Christopher Eaton

“Dad, Husband, and Officer. Lover of all things poetic and quantitative. Enjoys keeping things light”

Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Fun Fact About Yourself: One of SEVEN siblings (lucky number six)

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Central Florida – Major: Accounting, Minor: Finance

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: United States Navy, Naval Officer

What has been your favorite part of Atlanta so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA?

Atlanta is so amazing because it offers so many opportunities for me as a dad and a husband. There is never a shortage of activities to do for us as a family that the city of Atlanta offers. In the short time we’ve been here, we’ve got the opportunity to visit the world-renowned Atlanta Aquarium, enjoy picnic days with the dogs at Piedmont Park, hiking Stone Mountain and spending Sunday’s exploring Ponce City Market. Living in Smyrna, we are fortunate to get the small tight knit community aspects that comes with the suburban area but have no issue jumping on the highway and being in the heart of midtown in about 20 minutes. The cities of Smyrna and Atlanta offer endless possibilities of different ways to create memories with my family.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was one key part of the Scheller MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?

The main aspect that I believe set Scheller apart from other top programs which are the ability to customize your program to meet your exact goals. I really respected and admired the amount of flexibility in the pursuit of different concentrations within the program and the level of detail and effort the administration team takes when crafting the course load. Scheller offers so many different areas of study but the key to their success is our ability to get exposure to a litany of different areas of study through the core class we take in the fall semester. As someone who wants to pivot to a new career, but doesn’t know where to pivot, Scheller gives us the tools to pursue different avenues that help us best figure out our future. It helps us think outside the box and gives us the ability to chart our own course even if we don’t know that the course is just yet.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Georgia Tech?

The course that immediately comes to mind is Professor Thompson’s course in Managerial Economics. His class is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had in my academic career. He brings such a vivacious spirit and thrill to the learning experience and can do it with real-world scenarios and personal anecdotes in a way that I have never experienced before. It was so eye opening seeing how the material taught in this course has crossed over into almost all other courses. It is a class I will never forget.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

I would say my biggest accomplishment was completing a seven-month deployment on board the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71). I was a Catapult and Arresting Gear Officer as well as a Divisional Officer within the Air Department and the job was to facilitate and ensure the safe and efficient launching and recovery of naval aircraft. I worked with hundreds of enlisted sailors daily conducting naval operations in the South China Sea for over seven months and launched thousands of aircraft in support of maritime operations. I had the chance to lead a division of over 100 sailors that directly reported to me. The experience and lessons learned from leading men and woman through a deployment through both work and personal problems was one of the most difficult but satisfying positions I’ve ever had the opportunity of fulfilling. The lessons and skills I gained as an Officer on that deployment will stay with me for the rest of my military and professional career.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far?

My biggest accomplishment was being able to secure a 100% scholarship through the Navy to pursue this program. I was selected for a specialized academic program offered through the Navy that allowed me to pursue higher education with my tuition covered as well as receive my normal salary and benefits. The Navy places such great emphasis on higher education and I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity to receive an education at one of the top programs in the entire county. Without the added stress of having student loans has really allowed me to focus on my academics and really learn and retain the concepts being taught in the classroom.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far?

My best memories are the memories I’ve created with my core group members. Getting back into an academic setting after being out of my undergrad program for nearly 10 years was daunting at first, but I have an amazing built-in support network with them. The administration team creates these teams prior to orientation, and they did such an unbelievable job curating this group that allows us to work together based on our strengths and weaknesses. Leaning on one another in our study sessions and working together really got to the heart of why I think the core teams were created. Some shared misery, a lot of studying, and even more laughs are going to be what I look back on and remember when I think of this program. All thanks to my core team members (shout out Savreet, Kelsey, Anmol and Mason).