Shannon Satterfield
Consultant, E.J. Stahl & Associates, Evening MBA Student
"I always knew I'd go to Kelley. Its stature, tradition of excellence and commitment to provide students with a well-rounded education really appeals to me."
Since spending part of her teens working in her mother's and grandmother's businesses, Shannon Satterfield has known business was for her. And, for nearly as many years, she's known Kelley was too.
Satterfield started her undergraduate business education at Kelley in Bloomington and finished at IUPUI.
Graduating from Kelley's undergraduate program in 2004, Satterfield now works for E.J. Stahl & Associates, a consulting firm focusing on strategic workforce issues. She also provides consulting services to firms on a freelance basis. Although she's content with her current line of work, Satterfield enrolled in Kelley's Evening MBA Program in January 2007 to stay competitive with others in the field.
"It came to a point where everyone around me was saying 'you just need to have one [MBA degree]," says Satterfield. "Based on my undergraduate experience at Kelley, I was very comfortable enrolling in the graduate program."
As Satterfield has learned, there is also a comfort level learning and studying with working professionals like herself.
"My MBA peers are extremely intelligent and insightful people – bringing points of view from a variety of backgrounds," observes Satterfield, who was voted by her peers to serve in Kelley's Evening MBA Association. "The fact that they contribute so much to the learning environment by sharing their day-to-day business experiences is really exceptional."
She's especially enjoyed the group projects, and although she and her classmates work hard, Satterfield says she "really enjoys feeling a part of something."
"We've really bonded as a team," Satterfield says. "We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and how we can work together to address an issue or solve a problem."
As for continuing with the evening MBA program, Satterfield is looking forward to participating in Kelley's enterprise program. Offered to MBA students beginning in their second year, the enterprises promote real-world experience by providing opportunities for students to work as consultants and strategists on projects with central Indiana companies.
"It's not even a 'maybe,' it's [the enterprise program] definitely what I'm going to do," Satterfield says. "From what I've heard, the connections you make and what you gain from it are fantastic."
