Students in Action
Students in Action
Rowan MBA, MSF, and COGS Students and Alumni in Action
Our MBA, MS Finance, Certificate students and alumni bring a wide range of industry experience and varied career goals to the Rohrer College of Business (RCB). To learn more about some of our brightest RCB students and alumni, check out these select stories to get a sense of who might be your new contacts if you join us as a student or the type of talent you might hire if you’re looking to grow your team.
Kristin Carlson, MBA/MSF Accelerated Pathway 2022
“I saw that there was the accelerated program, and . . . it just added two semesters on and not much more money. So I thought it made sense to just [finish] both at the same time.”
Kristin entered the Rowan MBA program with future entrepreneurial aspirations, account management experience in the security industry, and a deep interest in learning more about corporate finance. Torn between enrolling in Rowan’s MBA or M.S. in Finance (MSF) programs, she ultimately chose the MBA with a Finance Concentration to gain exposure to both. When Rowan launched the accelerated MBA/MSF program that grants two degrees at a lesser cost, the choice was clear—do both like she had wanted to all along! Another aspect that attracted Kristin is the program’s flexible course delivery, which she chose to pursue online. Kristin organizes her classes, homework, and studying around a busy schedule at home, where she educates her four children and participates in a local homeschool association in which she also teaches. She says the flexibility of being online means she can adjust and timeblock her moments from week to week, especially for larger upcoming assignments. When she graduates with two business degrees this fall, Kristin sees herself in a corporate finance role, noting she is “interested in the financial planning and analysis side of things.” In the back of her mind, however, Kristin has a few business ideas percolating. “I’ve always been drawn to wanting to run my own business or doing my own side entrepreneurial projects,” she says, adding she will definitely pursue her own business venture down the line. To read more about Kristin and her experience in the MBA/MSF Accelerated Pathway program read below!
Sarah Atai, COGS 2022 & MBA 2024
“I wanted to enroll for the MBA, I was quite hesitant as to what I wanted to focus and major in. So I thought the Business COGS would give me time to play around and grab a hold of myself to understand and make sure of what I really wanted to do.”
In her home country of Uganda, Sarah Atai worked at Children Alive Ministry, a nonprofit afterschool program that gives children avenues of opportunity through education. The nonprofit also supports parents who are launching or running small businesses, by providing a safe environment for their kids after school. Even with her passion for helping others and her experience in nonprofits, Sarah realized that to make a difference, she needed to further her education. She wanted to find ways to make nonprofits self-sustainable, not just execute on other's solutions or rely on contributions. She chose to begin her journey by earning a Certificate of Graduate Study (COGS) in Business at RCB, with the intention of applying for the MBA program once she decided which area of business to focus in. Since joining Rowan University, she has felt cared for and inspired by the informative classes, great support system, resources, communications with professors, and insights that have led to a well-rounded experience, one that gave her the confidence to ultimately pursue her MBA. Through connections she has made as part of the Rowan community, and her experiences at Children Alive Ministry in the U.S., she has found a pathway to achieve her academic goals in the short term and move forward on her future goal of becoming a leader in nonprofits in Uganda. Further, Sarah was awarded an MBA Fellowship in 2023. As a Fellow she acts as a consultant for Samaritan, an end-of-life-care nonprofit in southern New Jersey.To read more about Sarah and her experience in the COGS program leading up to entering the MBA program, read below! Or click the links to read about Sarah’s work as a Fellow.
Amelia Gonzalez, MBA 2023
“By having a career in the military, I am granted with a full college tuition waiver and a stipend, which helps pay for books and other college necessities. I always knew I wanted to get my MBA, so it’s amazing I can focus on school and class and never have to worry about a financial hardship.”
Amelia Gonzalez, a Recruiting and Retention noncommissioned officer (NCO) for the New Jersey Army National Guard, is the definition of goal oriented. With an involved career and her desire to further her education, this wife and mother of four children made the commitment to pursue an MBA, just like she made the commitment with her husband to join the military with career goals, family life and financial planning at the forefront of her mind. Since joining the NJ Army National Guard she has been nothing but supported leading to her moves within the NJ Army National Guard from recruitment to her new role in Marketing as part of the Retention and Recruiting division, and her future goals to volunteer with the American Legion to help other veterans. Through connections she has made as a part of the Rowan community and her experiences as a part of the NJ Army National Guard she realized she had found a place to achieve her academic goals right now and her future goal of becoming a college professor. To read more about Amelia and her experience leading up to entering the program read below!
