Video Transcript
My name's Harold. I'm a student at the online program at Santa Clara. I graduated from Berkeley in 2012. I actually graduated in biochemistry as well as psychology because what I wanted to do afterwards was I wanted to help people. And being very idealistic, I figured that healthcare was the means to go. I was an EMT and as much as I love helping people, I wanted to make a bigger impact. So, while solving a person's problems from day-to-day is... It's great. What I want to do is, I want to solve larger problems. So, that's why I decide to pursue an MBA.
People are affected by the things that business leaders decide. When a leader decides that profits are most important, in the corporate world, that's important. But, when you start to see people as just numbers, that starts to become a problem. Part of why I wanted to go into business was to help to solve a bit of humanitarian problems in that aspect because business isn't really just about making money and running the corporate world and being all that. It's about running an organization and to take the skills that you've learned in leading people and solving a problem.
What I'm hoping to take away from this program here is, I'm hoping to get that experience from the teachers here and the professors who have that experience in working in Silicon Valley. I'm hoping that I can learn about what successes they've had, what problems they faced, how they managed to overcome them. If Silicon valley is such a... It has a startup culture, then of course, it's important that we learn about how people have done in the past, so that way we can figure out how to strategize for the future.
For me being a well-rounded leader is about not just knowing what to do when you need it. It's about organizing the people around you in order for you to follow this idea. But of course, Silicon Valley has a very big startup culture here. So, we have a lot of energetic people who's excited about the things they do. So, when I think of the word Silicon Valley professional, that's that image. Someone who's ambitious and confident and something that I want to be a part of.
Voices of the Online MBA: Harold Tran, Current Student
For Harold Tran, deciding to earn his Online MBA from Santa Clara University was an unexpected choice stemming from his overwhelming desire to help others. With an undergraduate background in chemistry and psychology, he intended to enter the healthcare industry and provide help for people every day.
After working as an EMT, however, he realized he wanted to help people on a larger level.
"As much as I love helping people, I want to make a bigger impact," Harold explained. "And while solving a person's problems from day to day is great, you know, what I want to do is solve larger problems, and that's why I decided to pursue an MBA."
His desire to create change on a larger level arose when he noticed the impact leaders can make both in the workplace and in all realms of life. With the right leadership skills, you can solve problems beyond the scope of the everyday.
"People are affected by the things that business leaders decide," Harold continued. "When you start to see people are just like numbers, you know, that starts to become a problem," he explained. "Part of why I wanted to go into business was it helped to solve humanitarian problems in that aspect, because business isn't really just about making money and running the corporate world."
By witnessing conflicts of leadership in businesses around him, Harold's been able to note what was less successful and then strategize how to avoid repeating these errors as a leader himself.
"Of course, it's important to learn about what people have done in the past so that way we can learn how to strategize for the future," he explained. "For me, being a well-rounded leader is about not just knowing what to do when you need it—it's about organizing the people around you in order for you to follow this idea."
In our video above, you can hear more about Harold's decision to pursue his Online MBA and how becoming a Silicon Valley Professional is his next step on this leadership quest.
Interested in hearing from another current Online MBA student? Watch Gabe Limon's student video here to hear about his time in the program.