Meet The Stanford GSB MBA Class Of 2027

Their first year is behind them. And what a year it was! Arriving in Palo Alto, the Class of 2027 joined an all-at-once, full-contact sprint. They encountered peers who expanded what they believed was possible. They jetted off to adventures that refined their outlook. And they weighed opportunities that often challenged their mission. Call it a period of self-discovery, filled with awkward and galvanizing epiphanies. In an atmosphere of abundance, class members were forced to make choices. In the end, they discovered that time – more than money or goodwill – is life’s most valuable currency.

Daniel Elechiguerra entered the Stanford Graduate School of Business after earning an MS in Analytics from MIT and working as an associate for McKinsey & Company. Despite excelling in these pressure-packed environments, Elechiguerra tells P&Q that his biggest MBA lesson has been how to manage his time and energy.

“The pace here is genuinely frenetic, and there are more great classes, people, and opportunities than you can possibly say yes to. I’ve had to build new habits around prioritization and planning, such as reshaping my schedule every day, staying on top of all my messages, protecting time to connect with friends, and learning to say no without guilt. Just as importantly, I’m learning to be more resolute: not waiting for the “right moment,” but acting decisively and making each moment right. That shift has made the experience both more productive and more meaningful.”

NEW WAYS OF THINKING & LEADING

Setting priorities has also been the biggest takeaway for Teju Adeyinka, a product manager from Nigeria. “The GSB offers an overwhelming number of opportunities, which forces you to be clear about your values and your trade-offs. One of Stanford’s primary application essays asks the question “What matters most to you and why?” My time at the GSB feels like a continuous exercise in answering that question through both reflection and action.”

Indeed, Stanford GSB is known for teaching leadership through reflection and self-awareness. As a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a Submarine Warfare Officer, Thomas Stone had a certain leadership approach instilled in him. Looking back on his first year, Stone says the MBA program has developed the self-management instincts and soft skills needed to take his leadership abilities to the next level.

“At Stanford GSB, I’ve learned not to define myself by that style, but to see it as one tool within a broader toolkit. The ability to recognize the situation, assess what relational skills are needed, then leverage those skills is what leads to success. You can learn hard business skills at any school (and really learn them on the job). Understanding myself, others, and my ability to maximize interpersonal relationships has been the most important learning so far.”

Leadership is all about connection. During the 2025-2026 school year, first-years were exposed to the importance of relationships – and how to better form truly authentic bonds that stand the test of time. Alexandria Clarke, a project leader at the Boston Consulting Group, describes Stanford GSB as the “most international environment” she has ever been a part. As a student, she has witnessed how “shared values, curiosity, and ambition outweigh our differences.” Her classmate, Danni Zhang, comes from an entirely different world than Clarke: Hong Kong and investment banking. The past year has made Zhang value the variety of experiences that her classmates bring – and how they can enhance her decision-making.

“Investing often requires forming views about the future—about technology, geopolitics, policy, and human behavior. At Stanford, I’m surrounded by classmates who have built companies, served in the military, worked in government, and led organizations across industries. Their perspectives frequently challenge my assumptions and push me to think more broadly about risk and opportunity. This environment has made me a more thoughtful investor and collaborator.”

‘THE GSB IS NOT WHAT I WANTED, BUT WHAT I NEEDED’

As Stanford MBAs, students learn that true leadership involves building narratives that reflect cultural norms and inspire a daily commitment to action. More than that, they experience how real relationships are grounded in candor and vulnerability. That’s one reason why Stefan Sujansky points to the “power of clear and honest storytelling” as his most valuable lesson from the GSB. And he came to this realization during one of the school’s most popular traditions: TALK.

“Prior to coming to the GSB, I placed little weight on how ideas and experiences were presented to others, believing instead that good ideas will always naturally bubble to the top,” explains Sujansky, a graduate of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. “Two activities have changed my perspective on this. First, the GSB holds weekly TALK sessions, in which my classmates give 30-minute presentations on influential life experiences and the lessons that they derived from them. Each time I attend, I’m enraptured by their stories. Moreover, I find that I have a much easier time remembering their takeaways because the stories associated with them were told so artfully.”

