Full Time MBA Success Stories

One of the best ways to learn about our business graduate programs is to speak with the students and alumni.  Below alumni reflect on their experience with the Emerging Leaders MBA program.

Scott Smith

"To come to Loyola, it just means to be part of a great community. And that the leadership skills I’ve gained so far is something that every organization needs."

Brittany Jones

"Of the schools that I looked into, Loyola just seemed to be the best fit. From the administrative staff, to the assistant dean of the program, the academic advisor, they have all taken very special care to make sure that each and every student in the program is taken care of."

Joey Pustejovsky, ELMBA '13, Sogeti 

"The Emerging Leaders MBA program gave me so many opportunities for development both inside and outside the classroom. The style of the program creates a business environment for the cohort, which allows for the development of practical business skills as well as those social skills that can only be learned through experience. You learn and grow as a team with your cohort, with whom you build life-long friendships and connections. As you work to make the cohort as efficient and effective as possible, you as an individual must analyze your own strengths and weaknesses to figure out how you can best contribute and how you can improve. This was the highlight of the program for me, the development of self: understanding what I excelled at, what I needed to work on, as well as really discover what I could see myself doing in the upcoming years. Not just as a job, but as a career that I would love. The ELMBA gave me so many opportunities for self-improvement and career building."

Megann Daw, ELMBA '11

Marketing and Business Development Associate, Corporate Office Properties Trust 

"After college, I wanted to make an impact but I didn't feel like I was progressing--this program gave me a strong business foundation and opened up a lot of opportunities early in my career. Through the program's curriculum and the integrated internships, which I completed at Corporate Office Properties Trust, I was able to gain more business knowledge and meaningful experience. Ultimately, that led to a position in Marketing and Business Development here at COPT. The ELMBA program helped me reposition my career and I'm excited about the opportunities that now lie ahead of me."

Gemma Gibson, ELMBA '12

Assistant Director of Operations, StraighterLine

"The ELMBA program has definitely been a significant factor in my success in my career thus far. Without the skills and knowledge learned within the program, I would not have been able to grow from entry level roles into larger and significant upper management roles. The program has a focus on leadership and team building that is overlooked in other programs but has been crucial to my career growth thus far. A major aspect of my job included managing individuals, who not only functioned at a high level on their own, but as a part of a team. Without the knowledge learned not only from the ELMBA classroom but the cohort group and experiential learning of the internships and field studies, I could not have been successful in my role. In my internships, I also learned the skills needed to run my non-profit organization. I learned how to write grants and see how different fundraising campaigns operated allowing me to set up more projects and reach more people. The ELMBA program gave me the skills to propel my career forward so much faster than I ever could have done on my own."

Matt Heverly, '10, ELMBA '11

Channel Manager, Stanley Black & Decker

"I left college not knowing exactly what area of business I was interested in. The ELMBA program not only helped me land a job I was passionate about in digital marketing, but it also helped me position myself in a significant role within the company where I am able to make important, strategic decisions every day."

Michael Conti, ELMBA ‘11

Strategic Planning Financial Analyst, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

"In addition to the traditional coursework of an MBA, Loyola's Emerging Leaders MBA program fosters ongoing discernment of natural talents and career aspirations through experiential learning.  For me, this approach differentiates Loyola's program from that of other schools and has proven to be significant to my graduate education."

Michelle Esposito, ELMBA ‘11

Manager of Product Innovation, Inovalon

Alexandra O’Brien, ELMBA ’11

Lead Strategic Planning Analyst, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

"My internship at CareFirst gave me exposure to projects and executives within the company that I normally wouldn’t have at my experience level. The fact that you can gain experience during a full-time program makes you a lot more marketable, especially for someone without an undergraduate degree in business. It’s a very unique part of a full-time program."