Thank you to the Professional MBA program at the University of Illinois for sponsoring today’s Chambana Mom to Know. The Professional MBA is a MBA program that meets two nights a week (Mondays and Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m.) in Champaign. Information sessions are available on July 15 and Aug. 19 (both at 6 p.m.) at the Business Instructional Facility, 515 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign. Please RSVP at 217-244-7602 or email professionalMBA@illinois.edu.
Serena Hoff has lived in central Illinois her entire life. A Paris, Ill., native, she moved to Champaign to attend the University of Illinois, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communications. During her 15 years in Champaign, Serena worked in healthcare for over seven years, participated in a variety of volunteer activities throughout the community and has enjoyed more Papa Del’s, Dos Reales and Custard Cup than she cares to admit.
She graduated in 2013 with her MBA after attending the Illinois Professional MBA program and is currently an Assistant Director of MBA Admissions at the University of Illinois. Serena just celebrated her 11th wedding anniversary with her husband, Joe Rush, with whom she has two children with, Owen, age 9 and Joslin, age 7.
See why we think Serena Hoff is a Chambana mom to know.
Q: Why did you decide to pursue an MBA through the PMBA program?
I loved the work I was doing but was ready to grow. Upon evaluating my options, I quickly realized the fastest and most reliable way to get to that next level was going back to school. However, with two young children (Owen was four and Joslin was three when I started the program), a husband who worked night shift, a mortgage and two car payments, quitting my job to go back to school full-time wasn’t a realistic option for my family. I was thrilled when I found out about U of I’s PMBA program because it meant I could continue working while accomplishing my goal of earning an MBA.
Q: What was your favorite class in the program, and why?
That’s a tough one! I think it is probably a three-way tie between Strategic Management, Leadership and Teams, and Managing Organizations. The professors were fantastic and the classroom discussions were always lively. In addition to that though, I was able to take many of the concepts from those classes and start applying them at work the next day, which I loved the immediacy of.
Q: Who were your classmates? What surprised you about them?
My classmates were fellow working professionals from the central Illinois area. I remember the first night of orientation and being in awe of some the brilliant people I was going to be taking classes with for the next two years. We had engineers and sales people, we had PhDs and an MD. I had a classmate who was around my father’s age and then I had a classmate who was two years post undergrad. What surprised me the most was how quickly we all became not only friends but really more of a family. Everyone was willing to help each other out and the friendships that we formed are still well intact today. In fact, I just had lunch with couple of classmates three days ago.
Q: How did the program ultimately impact your career?
Earning my MBA allowed me the career growth that I was after. I ultimately moved on to a new position that I absolutely love and, as an added bonus, saw a 40% salary increase with that move.
Q: What is something you learned about yourself after going through the program?
I learned I was capable of doing more than I ever thought I could. I delayed going back to school because I was fearful of not being able to cut it and there were still times where Joe, my husband, had to remind me, “You don’t go to school to learn what you already know, you go to school to learn what you don’t know.” I also found I had more confidence in my decisions because I now understood the supporting theories.
Q: You’re a mom with a young family. How did you balance work, kids, and graduate school?
As with anything, you make time for what’s important to you. It made me really focus on the time I had available and how to optimize it. I should probably take this opportunity to thank the Stephens Family YMCA for their role in making my MBA a reality! There were quite a few nights where the kids would run around the playroom as I read my case study on the ARC trainer. The three of us would all get some exercise, go home, eat dinner and after they were in bed, I’d finish writing my case summary. There were compromises made across our family and I was very lucky to have an amazingly supportive family. However, even with those adjustments, I still consider going back to school to be the best investment I ever made for myself.
Q: What is your favorite C-U restaurant?
Dos Reales! We’ve been going there since I was an undergrad at U of I but they solidified their spot as my favorite about seven years ago when Joslin was a newborn and Owen was not quite two. Joslin was fussing in her infant seat, Owen was taking forever to eat and our food sat getting colder by the minute. Elias, the manager, took pity on our weary souls and came over and actually started entertaining Owen by airplane feeding him his rice and beans. Elias created lifelong customers that day!
Q: Describe your ideal date night.
My favorite date nights are the ones that consist of doing very little. Our schedules normally dictate running from one place to another, so I love a night of slowing down and going out for dinner where we can just sit and talk for a couple of hours or ordering pizza and binge watching something on Hulu or Netflix.
Q: What is something you can share with us that most people don’t know about you?
I’m a complete car geek! I love everything from muscle cars to imports. I kid that my husband puts up with me because I love cars almost as much as he does. Which, going back to your previous question, his ideal date night is dinner and cruising around car lots after they’re closed even though we are not in the market for a new car. I’m not that bad … yet.
Serena Hoff was nominated to be a Chambana mom to know. Nominate a mom or dad today — it’s easy!