Why did you choose Nebraska for your MBA?
It was the most highly-ranked program with affordable tuition when I was researching universities (and still is), and it’s entirely online delivery without any campus requirements enabled me to focus on the education instead of additional travel. Best decision ever.

Please describe your favorite part of the MBA program thus far.
Everything! Two events in particular, however, stand out. I participated in the Race and Case Competition with a team of fellow MBA students that was highly engaging and enriching. I studied abroad this summer in Germany, which was life-changing. Both experiences gave me insights, networks, and friends I would not have otherwise gained. The MBA curriculum is amazing. The additional opportunities Nebraska presents to its students are phenomenal.

How have you applied your coursework?
Each course I've taken has been relevant to everyday work in my job. Even when the content matter isn't specifically related, the critical thinking and strategic application process is invaluable. Finance and Accounting enabled me to more deeply interpret financial statements. Economics and Multifinancial Analysis helped me understand greater global markets. Analytics opened my eyes to the opportunities that exist within current information we can expand upon and leverage for improved insights. Business Strategy, Applied Organizational Behavior, and Leadership in a Global Context showed me how to assess cultural nuances across silos, matrices, and borders, and connect them among a changing environment to prioritize and create win-win situations. Sustainability, and the triple bottom line, is critical every day to both professional and personal growth and responsibility. We have to live it if we're going to be the businesses of the future. Entrepreneurship gave me the tools I needed to start moving toward the founding of a new company I'm envisioning.

As a working professional and student, how do you find balance?
I work really hard at being fully present in the moment. By scheduling my time ahead, I can fully focus on schoolwork, career, or parenting when appropriate and not stress about the other facets of my life. I've also sought out times when it's beneficial to multi-task. For instance, cooking dinner is a great time to re-listen to lectures and absorb course material more deeply. I schedule fun and exercise into my week because it's critical to balance out your body's needs in order to maintain stamina in the program. Lastly, I never underestimate the importance of sleep. I try my best to do as much schoolwork as possible early in the week and every night before bed because I've learned firsthand how beneficial it is to "sleep on it" and let your brain continue working while you're rejuvenating. Working ahead also puts me in a position to deal with life's curve balls and still have ample time to catch up to things before deadlines.

What’s a fun fact about you?
I love to snowboard. I grew up doing gymnastics and competed through college, but after that my husband brought me onto the slopes and it's been a blast ever since. We've taught our three sons to ski and board, and it's our favorite family activity.

What’s on your bucket list?
One, of course, is my master's degree. Thanks to Nebraska, I've almost completed that! The other item on my bucket list is to visit every national park in the world. My husband and I have visited most of them in the United States, but we have a long way to go to cover all seven continents.

Marcia Graduated in December.

Why did you choose Nebraska for your MBA?

1. Flexibility - I could still work my full-time job, keep family commitments and have time to participate in activities I enjoy.
2. Credibility - Nebraska has good rankings for its online MBA.
3. Value - The cost of tuition, compared to other schools on these ranking lists, was more affordable.
4. GMAT - Based on my level of work experience, I could request a waiver. Although it was not a guarantee, I appreciated the school placed value on work experience and didn't solely rely on a test for admission.

Please describe your favorite part of the MBA program thus far.
Participating in the first residency program in May 2019. It was great to get on campus, meet some of my online classmates and spend some time in a collaborative classroom environment. If they offer this in the future, I would highly recommend it for anyone in the program!

As a working professional and student, how do you find balance?
Find a time or times each day that you can dedicate to school and be consistent. Some of my classes had recorded lectures or videos we had to watch. One of the things I would do to save time was watch them while I was on the elliptical machine at the gym. I could get my work out in and study at the same time. I could actually follow along better since I was more alert, as opposed to trying to do it in my home office at the end of a work day.

Aside from work and school, what things outside of work are you passionate about?
I have 2 kids, so they keep me busy with their activities. I also like to run, swim, wakeboard, wakesurf, play golf, tennis and spend time with family and friends. Though, I don't have time to do all of those things as often as I would like!

What’s a fun fact about you?
I completed eight marathons and learned how to solve a rubik's cube.

Why did you choose Nebraska for your MBA?
As a lifelong Husker, I couldn't imagine pursuing my aspirations in higher education anywhere but Nebraska.

Please describe your favorite part of the MBA program thus far.
The challenge of putting my academic brain back to work after 15 years out of school. Each course has been rich with applied and technical curriculum; faculty and advisors have all been tremendous guides in learning.

How have you applied your coursework?
My first courses in the program were Financial Accounting and Managerial Finance. I applied a more rigorous process to strategic decision-making, using financial analysis learned in these courses.

As a working professional and student, how do you find balance?
For me, balance is the practice of two disciplines -- thoughtful prioritization and time management. In other words, I spend time identifying my goals, what is important and manage my calendar to reflect it. At the top of the list is staying healthy -- we can't pour from an empty cup -- as well as time with my husband and our two sons.

Pursuing a graduate degree and working full-time often means studying in the morning hours before the sun rises and working after kids are in bed. Although there are seasons when this can be intense, if I am true to my priorities, everything else has tended to fall in place.

Lastly, I've learned to let go of (or say no to) things that compete for my time and don't align to my priorities and I've learned to ask for help.

What’s a fun fact about you?
In high school, I sang the National Anthem solo at the Devaney Center. I had never been so nervous! Luckily, I remembered all the words.

What’s on your bucket list?
I have a long bucket list. One of my favorite things is thinking about the future, and adventures it may hold - little adventures like taking a horticulture class and big adventures like spending time on the Pacific Crest Trail. Two I've crossed off the list are starting a graduate program and seeing a concert at the infamous Gorge Amphitheater.