Cameron Johnson 

Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business

“I work hard, but I play harder.”

Hometown: Springfield Vermont

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve traveled to more than 20 countries.   

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Maryland University College, Bachelor of Science in Finance

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: United States Air Force: Instrument & Flight Control Systems 

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Successfully leading the generation of three aircraft for Hurricane Irma support.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Driven. It’s a challenging process to get into and complete a top tier MBA program.  Everyone I’ve spoken with has their own reason for attending an MBA program, but drive is a unanimous characteristic between them all. 

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The fact that Kelley has more than 115,000 alumni greatly influenced my decision. Having a strong alumni network is essential to creating credibility and branding for the program and its current students. Kelley not only has a powerful global network, but the alumni seem eager to share their knowledge and support. All the alumni that I have reached out to have been more than willing to have a conversation with me and answer any questions that I have.  

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am most looking forward to connecting with the Veterans Club. All of the current Kelley veterans have been very welcoming and I am excited to be a part of their club activities. It provides for a comfortable environment when you’re surrounded by individuals that not only share common career goals but also common career experiences.  I’ve noticed that the veteran MBA community really sticks together and pushes each other to succeed.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I was asked to describe a failure in which I was involved. I didn’t want to describe anything to substantial or recent within my career. Instead, I chose to illustrate an occurrence that happened early on in my career that I was able to learn and grow from.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I wanted to gain access to a large business network while simultaneously opening doors to greater career opportunities. I also wanted to attend an MBA program because switching careers can be very difficult, especially when switching both industry and function.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Harvard, Darden, McCombs, Texas A&M, Southern Methodist University and Leeds.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? National MBA rankings played a large role in my decision-making process, specifically U.S News & World Report. As far as culture, I attended Kelley Experience Weekend in March and I was truly blown away. After listening to the faculty speak and engaging with them one-on-one, I felt like they genuinely care about my future success.  I knew Kelley was the best fit for my career aspirations after speaking with current students and alumni and hearing their success stories.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are?  My decision to join the United States Air Force was the best choice I could’ve made. It provided me with so many opportunities I would not have received elsewhere. I met my wife of seven years, traveled all over the world, and received a free education.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? Filling a director position within the e-commerce finance sector.