MALVERN, Pa. — Chiquitta Evans planned to take one year off after earning her bachelor’s degree in human resources before pursuing a master’s degree.
“But I took seven years off,” she said. “I kept saying, ‘I don’t know, I don’t have the time.’” She said she wasn’t sure how she would balance graduate school with her full-time job as an human resources (HR) generalist and the responsibilities of caring for her family.
Evans also understood the financial challenges of pursuing higher education. After high school, she joined the military, she said, because attending college was not financially possible for her at the time. Years later, as a first-generation college student, she earned her bachelor’s degree with the help of veterans’ education benefits. Although those benefits helped offset the cost of her education, they did not cover all of her expenses, making the financial support available for graduate school especially important.
Last year, while attending her daughter’s undergraduate commencement ceremony, Evans watched master’s degree students of different ages walk across the stage. Seeing people at various stages of life earning their graduate degrees made her realize that it wasn’t too late to pursue her own goal.
"If they can do it, I can do it,” she thought.
That moment inspired Evans to pursue an MBA and make the temporary sacrifices necessary to achieve her goal. She viewed the decision as both “a commitment to my future and an opportunity to lead by example for my family,” she said.
“I think this MBA will open more doors for me,” Evans said, adding that she wanted a broad business education that would help her become a more strategic thinker and a more marketable professional. “I aspire to continue growing professionally and move into higher-level roles within my career.”
Penn State Great Valley's hybrid MBA program
Because Evans wanted to take most of her classes in person, Penn State Great Valley’s hybrid MBA program appealed to her. The program offered the flexibility she needed to balance her work schedule while also providing valuable opportunities to connect and network with classmates and professors, she said.
Although Evans said she was a little nervous when she began the MBA program last year, she quickly met classmates and faculty members who reassured her and offered support.
“You can feel defeated, with work and taking care of your family and then school,” Evans said. But she knew she could reach out to her professors and classmates for help. One classmate encouraged her to persevere when things became difficult.
“Now I’ve been able to get the time management down,” Evans said. She has completed six of the 11 courses required for her degree.
Evans said she values the way her classes are helping her better understand advanced business and finance topics she sometimes hears discussed in leadership meetings. She said she can apply what she learns in the classroom to situations she encounters at work, helping her better understand the principles behind business decisions. She looks forward to continuing to strengthen her knowledge and professional skills as she progresses through the program.
'It's about giving somebody an edge'
This past spring, Evans applied for and received the James A. Nemes Educational Equity Scholarship. Combined with her GI Bill benefits, the scholarship has helped further offset the cost of her graduate education.
Six years ago, James Nemes, who was then chancellor of Penn State Great Valley, established the scholarship to help students like Evans pursue their educational goals.
“I knew getting a graduate degree really helped propel people’s careers, but the reality was that some people couldn’t afford it,” he said. “If the students are willing to put in the work, then finances shouldn’t be something that gets in the way. It’s about giving somebody an edge.”
“I was very thankful to receive the scholarship,” Evans said. “It has helped me continue pursuing my education, and I’m grateful that it will also help future students achieve their educational goals.”
Paying it forward
With the additional financial support, Evans said she looks forward to walking across the stage at her own commencement ceremony next year and achieving a personal goal she set not only for herself, but also for her family. Her son, who is not yet in high school, already knows which college he wants to attend, and her daughter is considering pursuing a master’s degree of her own.
“Education is important to pass on to my kids to show them, ‘You can do it,’” Evans said. She sees the scholarship as “encouragement that helps me continue building a stable, purpose-driven future for my family while giving back through my work.”
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