In the end, Stanford GSB ingrains that, in a fast-changing world, it is critical to slow down, break things apart, and ask the hard questions. Here, the programming channels the impulse to pursue new ideas and refine old ones; to ask what could be and experiment with options; and to always pursue improvement, innovation, and disruption. Even more, the Stanford Way is the tonic for hubris. Every day reinforces the notion that you can’t do it alone – but you can do it better if you tap into the know-how of your peers. After all, the experience isn’t about seeking refuge, but shaking off complacency and finding the confidence to take risks – just like GSB MBAs have been doing for generations.

That’s one reason why Alexandria Clarke urges future Stanford MBAs to “understand what they uniquely contribute to the community – whether it’s their upbringing, career path, passion, or talent.” More than that, Tafui Leggard, another McKinsey alum, emphasizes that the GSB is all about personal growth.

“I like to say, ‘The GSB is not what I wanted, but what I needed.’ When else are you going to pause your life and ask yourself tough questions in a place that welcomes all the messiness of the human experience? I don’t think there is another MBA environment other than the GSB that provides a soft landing for that personal growth.”

MAKING AN IMPACT EARLY

For that growth to happen, alum say Stanford students must live in the moment. Forget that GSB MBAs earn more than anyone else – or ranks as the top graduate business program according to U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, or LinkedIn. For them, it doesn’t matter that the school boasts over 40,000 well-connected alumni whose likes include General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Nike Co-Founder Phillip Knight, or Business Guru Seth Godin. To borrow a cliché, it is the journey that makes the program so invaluable not the outcome.

“Most people who look at Stanford from the outside see a credential,” writes Nikhil Jain, a ’26 grad.  “They see a brand, a network, an admissions barrier that, once crossed, confers a lifetime of access. And that is not wrong—Stanford alumni are among the most consequential people in the world, and the name opens doors in ways that are difficult to overstate. But this view, ironically, undersells the place. It mistakes the afterglow for the fire itself. I think many students who have spent years dreaming of Stanford may not fully appreciate what the institution is once they arrive. They think about what Stanford means after Stanford—the alumni, the network, the brand—rather than asking what it means to be a Stanford student while you are at Stanford. The real magic is not what this place becomes in memory. It is what it is in the living of it, day by day, morning by morning.”

Certainly, the Class of 2027 has been doing just that. Daniel Elechiguerra has focused on leaving a legacy by starting two clubs: Spanish Students Association and Padel Club (A sport popular in Spain and Latin America). Chairing the International Committee of the Student Association, Yash Maheshwari, a recenet Blackstone associate, established a Culture Crew where 4-5 member groups of students from different cultures can learn from each other. At the same time, Teju Adeyinka launched a passion project: namestories.app.

“[It] collects and shares the stories behind my classmates’ names. Names carry deep meaning in my culture, and as I met more people at the GSB, I wanted to celebrate the diversity I encountered. It has been a meaningful way to connect with people, celebrate identity, and build community. I’ve featured over a third of the class with names from 20 different languages, and hope to capture stories from the entire class by graduation.”

KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NO

Stefan Sujansky admits that his biggest challenge has been finding balance during the MBA program. Among the “competing commitments”, he lists social events, extracurriculars, and classwork – not to mention physical and mental health. Due to the avalanche of options, Sujansky would overcommit himself and adopt some unhealthy habits. Over time, he says, he learned to establish boundaries and priorities – the kind of planning and discipline needed to succeed outside the Knight Center after graduation.

“In recent months (and after many hard-earned lessons), I’ve gotten much better at evaluating my own capacity,” Sujansky continues, “assessing what’s most important to me, and learning how to say “no” to things that would force me to neglect important habits and commitments.”

Both Alexandria Clarke and Tafui Leggard list being selected as an Arbuckle Fellow as their biggest achievements. Think of it as an opportunity for the class to pay it forward as second-years. Here,

fellows are paired with a “squad” of six students in the Leadership Labs course, where they provide group and one-on-one coaching throughout the quarter.

“I wanted a place where I could grow as an individual and a leader to become the best version of myself,” Clarke tells P&Q. “The opportunity to deeply reflect on my own leadership abilities and mentor next year’s MBA1s – both in teams and as a Personal Leadership Coach – is exactly the kind of stretch experience I desired. It’s a chance to build practical skills that I will utilize in my career for decades to come, while also having the chance to contribute to a community I care deeply about.”

