Bryan Stromer, Harvard Business School MBA Class of 2025
Age: 28
Hometown: New York City
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Sr Product Manager – Accessibility, Amazon, 2022-2023; Product Manager, Microsoft 2017-2022
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Attending business school was not an easy choice for me. I was in a dream role helping to build out Amazon’s strategy around accessibility, and I had a phenomenal manager and team. Still, I knew that I lacked some of the skills that I needed to make the difference that I wanted in the world. For example, I had no experience reading documents like financial statements. As a person born with cerebral palsy, my “why” has always been to bring more people with disabilities into the workforce, but I knew that to be most effective at that, I had to build out my toolkit. I view business school as an opportunity to meet amazing people and sharpen skills in the areas that I would not necessarily gravitate towards, like finance.
Why did you choose HBS? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
! would occasionally get to read HBS cases in college, and I always found them fascinating. I often tried to find cases online to read for fun, so when I began looking at business schools and realized that the HBS curriculum was case-based, I knew I wanted to apply to the school. As I continued to research HBS, I also realized it was one of the few business schools with a disability-focused student group, which solidified HBS as my top choice school.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
My passion for disability advocacy, combined with my love of business, is not very common. Traditionally, people who want to make a difference in the disability space go into the law or government. I believe that business has a role to play in leveling the playing field for people with disabilities because of the issue of unemployment/underemployment that many people with disabilities encounter.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
In elementary school, my mother (a teacher) wanted me to practice writing letters. I had nothing meaningful to write about, so I wrote to my favorite companies. One of them was KB Toys, and surprisingly, the CEO’s secretary responded to my scribbles about why KB Toys was my favorite store. When they announced the company was liquidating a few months later, I wrote to her to share how sad I was to hear the news. A few weeks later, a giant box filled with KB Toys memorabilia arrived at my doorstep. I kept all of it and now have one of the most extensive collections of KB Toys artifacts.
Post-MBA career interests:
I want to start a consulting business that focuses on helping companies and brands ensure that they include people with disabilities in their products, brands, and experiences.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Treat the application process as an opportunity to reflect on where you want to go in the future and how an MBA will help you get there. For example, my consulting idea is something that I only began to seriously consider while writing my application. If I hadn’t had this time to reflect, I’m not sure I would have realized how much I wanted to pursue it.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I wasted a lot of time doubting myself in the application process. My best advice is to believe in yourself and the value you bring to your community. If you do this, the right school will find you.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I know this is a common answer, but taking the GRE felt incredibly challenging because I had been out of school for more than four years when I took it. I found signing up for a test date a few months in advance to be good motivation for studying because I knew I needed to be ready by a specific date.
What is your initial impression of the HBS students/culture/community?
I was initially worried about how large HBS is, but the section experience and clubs help ensure that you feel like you have a community. My section hosts events almost every week, and it has been great to get to know people on a deeper level at things like our section retreat in Vermont. Outside of your section, there are always opportunities to meet people through the events that clubs will host. I have really enjoyed being part of HBS’s PRIDE club and meeting people through their events.
What is one thing you have learned about HBS that has surprised you?
One of my favorite parts of HBS is how supportive the school and community are. HBS wants to see every student succeed and invests heavily in ensuring you have the tools. For example, the school will provide a peer tutor or writing coach to any student struggling with a subject. In addition to these formal resources, it’s been great to see how supportive the second-year students are towards the first-year students in helping us adjust and providing career advice.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
The first year at HBS is incredibly busy, and I sometimes worry about being so occupied with the day-to-day tasks that I forget to appreciate what an incredible opportunity it is to be here. I want to ensure I make more time for reflection in the upcoming semester.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am excited about the FIELD Global Immersion (FGI), where the first-year class goes on a weeklong immersion in another country. This will be an excellent opportunity to apply the concepts from my classes in another country with people outside my section.
