When Patricia Whitebread decided to pursue an MBA, she made finding a program where she could complete the instruction in-person, on campus a priority.

“I knew I wanted the option to be around the other students and professors, to interact with them and have conversations,” Patricia says. “I feel you gain so much with in-person interactions that you miss when you do a program online.”

She found exactly what she was looking for at Guilford, which allows MBA students the option to attend class in-person or virtually. As a 2012 graduate of Guilford College, Patricia already knew she loved the campus and its atmosphere and could count on small class sizes and lots of personal attention from professors. What stood out to her about the MBA program was the diversity found in the classroom.

“There are people of all ages and from different parts of the country in this program,” Patricia says. “Each of us brings our own set of experiences to the table and we can learn so much from each other.”

Having a program full of people from different career pathways helps enhance the learning experience. Through class discussions, projects and problem-solving exercises, Patricia has enjoyed the opportunity to learn from others.

“I know I tend to go straight to the numbers, thanks to my background in finance,” Patricia says. “But we have students who come from marketing careers, startups, and other types of industry, and it’s been amazing to see how different their brain works compared to mine. It’s really broadened my perspective.”

Learning from the students in the class who graduated from College in 2023 has been particularly valuable to Patricia, a benefit she found surprising. “At first when I saw all these young people in the MBA program, I thought I would be able to teach them a thing or two from my years of experience,” Patricia says. “It turns out I have learned a lot from them.” From hiring practices to an emphasis on work life balance, she credits the younger people in the program to expanding her perspective on how things can be approached in today’s business environment.

Opening Up a World of Possibilities

The driving factor in Patricia’s decision to pursue a master’s degree was to expand her career opportunities. She has enjoyed a successful career in finance, working in the mortgage industry for more than 25 years. But even as she learned and grew in her career, she knew there were
many other aspects of the business world to be explored.

In the spring of 2023, Patricia left the banking industry and took a job as finance director at The Corporation of Guardianship in Greensboro, N.C. She’s found working at a nonprofit rewarding, helping the organization that provides fiduciary services to elderly, disabled and vulnerable populations stay sustainable.

A few months into her new job, Patricia started the MBA program. She has already been able to apply what she’s learned to her work, in particular with the company’s strategic plan. Using the tools and communication skills from the program’s business strategy class, she put into place strategies to move forward, achieve goals and measure milestones that had been lacking before.

Looking forward to graduating from the MBA program, Patricia knows that whether she stays with her current job or looks for a new career she now has the credentials to pursue her dreams.

“My passion is working with numbers, and I want to be able to use that to make a difference, to help the community. The experiences I’ve gained through the Guilford College MBA program will help me do that.”