THE LEADERSHIP LABS & EXECUTIVE CHALLENGE

The Stanford MBA program has been described as two years of confronting one’s fears and answering the questions that most people shy away from asking. That process starts in the first quarter, when first-years complete the Leadership Labs. Held weekly, the labs eschew traditional instruction in favor of student-led role plays, reflections, and discussions. In some labs, activities are videotaped, so students can evaluate each other’s communication styles and gain greater self-awareness. Other times, they will review cases or complete professional assessment tools to help them boost their emotional intelligence. Throughout each weekly session, students will hold team meetings and develop action plans. By the end of Leadership Labs, the goal is for students to identify their blind spots so they can bridge the gap between how others see them and who they ultimately want to become.

The Leadership Labs are centered around one question: ‘Why would anyone follow you?” For many, it produced some of their most unforgettable memories…so far. Yash Maheshwari calls the Labs his “first real experience with vulnerability at the GSB” – a place that pushed him to “stretch” his goals to where they might get uncomfortable. Danni Zhang loved how her six-member squad came from four continents with very different cultural backgrounds. In the process, they challenged each other’s assumptions, she adds, which led her to “deep insights I wouldn’t have reached on my own.” Even more, Stefan Sujansky observes that the lab exposed him to a wider range of leadership styles.

“Now on the other side of Lead Labs, I can confidently say that learning why anybody would follow me has been the most important thing I’ve learned at the GSB so far,” adds Gevin Reynolds who earned a Neurobiology degree at Harvard and is concurrently completing his JD at Yale Law.

The Lead Labs culminate with the Executive Challenge. Think of it as a boardroom, where students spend a day working in six-member squads under the supervision of an Arbuckle Fellow. With limited prep time, squads must work through a case, playing the role of senior executive who must face tough questions from alumni playing roles like board members. In the end, the Executive Challenge enable squads to apply the lessons from first quarter while receiving 360-degree feedback in areas like presentation etiquette.

“[I was] working side-by-side with my teammates and engaging in heated, full-day discussions on business with some of Stanford’s most accomplished alumni,” writes Danni Zhang. “The experience not only strengthened our problem-solving skills but also built strong friendships and a sense of mutual support.”

AN ALL-STAR LINEUP OF SPEAKERS & GUESTS

It wasn’t just what was taught that left an unforgettable impression on Stanford MBAs. ’26 alum Nikhil Jain can recall sitting in a seminar room just a few feet away from Intuit founder Scott Cook and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Other times, he interacted with New York Times chairman A.G. Sulzberger and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. One reason: The Stanford name attracts rock star leaders to campus. It also doesn’t hurt that Stanford sits on the outskirts of Silicon Valley, with Sand Hill Road – a six-mile stretch featuring the nation’s leading venture capital firms – being just a few minutes from campus.

“The people in the game—the venture capitalists, the tech entrepreneurs, the operators building the AI revolution in real time—many are just fifteen minutes away, driving from their Sand Hill Road offices, or at most forty-five minutes from their South of Market lofts,” Jain explains. “For them, coming to Stanford to teach, give a talk, or sit on a conference panel is not a pilgrimage requiring a plane ride and a separate business trip. It is a Wednesday morning.”

For Tafui Leggard, Bethany McLean’s visit to her accounting class was one of the highlights of her MBA experience. “[She was] the investigative reporter who broke the story on the Enron scandal and the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, spoke to my accounting class,” Leggard continues. “As someone with very little exposure to accounting, hearing her story was fascinating to me. But beyond that, the conversation sparked more questions for me and an intellectual curiosity I have really been yearning for, along with some truths about business that will stick with me for the rest of my career. One of the biggest: always be honest with yourself about what you do and do not understand.”

Gevin Reynolds even got up-close-and-personal with Joe Tsai, Alibaba’s chairman and the owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets ana New York Liberty. “During the small group session, I asked him about how his early legal career prepared him for the incredible business career he has since had. He challenged me to take risks, something lawyers aren’t exactly known for doing. This opportunity was particularly meaningful for me because I am a Tsai Leadership Fellow at Yale Law School – Joe’s alma mater – and have tremendous respect for the impact he has made as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and leader.”

Pages 2-3: An Interview with Anne Beyer, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Page 3: Profiles of 9 Members of the MBA Class of 2027

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