuss the many angles of the decision, classmates bring their personal experience into the conversation to teach the section about their own unique views based on the journeys they’ve had. It has been influential in expanding my own understanding of the truly endless ways that someone could look at a situation, and how people’s experiences help to inform the decisions they make. With these learnings, I’ll be a better-informed leader with a wider breadth of experiences to relate to and draw from when making future leadership decisions.

Aside from your classmates and cases, what was the key part of Harvard Business School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The section experience was key to me. One of my top priorities at an MBA program was to make new friends and expand my perspective on the world. The section experience is a uniquely powerful way to build friendships that will last a lifetime. Whether it’s trauma bonding over the classwork or exploring a new city on a retreat, the connections I’ve made here are so important to me and I feel so grateful to have the fantastic section that I have. On top of that, the diversity of the section has taught me countless things, unrelated to classwork, that have really opened my mind to so many possibilities that I never knew existed.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Harvard Business School? I’m particularly excited about FIELD, the course, where students collaborate with a company, often internationally, and work on-site in the company’s home country. It’s an incredible opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture, gain firsthand insights into international business, and build meaningful relationships with people from a completely different background!

When you think of Harvard Business School, what is the first word that comes to mind? Why? “Grounded”. Going to HBS, I knew that I would be surrounded by high achieving people. However, I had no idea just how down-to-earth everyone would be. I’ll be honest: before moving here, I was a bit nervous that I would struggle to fit in or be unable to relate to the people here. I had never met an Ivy League grad or consultant, but I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. While the people I have met have all been highly accomplished, they’ve also been incredibly normal and down-to-earth. I’ve never once felt unwelcomed to an event or conversation here on campus. The culture here is genuinely very positive and warm!

Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized Harvard Business School was the right program for you? Why? The moment I stepped on campus for my interview was the moment I knew I wouldn’t take any other school over HBS! It just feels different when you walk on the campus for the first time. On top of that, every person I interacted with on my interview day was so kind! From HBS staff to current students during the class visit, it was a holistically encouraging experience. To this day, I remain in touch with some of the admissions staff I met that day!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: It was using technology to change the culture of an organization! I’m an engineer specializing in additive manufacturing, or industrial 3D printing, and I worked at a large automotive company. I spent a few years working on driving technology adoption throughout the rest of the company to improve the timing and quality of the automotive product development cycle. I’m particularly proud of being able to deliver on corporate technical education in a way that hadn’t been done in the industry before. This was used in conjunction with a lab that I ran and a separate program I designed to drive technology adoption among several thousand employees. I also made additive manufacturing technology a key enabler of the way new vehicles are designed, how issues are communicated and resolved, and how employees think through solving problems.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? Surviving the first semester of RC year! To describe it as overwhelming would be an understatement. On top of moving to a new location, transitioning from work to school, and being immersed in a very involved learning process, I’ve also met hundreds of new people! It has been a challenge to balance everything, but I am proud of myself for making it through this semester without any regrets!

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Harvard Business School’s MBA program? Write a story that nobody else could tell. Your life is unique! While certain milestones may seem common, your journey through those experiences is distinct to you. Offer the admissions team a glimpse into the person only you can be, and how it affects the decisions you’ve made and plan to make.

DON’T MISS: MEET HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2026