Paul Vaughan

Professionals - Weekend
Current Industry/Job: Steel/Oil and Gas
From: Houston, TX

Favorite quote and why:

"I'll make it to the moon if I have to crawl."

A beautiful line from a song. Reaching for something extraordinary through hard work despite what you might have to do or how futile it seems (or possibly is).

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor and why?

Hakeem Olajuwon. He has great experiences and always had a drive to succeed and do better -- never be satisfied with the status quo or what he had already done. If I could attain more of that through mentorship by being around a legend like him, that would be fantastic.

Best memory from your first year in the MBA program:

Playing basketball after class on Friday nights with my classmates. Strategy during immersion was intense but kind of fun too.

What story does your family always tell about you?

On the first date with my then-girlfriend, my dog chewed up and destroyed her Miu Miu shoes. Somehow, I was able to secure a second date and now we're happily married with a seven-month-old girl (yes, born during the program).

What advice would you like to provide incoming students?

Find ways to hang out and keep communication with your team. Getting a group chat together can help a lot. Going out for drinks or a meal is good too. Opening up and building a relationship can be huge for when times get tough and you're feeling stressed and overwhelmed. The stress will be there, but you can handle it and your team can help with that too.

Feel free to also ask your mentors because we've all been there and through it all!

Any additional unique facts you would like to share:

I can speak Japanese! That's probably my most unique fact...
Not so unique -- but I love to make new friends and chat about music, basketball, games, travelling/cultures, movies or almost anything else. I look forward to talking and meeting y'all.