In this ongoing series for Stanford Business magazine, we ask Stanford GSB alumni to revisit their original admissions essay question and reflect on how their worldviews have changed over the years.
School Stories & News Opensearch
May 07, 2026
Written
Mohammad Al-Moumen, MBA ’15: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“I believe strongly in the power of levity to boost culture and break down barriers.”
April 29, 2025
Written
Saamra Mekuria-Grillo, MBA ’09: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“I truly can’t imagine what my life would be like without these fellow travelers.”
October 04, 2024
Written
Naotake Murayama, MBA ’96: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“I ended up being a different kind of CFO — the ‘Chief of Figuring It Out.’”
April 23, 2024
Written
Alyssa Rapp, MBA ’05: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“The people with whom you partner personally and professionally punctuate every step of the journey.”
September 29, 2023
Written
Everett Harper, MBA ’99: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“There’s hardly a more complex system than a system of humans.”
April 20, 2023
Written
Phil Gioia, MBA ’79: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“The risk-reward ratio on the battlefield balances lives; in business, it balances dollars.”
October 12, 2022
Written
Diana Kapp, MBA ’96: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“I craved becoming a message-maker rather than a messenger.”
March 23, 2022
Written
Alex Tonelli, MBA ’11: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“People wrote me off as a kid from a broken home. I owe it to the people who invested in me to impact the lives of others.”
September 28, 2021
Written
Peter Georgescu, MBA ’63: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“I owed this country and I wanted to pay it back in whatever role my future would hold.”
March 22, 2021
Written
Jacqueline Novogratz, MBA ’91: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“I have had to learn to fight bureaucracy, corruption, and complacency — skills I hadn’t considered at business school.”
November 16, 2020
Written
Yvonne Romero da Silva, MBA ’04: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“I came to realize that one could catalyze change on multiple levels.”
July 29, 2020
Written
David Dodson, MBA ’87: What Matters to Me Now and Why
“I was forced to exchange something I had chased for years with something I now find matters more.”
January 10, 2020
Written
Doreen Oliver, MBA ’02: What Matters to Me Now and Why
A Stanford GSB alumna revisits her original admission essay and reflects on how her worldview has changed in the years since.
