Larry Subramanian
Class of 2017
Hometown: East Lyme, CT
Undergraduate University: United States Coast Guard Academy
Major/Minor: Political Science, Government, and International Relations
Current Employer: Boeing
Position: Materials Management and Transportation Manager
Why did you decide to return to school and earn an MBA?
My job in the Coast Guard involved managing projects, leading people, and working in an operations environment. I knew that getting an MBA at the same time would help me not only do better at my job but be better at leading people.
Why was William & Mary's Part-Time MBA program the right fit for you?
I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, and I was working full-time in the Coast Guard. I saw the benefit of going to class in the evenings. William & Mary has a reputation and prestige related to the type of education students receive that appealed to me. The school has a satellite campus in Newport News, so the fact that they offered classes thirty minutes away was very convenient.
What were some things you learned in the program that you've been able to use professionally?
A lot of the work that I do at Boeing reflects what I learned at William & Mary. I use a lot of lean processes and project management processes that were represented in the case studies we looked at. Being able to have the knowledge of things that have worked and not worked for those organizations helps me, today, work a little bit better. Also, the program spends a lot of time looking at different leadership practices which helped me to hone my leadership skills and become a more effective leader. My goal for the future is to be a model for other graduate students that come from a diverse cultural background. I think it is important that William & Mary promotes these unique differences to strengthen cohort relationships, help peers learn from each other, and provide another value to their already renowned education standards.
What advice can you give other active-duty service members considering the Part-Time MBA program?
You do not have to leave your job or wait until something, like your tour, to end to start. William & Mary worked with me on many occasions to help me complete the classes if my job schedule conflicted. The Part-Time MBA program is for working professionals, so they should take advantage of that.