Jake McFarland, MBA 2022
“Being in a fellowship program is great to get my work and brand out there while also singing the praises of colleagues and the amazing research happening.”
Jake, an IT Project Manager at Energy Management Systems has been crucial to the company's continuous improvement. In the past, he was a full stack developer who saved the company $5.5 million in the first quarter and now is leading the charge to update a legacy billing system. Jake is a Rowan MIS alumnus and has returned to pursue an MBA citing the excellent curriculum, competitive cost and online format which works well in the phase of his life. After enrolling in the program, he decided to pursue the MBA Fellow in Data, Technology and Analytics to expand on his current skillset and new educational experience to create an impact within the Rowan community. To read more about Jake and his journey to becoming a Rowan MBA Fellow, click below.
Lauren Kirk, MBA 2022
“In a male-dominated industry, I want to be a competitive counterpart. I have many years of professional experience, but an MBA will set me apart from others.”
Lauren Kirk, a Credit Portfolio Manager at TD Bank, is an example of pushing personal boundaries to exceed. With a demanding job, this wife and mother of three small children made the commitment and sacrifice to pursue an MBA. Since joining the program, she has made personal and professional connections. These connections made her feel part of the Rowan community and she knew she had found a place to achieve her goals. To read more about Lauren and her journey through the program read below!
Kaitlyn Anthony, MBA 2021
"When you think business you don’t usually think kindness, but I do.”
Kaitlyn Anthony graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA from the Rohrer College of Business’s rigorous MBA program. She also graduated summa cum laude (“with highest praise”) with her bachelor's, earning a dual degree in Human Resources Management and Business Management in 2019. As the inaugural president of the Rohrer Graduate Student and Alumni Advisory Board, she’s already launched her business career, serving as supervisor of entertainment at Sesame Place, the character-based theme park in Langhorne, PA. To learn more about Kaitlyn and her experiences as a student through both her undergraduate and MBA degrees, her exciting career, and how she got involved in RGSAAB, click the button below.
Marguerite Miller Hodges, MBA 2021
"Rowan was always right there by my side the whole time. My classmates and professors have been so helpful through the whole process."
Marguerite Miller Hodges shares her inspiring story of being a nontraditional student who used the flexible Rowan MBA options to help achieve her dream. This mother of two successfully ran the LIFE Four Corners Daycare while pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Rowan. Marguerite was chosen by the South Jersey Chamber of Commerce to participate in the Summer Institute for Educators where she toured Rowan's facilities and met with professors. After this experience, she knew she couldn’t pass up the chance to complete her MBA here. Read more about Marguerite’s inspirational path to and through Rowan’s MBA program by clicking the button below. "Rowan’s community is flexible, hands-on and available to its students.”
Brandon Graham, MBA 2020
"Having the MBA allows me to kind of shift that paradigm a little bit, especially in conversation when [investors] may not know I have a business background but when I can talk to them about … some sort of financial aspect of the business, or I understand my unit economics, that kind of shifts their perspective to say, ‘Ok, this is a formidable CEO, this is somebody that I would want to work with or write a check to someday.’”
Brandon Graham is a recent graduate of Rowan Global’s Master of Business Administration program. Brandon cofounded the company Arke Aeronautics while still an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering major at Rowan. While at Rowan Brandon was a part of the University Innovation Fellows which allowed him to create Studio 231 where he started his company that gained traction in StartupRU and the Idea Challenge to help it grow from there. While becoming a CEO of a growing business, he chose to take his knowledge to the next level, pursuing an MBA, to be the most well-versed CEO possible. Learn more about Brandon, his business, his nontraditional path to graduate business education and his contributions to the Rowan community.
Michelle Martinez, MBA 2022
"I want to focus on advocacy in building capacity for community-based organizations, as well as making connections through engagement."
As the first Rohrer College of Business MBA Fellow in Innovation and Impact, Michelle Martinez ’22 is applying more than a decade of financial experience to tackle social issues. Michelle started her career at Commerce Bank in a customer service-based role, where she witnessed the struggle of many people to meet their financial needs. As her career progressed, Michelle held positions at Vanguard and Morgan Stanley helping to manage people's personal finances through investments and portfolio management. After seeing both ends of the spectrum she realized how much of an impact financial institutions play in our current economy which works for the few, but not the many. As a motivated and compassionate individual, Michelle wanted to disrupt this process by making sure financial institutions are proactively helping to solve social issues. To learn more about Michelle, her background, her goals and how she is doing as a Fellow, click to read below.
