Deidre Mitchell was looking for a change of scenery and a change in career trajectory. She worked as a finance manager for Macy’s in New York City, but she aspired to move into consulting and “achieve a higher level of leadership” in her field,” she says. “I also really wanted a change in location, with a slower pace. I felt like I needed to slow down to speed up in my career.”

Owen delivered on the location, the atmosphere and the people. During her visit, she recalls, “the people, faculty and admission staff were so welcoming, and it felt genuine. Everyone was very happy — much different from New York.”

The program’s flexibility enabled Deidre to have three concentrations: Finance, HOP and Strategy. And one of the things that stand out to her about her experience is that, along with hard knowledge she took away from her classes in all of these areas, she also gained soft skills to help her navigate her career.

“Classes such as Negotiations with Tim Vogus got me ready for my real salary negotiations,” Deidre says. “Management Effectiveness made me think about my values and what goes into my personal management style. Learning to Thrive made me think about my life path, passion and what truly drives my idea of success.”

She also learned that, wherever she goes during the rest of her career, she has gained a new group of people for her journey. “The people I have met and the lifelong friendships I have made,” she says, are singular highlights for her. In particular, she says, she will always remember trips with classmates to South America, India and Israel as part of the program. “From rappelling down a waterfall in a cloud forest in Ecuador to celebrating Purim in Tel Aviv,” she says, “they were all unforgettable.”

Fun Fact: Deidre started entering triathlons “as a dare to myself.” At this point she has now completed the New York City Triathlon — twice.

“Everyone was very happy — much different from New York.”