Kathia Hernandez, Kellstadt Graduate School of Business
Degree: Master of Business Administration
What brought you to DePaul?
Ultimately, it was important for me to choose a school that would allow me to be near my family. I’m originally from the Northwest suburbs, and DePaul was my choice because it’s also in a big city that has both a large business and creative scene.
After graduating from DePaul with a bachelor's degree in management with a focus on entrepreneurship, I continued to develop the business that I started as a student. But I was at a point where I questioned if I wanted to continue building it. I wasn’t sure what another direction looked like, which is when I reconnected with the DePaul community as an alumnus. From there, I learned about the MBA program and was encouraged to join.
At first, I was worried about going back. It had been a few years since my undergraduate program. I was worried about the financial investment as well as how much time this program would require of me. How was I going to work, build a business and study at the same time?
In the end, DePaul was able to help relieve the financial barrier and I quickly found a routine with my studies.
How do you connect with the DePaul community outside of the classroom?
There’s an overwhelming number of ways you can get connected at DePaul. As a student, alumni and now an employee, DePaul has helped me build a career and find resources across the city. My main way of connecting with the DePaul community outside of the classroom has been through my position at the university.
I work as the associate director at the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. I also help advise and support the student organization, CEO Club. The collegiate entrepreneur's organization connects DePaul students with local resources to build their skillset, mindset and give members visibility to pitch their ideas to potential funders and partners. Or to build their freelance network. Ultimately, it’s a community supporting each other’s pursuit of more leadership positions and opportunities.
Lastly, I’m a part of staff council, a group of DePaul staff dedicated to living out the Vincentian values. The council is built around various committees that work to advance university-wide goals to support DePaul staff. This group is how I stay connected between campuses since I’m primarily in the Loop. We support the president’s office with living out their goals, while reviewing policy and overall walking alongside staff who may have questions, need help or want to make a positive impact around campus.
What is your favorite memory during your time at DePaul?
In February I had the opportunity to travel to Bahrain — a country nestled between Qatar and the northeast cost of Saudia Arabia, in the Middle East. Seeing Blue Demons outside of Chicago was incredible! More importantly, witnessing the impact of what we’re doing in the world was unreal. It was great to experience how our professors prioritize global connection and opportunity as part of the MBA program. That whole experience is something I've been thinking a lot about lately alongside my initial journey of returning to DePaul.
What advice would you give to incoming students?
My advice for incoming students is to not focus on the end goal all the time. Keep working toward it but be present and enjoy the moment. We’re all so focused on the end goal of everything — finishing a class, our program and ultimately graduating — to get to the version of success that we want. However, we can forget to stop and see what we’re doing or building along the way. The journey is just as important.
Who is someone at DePaul that has made an impact on your journey?
Bruce Leech. I had a two-year gap between completing my undergraduate degree and beginning the MBA program. Ultimately, what inspired me to pursue the MBA program was when I reconnected with my undergraduate professor.
Initially I reached out to Bruce to help build my small business. He mentored me as I built my business, and then I made a difficult decision to close it to pursue a new path. He helped me find what was next and took a chance to hire me at the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center.
Now, I’m in a role where I can be a Bruce to someone else. Every day I help other entrepreneurs and students take their ideas and turn it into reality.