Kirk Hjelte Waltz

Hometown:
Soquel, California

Undergraduate School and Major:
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – B.S. Environmental Engineering, M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering

Employer and Job Titles:
Archrock; HSE Systems and Support Manager

What led you to pursue an MBA?
It was a career goal since I started my career in 2008. I wanted to leverage my technical engineering knowledge into the business side of industry.

Why did you choose Rice for your professional MBA?
It’s a great school with a great reputation, and I was immediately interested with its entrepreneurial focus within technical departments throughout the university.

What has been a highlight of the program?
The amount of opportunities available through the program, including exposure to a huge variety of companies to all of the amazing people in my cohort.

What has surprised you about the journey so far?
How quickly time has flown by. Our teams have had some long hours and late nights meeting deadlines, but I’ve loved the journey so far.

What advice do you have for prospective students?
The Professional Program is a lot of work, but it is meant to challenge us. Managing time and planning well in advance is critical to maintaining a healthy balance for work, school and family.

What is something your classmates don’t know about you?
While getting my bachelor’s and master’s degrees I taught pottery classes at Cal Poly.