Colin Cox, MSF 2020
“When I started at Rowan, I loved it. And that kind of changed my career path, from wanting to follow the military [path for] 20 years to actually wanting to get into finance.”
Colin Cox is a Corporal in the Army National Guard as a Black Hawk helicopter mechanic. When not on duty, he works at Lockheed Martin as a proposal analyst. Learn more about how Colin says Rowan brought out his true passion for finance. He did not want to pursue a college education, but with some encouragement from friends and family he gave Rowan a chance and his course changed from there. Colin excelled in his undergraduate degree in finance and began his Master of Science in Finance degree right after graduation. Great professors, curriculum and flexible delivery options made Rowan a rewarding experience he could manage. He stays involved with RCB through the RGSAAB as an alumnus. To read more about Colin and his path to success with Rowan click the button to read below!
Marc Castrillon, MBA 2021
"Even if it's outside of their office hours, they will sit with you after class, and they'll explain a problem to you. And they make everybody feel welcome...the whole graduate program feels very inclusive."
Marc Castrillon is a recent graduate from the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. Marc has been with the Rohrer College of Business from the start where he completed his undergraduate work, graduate Business Certificate, and then MBA. Marc did not let anything stop him on his path to success including a pandemic-driven version of his internship at LabCorp and his role as a key leader for RGSAAB events, which had to shift to virtual. Marc proved to be resilient and up for all challenges. Here, Marc talks about his Rowan experience and how completing the Business Certificate of Graduate Study launched him into the MBA program and, soon, a dream career.
Victoria Ieradi, MBA 2020
“The most interesting thing I have learned in my classes this year has been through my class Managing Organizational Strategy. My professor uses a lot of real-time examples and helps teach us using current topics as to how not only internal but external factors can affect the success of a company. Especially as times are rapidly changing for corporations big and small right now, I am able to see what we learn in class being applied to companies every day.”
Victoria Ieradi is a third-generation Rowan student (her grandfather, grandmother, father, brother and cousin all attended or currently attend Rowan). Victoria is a recent graduate from the Master of Business Administration program with a Concentration in Management, after earning a Bachelor of Science in Marketing in three years through the Degree in 3 program. Being a South Jersey native has allowed Victoria to take full advantage of Rowan in its entirety by working on campus, completing online or hybrid classes at night and taking advantage of the flexible delivery options that all students have. To learn more about Victoria and her experience at Rowan for both degrees, her hobbies, and the Rowan community for students click the link below.
Nathan Carroll, MBA 2019
"Medicine is an art, but healthcare is a business."
Nathan Carroll is a recent Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate. Nathan is a prime example of using the knowledge gained from Rowan’s MBA program to aid your career, whether in a traditional sense or, in his case, as a useful addition to a medical degree. Carroll completed the MBA degree at an accelerated pace and still stays engaged with the professors from his favorite courses, Managing Organizational Strategy and International Business in Society. His professors kept him engaged and offered a new perspective on the world with their teaching. Carroll is using this degree to help him excel in his current role but will also use it for his future plans to open his own practice, showing that the business knowledge gained here grows with you. Learn more about Nathan, his career goals and his experiences with the Rowan MBA.
Shivani Shah, MBA 2019
“Get to know your professors—these are the resources that can help you network. What you put in is what you’ll get out of it.”
Shivani Shah is a 2019 Rowan Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate who recently obtained an Assurance Staff position at Ernst & Young (EY). Shivani worked hard throughout her time at Rowan, earning her B.S. in Accounting and immediately after, earning her MBA. Shivani, always a motivated individual, jumped right in from the start of her undergraduate experience all the way through her MBA to learn and share high-level experiences with like-minded students helping to foster personal growth. She attributes getting her new position to Rowan because of the opportunity she had to work directly with EY recruiters, which resulted in an internship opportunity that led to her current role after graduation. Learn how her experiences at Rowan led her to a position at one of the “Big Four” accounting firms.
RCB Fellowship program funds MBA and MSF students committed to business for the greater good
Read more about the program from the Rohrer Review by cllicking the above photo.
Rowan's MBA fellowship shapes "change agents" with hands-on field experience
Read this article about the program, from the Whit online by clicking here.
