Full-time MBA student sees program as chance to develop, improve leadership skills

As an entrepreneur, Full-time MBA student Roman Stephan understands the importance of developing leadership skills. In his first year in the program, he's noticed how he and his classmates have grown as leaders, from classes, the Executive Connections mentor program, and being a part of the many student organizations at W. P. Carey.

As an entrepreneur, Full-time MBA student Roman Stephan (BS Business Entrepreneurship '17) understands the importance of developing leadership skills. In his first year in the program, he's noticed how he and his classmates have grown as leaders, from classes, the Executive Connections mentor program, and being a part of the many student organizations at W. P. Carey.

"You have this really nice safe space to practice leading," Stephan says. "You get to learn and grow a lot faster in this environment, because you get to do it without fear or any major consequences of messing up. You can learn a lot in a short amount of time compared to the real business world."

We spoke with Stephan about his work with different clubs at W. P. Carey, his connections with his classmates, and more of his MBA experience.

Question: What led you to decide to pursue an MBA, and why did you choose W. P. Carey?

Answer: I was born and raised in Alaska, and I decided to come to ASU and W. P. Carey for my undergrad. I graduated with my bachelor's degree in business entrepreneurship in 2017, then I went back to Alaska and started working in real estate with my family. I started working in residential real estate, and then got into commercial real estate. A couple of years ago, I got my broker's license, and on top of that, I started my own landscaping company in Alaska.

Last April, I was invited to apply to the MBA program and thought that wasn't an opportunity to pass up. I've been here before, and I love Arizona and everything W. P. Carey is about. I applied and got in, and that's what brought me back down here. I just love it here. I couldn't say no having experienced it before, it really helped make that decision easier.

Q: What experiences have stood out to you so far in the MBA program?

A: The MBA experience has been totally different than the undergrad experience. In undergrad, you see a lot of people, but you might only have one class with them and never get to connect on a deeper level. Getting to meet everybody in the MBA program has been incredible. I've made so many friends.

It's clear to me that we're like-minded people, so we all get along well. You can tell everybody loves being here, and it makes the program so much better. You have all these people who are going through the same things and having the same struggles, but we're in it together.

Class-wise, it's been really cool to tie what I'm learning into my prior work experience. There were times while running my own business where I was trying to build out my own models and other things, and I'd get stuck. You know what you're trying to do, but you don't know the specifics of it. The classes have been incredible, like Professor Reynold Byers' decision modeling class. Being able to build those connections myself, see what I was doing and how I can go back and implement it into my business, makes a huge difference.

Q: How are your connections with your classmates enhancing your experience?

A: I think what really speaks to that is the fact that at the end of the week, we all go attend happy hours with each other, just because we want to hang out together. I've hosted barbeques and set up a March Madness bracket pool and Fantasy Football league for our group. The engagement has been awesome.

We don't just show up to class and go home. We want to be around each other, inside and outside the classroom. It's a very team-oriented program. A lot of our teams, we're meeting to get our work done, but sometimes we drag it out because we enjoy being around each other so much. We know what we have to get done, and we know we're going to get it done on time, but we enjoy the ride.

Q: What are you looking forward to in the future?

A: I'm really looking forward to seeing how the rest of my cohort builds out their newfound leadership skills in existing clubs, as well as clubs that are being formed or revived. Class-wise, we're on a good trajectory and know what to expect. But now we get something that we can take charge of and grow as leaders.

I have a couple of classmates revamping the Entrepreneurship Club. I've heard a lot of stuff about what they're planning to do with it and how they want to grow it. Being an entrepreneur myself, it's fun to hear about everything they're doing.

I'm co-president of the Golf Club, and what I really like about it is it's more of a fun club. You get to do something outdoors, be active, and engage in a fun sport. We also tie in the business aspects of it. We talk about how to interact on the course. We have big plans for next year to try and increase the engagement, show people how to play, and make it less intimidating for people who have never really picked up a golf club before. It is difficult, but it can be really fun, and we want to introduce more people to it.