Date: July 9, 2026
I began my MBA journey at George Mason University in August 2023 after years of saying, “I’ll get to it eventually.” The final push came from two very persistent people: my best friend, who was already deep into her graduate program, and my supervisor, who made a sport out of asking when I planned to start mine. I initially chose what I thought was a “reasonable” three-year plan, only to be informed by said supervisor that I would, in fact, be doing the two-year version. And just like that, my MBA journey began on campus in Arlington and slightly faster than I had emotionally prepared for.
My first semester featured Managerial Economics and Statistics for Business Decision. Managerial Economics felt like a gentle reintroduction to academic life. Statistics, on the other hand, felt like a personal challenge issued directly to my confidence. I briefly reconsidered all of my life choices, but I survived.
After making it through Statistics, I assumed nothing else could be quite as intense. Fortunately, I was right. My next courses, Financial Reporting for Decision Making and Managerial Finance, were actually enjoyable (and yes, I might be biased). The material aligned closely with my day-to-day work, so instead of learning entirely new concepts, I was sharpening skills I already used. It felt like a well-earned mental reset.
Next came a series of Human Resources courses: Organizational Behavior (my first online class), Organizational Change (another favorite), and Managing Human Capital. During this time, life decided to intervene in a major way. My mother suffered a stroke, and I had to temporarily relocate to New Jersey to support her and help manage her care. Thankfully, because Managing Human Capital was online, I was able to complete the course, but it quickly became clear that I needed to scale back my courseload. While I’ve always preferred in-person classes, I gained a deep appreciation for the flexibility of online learning during this period. Even with a reduced load, I continued taking at least one class per semester while in New Jersey.
When my mother stabilized, my family and I came to the decision that it would be best for her to move to Virginia to live with me. What followed was a crash course in coordinating care, finding doctors, arranging home health support, and learning (through plenty of trial and error) how to care for a loved one with complex medical needs. Eventually, I found a rhythm that allowed me to increase my course load again. Flexibility became my strategy: a mix of in-person classes at the Fairfax campus (much closer to home) and online courses.
With my original three-year timeline in sight, I set a goal to finish by Summer 2026 and decided to accelerate. This was perfect timing (actually not at all) as my supervisor was set to begin her sabbatical. After convincing myself, “It will all be fine,” I completed Marketing Management, Strategic Management, Business Valuation, and Venture Capital/Private Equity. Looking back, I’m still not entirely sure how I pulled that off.
As you read this, I’m happy to report that I’ve completed my final course, Global Business Perspective, which I’ll reflect on separately. While I wait for final grades and official degree confirmation, I find myself deeply grateful: for the learning experience, for the Seminary’s senior leadership’s support and investment, and for the many people who checked in, offered encouragement, and asked about my mother. I’m especially glad to share that she is recovering well.
All in all, it took persistence, flexibility, a bit of stubbornness and occasionally ignoring how tired I was but I made it to the finish line.
Terrell Whitaker
Director of Finance and Accounting