Anthea Lopez

M.B.A., 2017

December, 2017

I

came to America in hopes of being “successful” and to experience the American business culture as an F-1 student. I enrolled in IAU in pursuit of my Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Degree since I have always wanted to put up my own business, run it, and make a lot of money.  However, the more I experienced and learned from the school, the program, and from my CPT-my perspective about life, business, and success evolved.

I looked at IAU as a model and observed at how the school management practiced what they preached. Everyone in the management, staff and faculty were committed to providing quality assistance, assuring student needs are met, and resolving day to day issues while providing affordable higher education and graduate degrees with all smiles. The whole IAU crew-from the doorman to the Director is passionate, professional and very welcoming towards students.

The school fostered every student, including me, with trainings and functions that are relevant to our respective programs. It served as a training ground for me. As a student and as an aspiring entrepreneur, I hit two birds with one stone from all the takeaways and lessons I learned just by looking at how the school operated and just by attending classes regularly.

Everything I learned from IAU was far worth more than the money I paid for my tuition fees. No amount of money can compare to the level of upbringing and education that was instilled in all of IAU’s students. I don’t know how the management does it, but I am rather sure that it takes sacrifice, exceptional leadership, a lifetime, teamwork, dedication and heart to build an institution that cares for its employees the same way they care for their students making IAU a true example of a community.

Unlike any other business schools, IAU focuses on helping students strategize and conceptualize a business plan from scratch to execution, considering ethical values that go along the lines of organizations whose goal is to create an impact and give back to society. At IAU, I learned that success is not measured by how much money a company generates, but how many lives it’s changed. I learned that MBA or DBA is not just a title, a degree, nor is it just about a money making business,  it really has nothing to do with business as much as it has to do with the people involved in it.

IAU gave me the opportunity to experience quality education without having to shed a fortune, which I am very grateful for. This is the kind of environment you want to be in, a company you want to associate yourself with and the kind of business model you want to build. It is definitely a school you want to learn from –one that I will continue to promote.

Thank you to the whole IAU team for teaching me that a great institution is not a one-person show, but is composed of hardworking, dedicated, selfless individuals! I am now ready to soar high like a true blue eagle and impart all that I have learned from the management, the staff, the faculty, and the fellow students to the real world outside.