In England, Taylor Hale spent the better part of a decade gaining experience in the publishing industry, with roles in editorial, design, and production of newspapers, books, and magazines. When she and her husband returned to the United States and settled in Nashville, she remained in the publishing field—but took on very different duties.

At Ingram Content Group, Taylor says, “I get to be part of the wider book industry as a wholesaler, distributor, and printer. I feel like my work really makes a difference because of the central role Ingram plays, working to at least some degree with virtually all publishers, retailers, and libraries in the market.” In addition, Taylor works with Ingram’s chief strategy and development officer, helping make the company’s business processes more customer-focused and assisting with corporate strategic planning.

For all her subject matter expertise, she says, “I lacked the breadth of business knowledge needed to truly excel in my role.” Fortunately, the timing was right to pursue an MBA. Her husband travels often for his work in the music industry, making it easier for Taylor to manage her class schedule and homework, and they already had experience helping each other get through school. “We’re very supportive of each other’s educational and career goals,” she says.

Taylor also found a lot of support in her C-team at Vanderbilt. “We were very collaborative, meeting once or even twice per week for three or four hours to plan and review assignments,” she says. “We were also great at taking turns picking up action items when life got in the way for another team member. We leveraged our strengths in analytics, finance, operations, and written communications. Having worked in the book industry my entire professional career, I got a lot of value out of working with people from other industries. I’ve learned many lessons I hope to take back to my industry.”

Along with new knowledge, Taylor is graduating with new confidence. “Before Owen,” she explains, “I was often the victim of circumstance and the beneficiary of luck. Owen has given me the confidence, knowledge, and credentials I need to purposefully pursue my own career path. Just this week I said ‘no’ to a job opportunity for the first time because, thanks to Owen, I knew it wasn’t the right decision for me. Now I know where I want to head next and can plan how to get there.”

Before Owen, I was often the victim of circumstance and the beneficiary of luck. Owen has given me the confidence, knowledge, and credentials I need to purposefully pursue my own career path.