Justin Eldridge, Washington University Olin’s MBA Class of 2027
Age: 29
Hometown: Jonesville, Virginia
Undergraduate Institution and Major: James Madison University, Justice Studies
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Company Commander, US Army, 6 Years. Solution Analyst, Healthcare Tech, Oracle Health 1 Year
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I left the military eager to find an organization where I could enact meaningful change. Following my exit from the military, I chose to pursue my project management professional certification. This ultimately led me to pursue an MBA for the purpose of gaining the business acumen and furthering my knowledge in supply chain management and operations. The military gave me the leadership skills and motivation to achieve, and Olin is providing me with the opportunities to channel these strengths to help serve my community.
Why did you choose WashU Olin? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose to pursue my MBA at WashU due to Olin’s outstanding reputation on both the national and international scale. St Louis is expanding rapidly in the technology and manufacturing sector, and WashU alumni are on the forefront of this expansion in companies like Boeing, Merck KGaA, and Bunge. I had recently moved to St Louis with my fiancée while she pursues her medical residency, and I felt there was no better time for me to pursue my dream of obtaining my MBA. Olin saw potential in me as a prospective candidate despite my lack of prior business experience because of their holistic approach to selecting candidates and recognition of my military service.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2027?
I provide unique and valuable leadership insights gathered over half a decade of military service. Leadership and teamwork is something that I am especially passionate about. I love to motivate and challenge those around me to continue to better themselves and seek continued growth at the individual and team level.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I enjoy restoring and modifying classic cars with modern parts and performance upgrades to create functional, updated, and faster versions of americana classics.
Post-MBA career interests:
I intend to pursue a career in Operations and Supply Chain Management in the Manufacturing sector. Emergent technology and supply chain issues represent the greatest friction points in modern industry. I hope to leverage my formal education to place myself in the middle of some of the largest challenges facing American manufacturing in the increasingly uncertain world we currently operate in.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I learned Olin’s four pillars: values-based, data-driven decision-making; entrepreneurship; globally minded learning; and experiential learning. I really dug deep into how they applied to my professional journey and how they would guide me going forward in my education and career.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would learn about the different clubs available at Olin early during orientation and make a plan for which clubs I wanted to be a member of before the workload of the semester started.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I haven’t found a single event that I would have skipped. All of the extracurricular events have been expertly created by the wonderful Graduate Programs Office and Center for Career Engagement to deliver the maximum value to Olin’s students. If anything, I wish that I had attended all the available events.
What is your initial impression of the WashU Olin students/culture/community?
At WashU Olin, students come from very diverse career backgrounds. This is truly the greatest strength of the Olin MBA program. The best way to learn is through the experiential learning model surrounded by intelligent people with diverse backgrounds. Not only diverse background, Olin empowers and supports students to pursue diverse career paths from entrepreneurship to non-profit organizations.
What student organizations have you joined/are you hoping to join and why?
I plan to join The Boeing Center for Supply Chain Innovation. This is an experiential learning organization that pairs students with industry partners to solve real world supply chain problems. I am also a member of the Olin Veterans Association where I am empowered to connect with other veterans also seeking to enter the world of business along with Olin Alumni who have found success in top companies across The United States.
What is one thing you have learned about WashU Olin that has surprised you?
The campus is beautiful and has an old world feel despite being nestled in the middle of a bustling city. I find the campus to be a brief and peaceful respite from city life. It is surrounded by culturally diverse restaurants and local legends, like Blueberry Hill, the enigmatic dive bar.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am excited to get to know more professors within my specialty and other elective classes as I branch out from the core courses over the next semester. The unique small class size facilitates a level of interaction with the professors not found at other schools.
