Student Spotlight
Joseph Herst works as the director of development at Special Olympics Iowa and is also a soon-to-be graduate of Ivy’s professional MBA, a part-time program designed for working professionals. After growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, he attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management.
“While working at an Olive Garden as a wine specialist, I met my wonderful, amazing, smart, beautiful, intelligent wife, Kristen,” Herst said. “We were married for about a year when she received a job offer to teach fifth grade in Ankeny, Iowa, and she was nice enough to invite me to move with her. I have spent time in sales, hospitality, and management of some small businesses. I now work at Special Olympics Iowa in the fundraising department.”
While working at Special Olympics Iowa, Herst had thoughts of furthering his education, but it was primarily his wife and parents who encouraged him to look into an MBA degree.
“I wanted to go back to school and continue my education to develop the skills that I was missing and have the chance to learn from both the professors and my fellow classmates. I also did not want to quit my day job. Iowa State’s professional MBA program just made complete sense.”
Herst had heard of Ivy’s MBA opportunity through several alumni who spoke highly of the program and the lessons they learned. Several of them attribute their success in many ways to their time in the program and have used what they learned to further their career, find professional success, and connect with other successful alumni.
“Many of these people are individuals I look up to professionally, and I took their advice to continue growing professionally and academically. I needed the part-time, night classes so I could continue to work, and what has been nice is how multifaceted the courses have been with online learning, team projects, and in-class instruction.”
“I needed the part-time, night classes so I could continue to work, and what has been nice is how multifaceted the courses have been with online learning, team projects, and in-class instruction.”
— Joseph Herst
Herst has not only enjoyed the courses during his time in the program, but has also found great joy in connecting with the MBA staff, professors, and his classmates.
“I know the idea of going to class is not everyone’s favorite idea after a full-time job, but my wife knows how much I look forward to seeing everyone. It is a highlight of the week, and I have made some very close friends even in this first year. My wife calls me aggressively friendly, so being in a room with motivated people from many walks of life and industries is a wonderful time for me.”
Herst has also found the program to be a humbling experience and notes that there are some incredibly smart and talented people in the class. He found joy and benefit in many aspects of the program and has found it to be an incredible experience overall.
“I can say that I have learned a great deal in areas I was not as strong on, such as accounting and economics, but I have also learned some amazing things in areas I thought I had some experience in, such as management.”
To learn more about Herst or to follow his collegiate and professional career, visit his LinkedIn profile.
Learn more about Ivy’s MBA programs. The next enrollment deadline is November 15.
November 10, 2023
