Current Employer: Premier Inc.
Position: Manager, Implementation and Research Services
What advice do you have for current Belk College students?
Use the excellent resources available to you. UNC Charlotte’s job search portal and Evisors are excellent resources. The "Branding Program" offered by Robin Boswell was instrumental in my job search. Robin is a great resource and is willing to help out the students in any way she can. I once received an email from her at 11pm, because I had an interview the next day and she wanted to send me a few pointers before that!
When did you graduate and what was your major?
My path to business school was unconventional to say the least. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Science in 1998 and received my doctorate in Biology in 2006. I worked as a postdoctoral fellow and later as a research faculty member at UNC Charlotte. I have always wanted to venture into the business side of the biomedical industry so I started taking MBA classes. I did not expect them to be so interesting and probably harder than anything else I have ever done! I graduated in July 2014 with an MBA.
Why did you choose UNC Charlotte?
I worked as a research faculty member at UNC Charlotte. I was able to tailor-make my syllabus in a way that enabled me to continue working part-time, attend graduate school and spend quality time with my family, including my 18-month old. Flexibility was very important to me.
What was the best part of your Belk College experience?
Without a doubt, the best part of my learning experience at Belk College was the exceptional level of educators. I never encountered anyone that was impatient with the students or was not willing to work with us to make sure we got the best level of education. The classes were informative as well as interactive, and I really enjoyed getting to know the perspective of people from different lines of work.
What opportunities did your new degree provide?
I currently have a job as a manager for a healthcare analytics company. This opportunity is the perfect marriage of my biomedical research background and my MBA.
What did you learn in the Belk College that has best prepared you for your career?
While the healthcare analytics industry is very new to me I have not had trouble transitioning to a business environment from academia. One of the reasons for this was the wide variety of students and professors that I met at the Belk College of Business. Going to school and talking and working with people from diverse industries has given me the confidence to walk into a room full of strangers and start a conversation.
