Willamette University: Maribel Rascon
Maribel double-majored in business finance and information systems at Western Oregon University, from which she graduated in 2006. From there she worked on active duty status as an IT/HR database technician for the Oregon Military Department. She then returned to academia to earn an MBA from Willamette University in 2009.
Long interested in the military, Maribel was active in ROTC during high school and college and has since served in the National Guard. Now a second lieutenant, she will be promoted to first lieutenant before being deployed to Afghanistan in December 2010 as a platoon leader for the Oregon National Guard’s engineer battalion. She believes that her MBA will open up a variety of challenging post-deployment opportunities, whether she stays in the National Guard full-time or goes into a civilian career.
What specific skills did you learn in b-school that enhance your military service?
As you rise up the ranks and become an officer, everything is mission-driven. You have to research what you need to do to achieve the mission and then articulate your opinions, not only to your subordinates but also the higher-ups you report to. And then you have to be able to make a decision.
The MBA program I went to offered hands-on, in-depth knowledge in many different areas within business. Studying for my MBA helped me feel more confident about all these skills: thinking through my options, communicating on several levels, and then making decisions.
How did you study for the GMAT exam? Did it make a difference that you attended a program that required the GMAT?
I had limited time for preparation, but I really took the GMAT seriously because I knew it was one of those exams that when you do well, it allows you to go further in life. I didn’t take a GMAT course. I just went to the bookstore and picked up a lot of books so I could practice and make sure I was prepared.
I think it's really important that a school like the one I went to requires the GMAT. It tells you that your program has a specific standard you and your fellow students all have to meet to be admitted. Also, taking the GMAT helped me see where I was weak so that during my MBA experience, I could focus on areas I needed to improve, such as writing.
What aspects of your military background helped you with the rigors of school?
As soon as I walked into the MBA program and started doing a lot of assignments in teams, I realized I had already been exposed to that style of working and had the right mindset for it.
Also, going to school while, for example, working full time can be difficult for some individuals. But I was exposed to the military starting in my last high school year and continuing through college, so I already had the self-discipline to set aside time to prepare myself for exams and schedule projects. I knew I needed to prepare in advance and not procrastinate 'til the very last minute. So I didn't struggle with that at all during my MBA experience.
What other benefits did you receive by pursuing your MBA?
Becoming an officer is about teamwork, but it's also about enhancing your leadership skills. So I volunteered to be the lead on several school projects so I could enhance the skills I would need when I became a platoon leader. Now I feel more comfortable making decisions and articulating my recommendations to others, thanks to the way my MBA work helped me advance my own leadership skills.
Another of the biggest benefits of my MBA experience was being able to share my perspectives while learning from others who had never been exposed to the military. Some of my peers were from countries that don’t even allow women in their military, which led to a learning experience not just for them but also for me. I learned about how people have different mindsets and decision-making processes when they’re from different cultures and ways of life.
Do you have any advice for someone in the military who’s looking at the MBA as a possibility?
For any officer going into a platoon leader role or even a staff role, it's important to understand how to put decision making into practice, especially when the decisions affect lives. Obtaining an MBA was the experience that made me better and more comfortable with that. So I recommend it to anybody who's thinking about becoming an officer in the military. It helped me, and I know it'll help anybody who chooses that route.
