With just one final left to go, I’m halfway done with my MBA program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. And no, before you ask, I’m not writing this post to postpone studying for my Strategic Finance exam…
When I complete my program, my degree will be a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Collaboration Science. Long term, I hope to use this degree pursuing my passion for building relationships with people, connecting people with the resources they need to succeed, and clear, strong communication. While I don’t know yet if that will be accomplished in a for-profit organization, the non-profit sector, or higher education, I’m excited to see where my path leads.
I’m completing my degree as a full-time student with a variety of other roles keeping me busy. In the first year of my degree program, I mainly took core MBA classes, including, to my delight ;), Accounting, Economics, and two finance classes. The first year of the program was valuable, challenging, and helped me to confirm my commitment to attaining my MBA. My favorite class of the year was the introductory class to my concentration: Principles of Collaboration with Dr. Chris Diller. In undergrad, I took two classes with Dr. Diller, so I knew I was in for a treat when I enrolled in the Master’s version of his Principles of Collaboration class. I learned a tremendous amount from this class, and am so grateful to sit under his leadership and teaching. In addition to great lectures, I got a chance to participate in his famed Crisis Game (which is a weeks-long practical application of the material from class). I also spent the semester working on designing a collaborative session to provide a format for solving a problem I have observed.
The Collaborative Session Report: My political science interests reared their head, and I developed a collaborative design for reforming the United Nations Security Council. In its current format, the Security Council is hamstrung by a unilateral veto power clause that overrepresents the interests of the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France. Additionally, the Council has an outdated permanent membership that perfectly captures the geopolitical structure of the Cold War era, but is in dire need of expansion that represents the growing global power South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. My report sought to give a roadmap for policy makers to go about reforming the Council to allow it to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
When I wasn’t busy with classes, I also worked as a Graduate Assistant for the Center for Professional Sale. In this role, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with some incredible sales professors at UNO, including Dr. Shannon Cummins, Dr. Anne Herman, Professor Gary Domet, Mr. Ben Wallace, and Mr. Chris Beaty. Their passion for teaching, meeting students where they are, and preparing students for the next parts of their lives is contagious and awe-inspiring. In my role, I’ve done a variety of things, including becoming familiar with the instructor end of Canvas, engaging with students, and building relationships with the businesses that partner with the Sales Center. I’ve worked to support more than 400 students in the introductory Professional Selling classes and the advanced Consultative Selling class. I was recognized for my efforts by the College of Business, winning the Graduate Assistant of the Year award for this school year.
One of my favorite parts of my assistantship has been the development and ownership of the Choose Your Experience module in our introductory classes. In education, students often blindly follow instructions (I’m as guilty of this as the next person). This module was designed to return some autonomy to students to explore careers in sales that align with their interests. Over the last two semesters, we have offered more than 35 opportunities for students to connect with employers one-on-one or in small groups and discover how their skills and interests potentially align with careers in sales. I’m grateful for the trust of the instructors I work with to connect with our Sales Center partners to plan these engaging opportunities, and the buy-in from our partners to host our students.
I also worked part-time at Dundee Bank as a relationship banker in the fall, learning the inner workings of a neighborhood bank and honing my customer service skills. I owe a big thank you to my mentor, Adrian Hernandez, and Dundee Bank HR Director, Kim Jensen, for giving me this opportunity and guiding me through this experience. In addition to my classes and graduate assistantship, I have continued to serve in my role as interim Director of Worship & Music at West Hills Church, where I lead worship on a weekly basis, lead a great team of volunteers, and get to help spiritually guide the congregation I grew up in. As we continue our search for a full time Director of Worship & Music, I am honored by the trust and flexibility of the West Hills congregation and look forward to working alongside our future Director of Worship & Music in leading West Hills into the next part of our mission.
What’s next?
I’ve accepted a renewal of my graduate assistantship position and look forward to working in the Sales Center again for the second year of my MBA program. This summer, I’ll work as a graduate assistant for the Student Success team, helping to host events and give incoming and prospective students the information and resources they need to succeed at UNO or in their college search. I’m excited to jump in with the Dr. Molly Belieu, Morgan Buzbee, and the whole Student Success team to make this a great summer! After the summer, I’ll dive back into my MBA classes, completing the marketing, strategy, collaboration, and elective portions of my degree. Thank you for reading this and for your support of my journey!
A Profitable Read 