Rosemary Austin
Master’s in Management and Leadership (MSML)
Leadership and Development program at AT&T
Walnut Creek, CA
Setting Herself Apart
Rosemary Austin has worked in human resources, as a manager at a coffee shop, and as an office manager for a software company in the San Francisco Bay area. She was considering pursuing an MBA when she discovered the online Master’s in Management and Leadership (MSML) at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.
“I decided that the course content in the MSML was more applicable across the board and would do more for me as an individual and my development as a leader, both in business and in my personal life and community as well. I wanted to take this unique opportunity from an accredited business school and run with it and do something a little bit different than the next MBA.”
A Name and Reputation that Opens Doors
Rosemary was looking for an online program that would allow her the flexibility to work full-time and also manage her family and personal life. She knew that she wanted a business school with a strong reputation that would open doors. She found that at Pepperdine.
“It’s been cool to see the immediate response I’ve gotten, even from people I don’t know. Reaching out to people, if they went to Pepperdine as well, it’s like I already have a connection and established relationship with them.”
Built-in Friendship
Rosemary put in the work to form relationships with her cohort that went beyond basic interactions. She made an effort to be open and available outside of class to her fellow students, and it paid off.
“I can honestly say that these people are genuinely my friends. We have a group chat where we talk about things that are completely not school-related. I would encourage other people starting the program to find out who you work well with, and what their track through the program is, because it’s a built-in network, it’s built-in feedback, and it’s built-in friendship.”
Open to Future Possibilities
The MSML program’s two capstone projects were especially meaningful to Rosemary. She discovered that she really enjoys consulting, and through the experiences she was connected with a job opportunity working for AT&T in Dallas. The program was historically only open to MBAs, but this past year the company opened it up to MBAs and related Master’s degrees.
“What I love about this new job—which is a 2.5-year rotational program, where you do three different roles within AT&T—is that I’m going to continue learning. The MSML opened my mind to what future possibilities could be, and leaving this program, I feel so open and excited that I’m going to get to try new things.”