Reflections from Sri Gondi, MS ’19

Dear -,

As a Stanford MSx alum, I’m thrilled you’ve chosen to learn more about this unique program. I remember sitting in your shoes, thinking about how I could make a greater impact as a leader. Now looking back, I can undoubtedly tell you I walked away from my year at Stanford GSB with increased confidence and sense of purpose.

I remember having a lot of questions and doubts about attending a mid-career master’s program. Leaving a lucrative job to attend school as a full-time student was no easy consideration. But I remember speaking with my father, soliciting his advice. His words to me were: 

I owed it to myself to find that path — and I'm so grateful I did!

My Stanford MSx experience helped shape my goals for the future and gave me the tools to meet those goals. And a large part of that experience was the people I studied alongside and the leaders I met along the way.

CONSIDER THIS: Before the MSx Program, my perspective had been built solely on my individual experience. At Stanford, I was fortunate to viscerally live the stories of more than 50 leaders in entrepreneurship, business, technology, and social impact. It was like standing on the shoulders of giants and taking in their experiences at close quarters. Where else can you be surrounded by leaders who are transparent and willing to share the most intimate details that can't be found elsewhere?

I applied these lessons to my post-graduation transition from a career in VC-funded pure tech to founding a healthcare company with the purpose of bringing equity to healthcare (and consequently, rejecting traditional Silicon Valley business models). My new career trajectory helped me meet some incredible people including Steven Rothman, an inventor of a health index tool that has saved tens of thousands of lives in US hospitals. Our common purpose allowed us to start a company together, and now I'm charged with expanding his creation globally with the hope of impacting hundreds of thousands of lives.

My story is merely one amongst thousands of incredible transformations possible at Stanford GSB. I am energized by the possibilities and prospects that lie ahead for the next wave of MSx students. There is so much to explore, new synergies to create, new companies to be founded, and new ways to look at the world.

You can be a part of the Stanford MSx and Stanford GSB legacy. After all, I'm living proof that a shift in perspective can take you down a path you never dreamed of. And together, we can fulfill the GSB’s motto to Change Lives. Change Organizations. Change the World.

Best of Luck, 
Sri

To hear more inspiring stories directly from Stanford MSx graduates, visit Stanford MSx Alumni Voices.