Ryan was deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He spent nine months in the Persian Gulf where he was a Boarding Officer, managing a team of 12. They boarded every ship that went in and out of Iraq to look for contraband and to enforce U.N. regulations.

Ryan has a bachelor of science degree in business and marketing from Pennsylvania State University. Before starting business school, he worked as an Admiral's Aide, and he plans to continue his career with the military after earning his MBA.

How was your transition from the military into the school environment?

For me what mattered most was finding a school that had a vision of the type of business leaders it wanted to create that matched my vision of the type of business leader I wanted to be. My school challenges norms and is committed to the use of technology in the management process. This was a perfect fit for the direction today's military is taking.

The transition from the military to an academic setting was easy in the respect that the military calls for you to be available (or actually working) 24 hours a day. When you get in business school, the schedule immediately allows you time to finish everything you need to finish and to have a systematic way of dividing your time.

I had already established an ethic of being proactive and doing quality work in the military and I took this to business school. If you are taking a military work ethic into academia, you will be successful.

Our school is focused on collaboration. One challenge is that the military setting has a clear chain of command; the requirement to follow is understood. In school, everyone is on the same level. This takes a different type of leadership and a different type of "followership" to get things done. Having been in the military, I did not find it hard to make that transition and to know when to lead and when to follow. In the military, you know that part of your role is to contribute to the greater scheme of things. You carry that into the classroom where you contribute to the success of the team.

I’ve learned how to examine things to find the best outcome, and how to get people to buy in to my projects and ideas.

How will you transition from the school environment back into the military?

I am in a unique position—the Navy is paying for me to earn my MBA. When I finish, I will return to the Navy. Although this means I will be spending less time at home, I am really excited to go back into the military and apply what I have learned.

Even though people in school are talking with a for-profit mentality, and I am returning to the military, a lot of valuable information can be gleaned from this experience. I look for how to apply this business-world knowledge to my military experience. It has been easy to connect with my peers. During classes I provide insights based on my military background and I listen for how their insights can be translated to the military.

Businesses look at the military for leadership and organizational structure. And the military looks at businesses for best practices and financing models. There is a connection between the two worlds if people focus on how to get the best of both.