Charles Christianson knew he belonged in the Army after he spent a summer during college at West Point working with a combat unit. “I thought this was something I would really enjoy doing,” he says.

After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, Christianson was deployed to Afghanistan in 2018-19. His job was to clear the roadways of improvised explosives. “We made sure the other Americans and task force people behind us were safe,” he says.

Christianson spent the rest of his five-year commitment in Fort Knox, Kentucky, serving as a staff officer, training soldiers, and working with a team responsible for deploying the National Guard if a world war were to happen. “I was the guy who wrote all the orders, coordinated the operations,” he says.

Christianson during his time in Afghanistan

• Charles Christianson, ’24 MBA
• Home: Wayzata, Minnesota
• Describes himself as “a lifelong learner”
• Grew up hunting, fishing, skiing
• Took up sailing in college and now sails with the Wayzata Yacht Club
• Started making pottery after returning from Afghanistan. “I needed a hobby that wasn’t blowing things up.” His goal is to make a full tea set.

But as the U.S. was pulling out of Afghanistan, the Army was adapting to peacetime. “As much as I enjoyed the deployed environment, where everything matters and my performance directly impacted everything about my life, I didn’t feel that way in a more garrisoned environment, where mistakes happen and you carry on,” he says.

Christianson also understood that his career path would be predictable. After being promoted to captain, he was told that in six years, he would be a major. “I realized how hard I was going to work in those next years didn’t matter,” he says. “For me, that was a sign that I was ready to move on.”

Having not worked in mechanical engineering since college, he felt his experience was more applicable to business.

The road home

Christianson, who grew up in Wayzata, Minnesota, wanted to come back and eventually work for a large company in the area. He applied to the Carlson School of Management’s (CSOM) MBA program because of its connections with major employers. The school also makes it a priority to admit veterans to the MBA program.

“Ultimately, what it came down to was that they were willing to give me a scholarship,” he says.

Christianson received the Gatens/Benson Military Veterans Fellowship, which was established with an estate gift from William G. Van Dyke, a Vietnam veteran and Carlson School alumnus, in honor of two friends who served.

“It’s truly been life-changing,” he says. “I’ve been able to go to school without the extra stress of how I’m going to pay for it.”

It also allowed him to spend last summer doing a marketing/brand management internship at Land O’ Lakes, where he explored ways the company could grow some of its commercial animal feed businesses.

The internship led to a job offer. He will start after he graduates in the spring of 2024.

Christianson says the Carlson School not only is a source of strong business connections, but it’s also been a place to expand his social network.

“My Army buddies are all over the world,” he says. “Establishing a group here that wants to stay here is very valuable,” he says. “It’s good to have friends again.”

Support students like Charles Christianson by making a gift to the Carlson School of Management Veterans Fellowship fund.