I earned my MBA in 2020. As a non-traditional student, I decided to go back to school 10 years after earning my undergraduate degree. In a prior position, I ran a leadership program for many years, but after the company merged, I was no longer qualified for the job I was already doing because I did not have a masters degree. When they told me ‘You’re not qualified anymore,’ I said to myself that no one was ever going to say that to me again. As a result, I decided to go back to school and get my Master of Business Administration with a focus on executive leadership.
From the beginning, I had to ask myself: ‘Do I want a degree from a big-name university or do I just want a world-class education?’ I decided I didn’t want the big university or the debt, so I chose Elms. At Elms, you get a world-class education right here in Western Massachusetts. It’s affordable, and you can do it in real time while you are working. I also live in the area, and the connections I made through Elms were invaluable.
I loved Elms. I loved the program. I loved the faculty. I loved that I could take classes while I still worked because of their hybrid programs – that was such a bonus for me!
As an undergraduate, I majored in political science. I’ve always been a writer and a history nerd, but I didn’t have a lot of experience with business or numbers. My Elms MBA has given me the skills to look at things through a new lens. I wanted to flex my skills to be better able to understand finances. Everything needs money – whether it’s my own home, nonprofit, for-profit, or business of any sort, my Elms education set me up for success no matter which industry I choose.
Communications and Marketing Director, Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women
Elms College MBA 2020
