Education:
MBA (International Business), Loyola College in Maryland
B.S., Louisiana State University

Employment: Manager, Policies & Procedures, CitiFinancial

Personally Speaking: "Loyola’s MBA program is challenging but I know I’m getting a quality education and have access to a wealth of resources that wouldn’t necessarily be available to me outside of the program."

Professionally Speaking: "In my industry, advanced degrees are the gateway to career advancement opportunities and Loyola’s national ranking and accreditation makes it a good choice."

Spotlight
Because Loyola’s MBA is nationally ranked and accredited, Olayide Balogun felt that the program would be a worthwhile step toward future career goals. As she finishes her final semester, she finds herself very prepared for the present, as well.

“I recently moved into a management position and am applying concepts learned in recent classes to the work I’m doing on a daily basis,” she explains.

Olayide is impressed with the relevance of her class work and the emphasis placed on the practical aspects of the material discussed, not just the theory. The reflection that is encouraged throughout the program focuses students on how they can apply current studies to their own professional situations. It also drives them to think globally.

“As an international student, I am particularly enjoying my “Global Competitiveness” course,” she says. “The association with Michael Porter and Harvard initially caught my attention and I find the case study format stimulates a lot of good discussion.”

She is referring to Professor Michael Porter's "Global Competitiveness" course, offered in collaboration with Porter's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School. Loyola is one of five U.S. and 58 international universities offering the course and Dr. Michael Unger, Executive in Residence and associate professor of management and international business at Loyola is co-teaching at the Timonium campus.

“Dr. Unger pushes us to really dig in and evaluate the cases we study and his own professional experiences are so impressive,” she says. “We are definitely encouraged to think outside the box and look beyond the obvious for answers.”