What motivated you to pursue an MBA? I have been with my current employer for six years and enjoy my job. Despite extensive work experience, the future in my field, higher education, is unpredictable, and I am seeking opportunities to improve my professional skills and be a more competitive candidate. The MBA program is one of the strategies I am using to reach this goal.

This is only my third course and term in the MBA program, and I am focusing on marketing. I struggle with editing my website for work. I use the website when I need to make a necessary edit or to promote a timely item. It’s built in WordPress, but I don’t understand how it works very well. I’ve connected Google Analytics but have never used it. I look forward to applying what I learn from this course to my work and my future personal consulting website.

This fall, I will enroll in Managerial Accounting for Decision Making (MBA 516), and I feel nervous. It’s been several years since I last took a math class, even though I handle budgets and numbers in my current job. If you’ve taken this course before, I’d really appreciate your tips and advice for success in the comments.

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Art

Many moons ago, I studied art as an undergraduate. While I’m not currently a practicing artist, I enjoy creative pursuits and being around artistic people. I also like visiting museums whenever I travel to a new city.

In recent years, I visited several major cities, including London, Paris, Rome, and Florence. My father worked for the State Department, which gave us the opportunity to be stationed in London during some of my high school years. It was a rewarding experience to return to a city and see it from a new perspective.

While in France, I made sure to visit Claude Monet’s gardens, studio, and home in Giverny. His water lily paintings were inspired by the view of his garden and ponds. One of my favorite museums in Paris, the Musée de l’Orangerie, has an oval-shaped room designed specifically for immersive viewing of the large water lily paintings.

I’m a member of SOU’s Schneider Museum of Art. Even as a remote student, supporting the art program is important to me. I encourage you to join, since they offer a very low student rate of $20.

Location

I live and work in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Maryland, I moved to Oregon fourteen years ago for a job opportunity and have settled here.

I appreciate how beautiful the landscape is, much greener and more dramatic than the East Coast. Whenever possible, I’ve made it a point to live somewhere in Portland with a view of the river or mountains. Currently I live in Johns Landing by the Willamette River.

Career

Professionally, I work in enrollment services at higher education institutions. I enjoy working at universities and value the missions and mentoring culture that thrive there. It makes my own experience as a student in the SOU program even more meaningful. Most of my career has been spent working at art colleges. I find the creativity and tangible results of learning very rewarding to be part of.

Currently, I serve as the project director for an education consortium that focuses on sharing online graduate nursing courses. Teaching and producing more nurses is essential work. I collaborate with a board made up of PhD program chairpersons in nursing from across the country. I also seek new universities to partner with. Because of this, I do some light travel for work.

This year, I’m traveling to Washington, DC, Seattle, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Bonita Springs (FL). For most of these events, I’m an exhibitor. I hope to have an abstract accepted and to present as well.

Balancing coursework while traveling for work is one of the challenges I face with my studies. I know you’re probably balancing a lot too—your studies, work, and family life. What are your plans to succeed this term? I’ll take all your pointers and share mine. I’ll start by saying I don’t have time to party on the weekends.