During his 8 years of service in the U.S. Navy, Chris Hebig excelled in several management roles. He joined the Navy Reserve after earning his undergraduate degree in computer science at the University of Notre Dame. “As a naval officer, I led a diverse department of over 50 men and women, and I wanted to effect positive change in the world after leaving the Navy. I yearned to unlock a different way of thinking about problems that I knew I could get from business school.”

At Vanderbilt, Chris joined 2 communities—his MBA class and the Bass Military Scholars, including 18 incoming students pursuing professional degrees across schools within the university. “Throwing out the first pitch at a Vandy baseball game as a veteran recognition and hosting a resume and interview prep session for football team members as a Bass Scholar are 2 of my favorite memories,” he says. “The session with the football team allowed me to package some of my MBA skills and help others making their own career transitions.”

Vanderbilt’s strong community was a key factor in Chris’s school choice. “I felt so welcome here,” he says. “Not coming from a business background, it was important for me to be in an environment where it felt safe to learn. Especially as a first-year MBA, I could reach out to any second-year student and hear about their experiences with their internship, ask questions about careers, and develop my own interests.”

What Chris calls Vanderbilt’s “Goldilocks size” also enhanced his experience, both in and out of the classroom. “Vanderbilt is not too big and not too small. I could always meet and get to know people, but I could also develop a core group.”

Through conversations with classmate Ashley Detherage—a former nurse and a leader in the student-run Business Healthcare Association—Chris identified healthcare management as his preferred career path. His internship with Optum Health enabled him to gain experience with market-entry strategies based on quantitative analysis. In his second year, he honed his leadership skills as a communications fellow, guiding 17 first-year students as they learned to develop and deliver presentations and speeches. “The growth in every one of my students was incredibly rewarding and something I’m very proud of,” he says.

At Vanderbilt, Chris gained the skills, exposure, and confidence to achieve his career goal of helping organizations solve complex strategic and operational challenges. “I’ve been able to explore new career fields and develop hard and soft skills I may not have gotten otherwise,” he says. “I worked at big and small companies during my time at Owen. The people Owen attracts and the community it builds creates a collaborative environment that supercharges your growth and allows you to explore new opportunities.”

Fun Fact: Chris speaks fluent French and served as a Naval French translator in Morocco and Tunisia, even spending a week on a Tunisian ship.

The people Owen attracts and the community it builds creates a collaborative environment that supercharges your growth and allows you to explore new opportunities.