Lauren Jung
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin School of Business
Graduation Year: 2018
Current Job: Senior Executive Team Leader, Target
I decided to get my MBA because I wanted to make sure I gave myself the best opportunity to get to where I want to go in the future. I’ve advanced to a point in my career where there are going to be limited opportunities for advancement. My MBA from UW–Madison allows me more and different opportunities to keep growing in my career.
I can already see the difference in how I interact with my employees, how I think about and solve issues, and how I react in stressful situations. I am able to use what I learn in the classroom the next day at work, and seeing those immediate results of my hard work propels me to keep going and keep learning.
My classmates are like family. There hasn’t been a time that we haven’t supported each other and encouraged each other. I look forward to class knowing that we’re all in this together. The faculty and program staff are supportive and make the Wisconsin School of Business a great place to learn.
The faculty and staff have made the program a safe space to explore differing opinions. With everything political happening in the world, it is nice to have an environment where you can speak freely and have an open dialogue. We may not always agree, but we always respect what the other person has to say. It’s these differences that have brought us closer together.
Going to school with people from very different backgrounds allows you to become a better communicator. For example, communicating in the retail industry is different from communicating in health care. In class, it’s critical to understand the processes and theories you learn in order to speak the same language as your classmates.
I really enjoyed my economics class. Professor Don Hausch made that class fun! Economics can be a challenge, but if you change it from numbers and data to “why” and “how”it changes your perspective.
Because of what I’ve learned, I’m more confident in my job. I’m not afraid to fail—I now see it as a learning opportunity instead of something I cannot fix. I am better able to communicate with higher-level managers and executives about specific business challenges or opportunities. Before the Wisconsin Executive MBA Program, I would sometimes struggle to articulate in a way that someone who wasn’t a part of the day-to-day operations would understand.
This program is truly designed to fit into your work and personal life. The faculty and staff want you to be successful and they know what benefits you as an executive student. There’s no perfect time to earn your MBA and not every day is easy, but I’m so happy that I chose to go back to school.
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