Alumna Belisha Ke combines passions for healthcare and business in her EMBA
Belisha Ke received her nursing degree at a young age, specializing in geriatrics and fertility, with a further focus on dementia and palliative care. Since then, she has worked in retirement homes, long-term care homes, hospitals and provided home care with the ultimate goal of one day opening a retirement home of her own.
With this objective in mind, Belisha believed that further business knowledge would be beneficial and began searching for a Master of Business Administration program to augment her business acumen and fit her professional needs. Her search for a compatible program ultimately led her to UFred.
While completing her Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA), Belisha held several C-Suite positions, including her current position as Chief Operating Officer with Dynamic Health Management. Her demanding professional career meant that she needed to find a program with flexibility. When the pandemic began and long-term care homes struggled significantly, the support that she found at UFred became critical.
“I did have to pause my education for a term when everything became very chaotic with long-term care homes during the pandemic. I had to make personal sacrifices during that period and one of them was my education. I was grateful to have the flexibility to take a pause and return when I was ready.”
Applicability: how the program can benefit an experienced professional
Belisha entered the program with nearly twenty years of experience and still found that she was able to quickly apply what she was learning to her professional career.
“The program had an impact from day one at student orientation. It pushes you to keep an open mind, be determined, be focused, and be self-driven.”
Throughout her EMBA, she developed her business, decision-making, and leadership skills, all important areas not just to Belisha, but to leaders as a whole.
“The program provides leaders with the skills required to be not only more comprehensive but also inclusive.”
The EMBA program also contains a great deal of group work that helps to reinforce collaboration amongst peers and colleagues and enhance peer-to-peer learning. As students come from all different backgrounds, industries, locations, and varying experience levels, Belisha knew it was essential that she be both flexible and understanding.
“It’s essential to remember that you’re completing the courses and assignments as a team, not as an individual.”
Ensuring she took the time to consider her peers’ reasonings and thoughts while working on assignments led to better collaboration and helped to enhance her own learning experience.
Advice for future and Current Students
The key piece of advice that Belisha has for students looking to complete the EMBA programs is that students should consider their goals before entering the program as this will help motivate them for the duration.
“If you are determined to complete the program, YOU WILL. It’s also important to reflect on what you want out of the next 2.5 years and understand your goals as this will help with completing the program.”
Belisha successfully completed her EMBA program in 2021.