Friday, May 6, 2022

Week 1 - MBA6101 - About Me

Hi! My name is Bridgette and I live in a suburb of Chicago with my two children. 


Life has thrown so much at me and I can honestly say that the greatest growth has come from overcoming adversity. In June 2019, my ex-husband killed himself, resulting in being a single parent--something I didn't plan. Two months later, I got laid off--something I didn't plan. Seven months later, still no job, COVID-19 hit and shut down the economy--something I didn't plan. Five months after that, I had to do something to make myself a more attractive candidate to land my next job, so I enrolled in Benedictine University's MBA program--something I DID plan. Four months later, I became a boomerang and returned to my first advertising gig at Leo Burnett as a VP, Account Director. It was like coming home. 

During the last three years, I have learned so very much about myself. I realized that I am a survivor. I have drive. I seek growth. I view the world through the eyes of a child, curious about all that is around me. Persisting. Making things happen. Figuring it out. It's not easy, but nothing worth anything ever is! Being a living example to my children of overcoming adversity through sheer will is a gift I never thought to give to them so soon in their lives.

Going back to school at age 49 was terrifying, demanding so much of what little time I had, but my kids said they'd step up and do more so I could do more. And let me tell you...some of these classes are no walk in the park, and Managerial Economics was the class that nearly broke me--I'll give that another shot in the Fall. 

If you're wondering how it feels, here's an article that sums it up pretty nicely, and was the inspiration for my going back: https://www.businessinsider.com/college-as-an-adult-what-its-like-2019-8#learning-new-technology-is-hard-but-it-can-be-done-1

I am looking forward to this "experiential learning" in MBA 6601 and I keep in mind that I learn best by doing. A possible greenshoot is that I will leverage all of this work to actually launch a business I always wanted to do but never started. 

Gotta start to finish.

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