Cale Genenbacher is transitioning into human capital from perhaps the ultimate human capital organization: the US Army.

For five years (just over a year of which he spent in Afghanistan), Cale served in the 101st Airborne, first as a platoon leader, then as a company executive officer and finally as Brigade Assistant Operations Officer—a role in which he planned and synchronized the training for approximately 3,500 soldiers.

As he began planning his transition to civilian life, the Quincy, Illinois, native knew he needed to bolster his business acumen. He chose Vanderbilt for a variety of reasons, but “most of all,” he says, “for the family atmosphere” (like many veterans and active-duty students, Cale is married with a family of his own) and the “culture of teamwork” that is familiar to anyone who has served in the military.

“During my campus visits,” he says, “I was impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of everyone I encountered, and I was instantly able to visualize myself here.”

While he describes the MBA program as challenging, Cale still finds the time to train for ultramarathons with his wife, a fellow runner (and even made plans to compete in a 100-mile race in the summer before his second year), and enjoying his nine-month old daughter, Viana Rose, who “keeps my life in balance.”

A long-distance runner, Cale remains focused on his long-term goal: to launch his own business after working in the tech sector in a human resources or strategy role. With an internship at Microsoft, he’s on the right course. Vanderbilt, he says, “has given me a toolkit and a way of looking at the world that I didn’t have before.”