Rojia Rashidfarrukhi
MBA
Director, Talent Acquisition at Northwestern Mutual
Woodland Hills, CA
Exceeding expectations
Rojia Rashidfarrukhi was born and raised in LA. After earning an undergrad at California State University Northridge in Marketing she worked as a marketing coordinator at an agency, moved into sales for Tiffany and Company, and eventually transitioned to her current position at Northwestern Mutual as the director of talent acquisition. Her career was thriving, but she always knew she wanted to pursue a higher education degree. Because she wanted to continue growing her full-time career, she chose to pursue her degree online. She has not been disappointed with her choice and continues to grow personally and professionally.
“I had expectations of what I thought this program would be, but I have to say that those expectations have been exceeded substantially. The culture at Pepperdine is open, supportive, challenging, professional, and respectful. I definitely did not expect to be getting this amount of support and excitement through an online program.”
Immediate professional impact
Because she is continuing to work full time, Rojia says the impact of the program on her professional development has been immediate. She cites the Behavioral Organization course and a marketing project developing strategies for a real company as highlights of her program so far, but she also credits the program with developing her confidence to lead and to step outside of her comfort zone.
“The Behavioral Organizations course was my gateway to feeling confident in implementing my learnings into my professional life. I am being challenged throughout this program and am forced out of my comfort zone, which really helps me grow and feel more at ease when there’s a big meeting I have to run.”
Diversity and depth of relationships
Working as a professional recruiter, Rojia understands the importance of establishing and growing relationships because it is central to her day-to-day work. The diversity of the program student body, coupled with the unique backgrounds and teaching approaches of the faculty have enriched the learning experience and deepened Rojia’s relationship and collaboration skills.
“Throughout this program I have worked in many teams and as a result have built relationships with my peers. I find that my work is really an extension of this program, because I am able to connect with people in this program the same way I do at work. The faculty too, here at Pepperdine, is very supportive and each professor has their own unique style of teaching, which I greatly appreciate.”