Stacy Kiernan

Home Country: United States

Home State: TX

Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas at Austin

Undergraduate Degree and Major (and minor, if applicable): BBA, Marketing

Pre-MBA Industry: Entrepreneur

Pre-MBA Company: Stacy Kiernan Photography, LLC

Pre-MBA Title: Founder

Desired industry post-MBA: Tech, Marketing

Desired job function post-MBA: Product Manager

Summer Internship Company: HP

Summer Internship Position: Product Management Intern

Degree Concentrations: Strategic Management

Student Organization Membership: Consulting Association, The Consortium, Energy Association, Jones Christian Fellowship, Marketing Association, Rice Business Women's Organization, Technology Association

Officer: Running for External Relations Chair for Rice Business Student Association (election ends Sunday night)

What has been the most surprising part of your Rice MBA? I was impressed by the personal attention from the Career Development office and felt like I had a personal career coach in my corner the entire time. Rice is a much smaller school than my undergrad, but the strength of connections with alumni is so much stronger and very impactful. This network really is second to none, especially with my desire to stay in Houston.

What has been your favorite thing about your MBA experience? I have loved getting to know and working with a diverse group of people. These are friendships that will last for many years to come! The classes are a fun learning experience, and this is such a great environment to improve my own skills and professional network.

What do you love most about Houston? The food, especially Tex-Mex is my favorite thing in Houston. Make sure to try the beef fajitas at Lupe Tortilla, but mild winters are a close second. After spending a few years living in New England, I do not miss the snow! Don't worry, there are lots of ways to cool off in the summer too.

What is one piece of advice you would share with a prospective? Hit the ground running. Start now on your pitch, resume, and researching job opportunities. Do the extra work over the summer on Finance and Accounting because the pace in the Fall is very quick. Even though classes are a few hours a day, treat the first semester like a very demanding full-time job. Use the weekends to get ahead for next week, because I spent much more time recruiting and networking than I initially expected. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so just keep focused and work hard one day at a time.