Part-Time MBA Student Profile Kate Besser

Kate Besser: 00:02
I decided to get an MBA because I wanted to move to the next level in my career. I wanted to get a part-time degree and I wanted to find a place that had a very strong sense of community. I graduated from the United States Naval Academy. I was a division officer on the USS Pearl Harbor leading about 15 sailors. My favorite thing about Booth is the strong sense of community. There are lots of different student groups, other ways to get involved to find people with common interests. The ones that I’ve really dedicated my time to are the Student Advisory Council, or SAC, and the Armed Forces Group. I’ve had a lot of fun working with those groups and I’ve made a lot of great friendships along the way.

Kate Besser: 00:35
A big part of why I wanted to come to Booth was because I wanted to learn more about how leadership is taught outside the military. One of the things that I’ve found common between military and civilian leadership lessons is really listening to the people you’re leading. One of the things that was most important to me about coming to a part-time program was being able to apply things to work immediately, and I’ve definitely been able to do that as a result of coming to Booth. I’ve become more confident in the way I approach things and I’ve also gotten a lot more opportunities as a result. I’ve learned very important things at Booth, in consulting and in the Navy. Bringing all those things together makes me feel like I’m very well-rounded and very well-equipped to enter a number of different industries and be a very strong leader going forward.