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Ivan Jaime ’20 believes in putting in hard work, no matter the situation. As he earned his diploma and went on to study marketing at the University of Texas at Austin, he was also working his way up at supermarket chain H-E-B. Starting out as a bagger, he had risen through the ranks to central checkout manager by the time he received his undergraduate degree in 2005.

After graduation, he accepted a position with Union Pacific Railroad in yard operations management. Three years later, he got a call: The company was building a public affairs department and thought he’d be a good fit. He joined the brand new team in 2008 as the director of border policy and community affairs and spent 12 more years at the company.

“I initially started with a focus on community relations,” he says, “which eventually developed into legislative advocacy and lobbying.” While Jaime was developing corporate strategy for state and local government affairs, he also went through Union Pacific’s Leadership Development Program to prepare for future executive-level opportunities. The experience reminded him of how much he loved learning—and inspired him to continue his education.

As a minority, Jaime says he’s always thinking about his “yeah-buts,” as he calls them, when he’s striving to achieve new goals. “Studies have shown that women and underrepresented groups don’t always get opportunities based on potential. We get the ‘Yeah, you’re extremely qualified, but …’ responses. I’ve always tried to eliminate as many of those as possible. Getting my advanced degree was one way I could do that.”

Working full time, Jaime was looking for a program that offered a hybrid approach: He didn’t want to attend all classes in person but also didn’t want a 100% online experience. “I looked for programs that were a mix of the two—and done in a cohort style—so I could become close with people. Northwestern’s MS in Communication was the best program for me.”

Instead of meeting in person the usual four times, his Online Leadership Program (formerly known as the Hybrid Leadership Program) cohort only met twice due to COVID-19. But that didn’t stop the group from developing lasting connections. “We’re so close,” he explains. “It felt like there was very special chemistry.”

Shortly after graduating from Northwestern, he accepted a job offer from Walmart: Jaime is now the company’s director of government and public affairs for Texas and Oklahoma, where he operates at the intersection of corporate strategy and public policy.

“I enjoy that mix where businesses are having to make decisions to improve their profitability in a way that serves the general public,” he says. “Often, those goals seem to be at odds with each other, but they’re really not.”

He says the program’s experience helped him feel confident and prepared to take on this new career challenge. “My degree played a role in several ways. The team that hired me mentioned my education as proof that I’m a learner. They wanted someone who could learn quickly and hit the ground running. Through the program, I also got to know myself better and understood my value proposition. That was critical in helping me sell the skills I bring.”

Photo by Joseph Xu

When Jennifer Judge Hensel ’19 first began her career journey, her heart was set on journalism. But, as she helped tell stories for student newspapers, she discovered a new passion: graphic design and layout. “I wasn’t much of a reporter, but I really liked organizing information on the page,” she explains.

After earning an AS in Media Communications, Print Media/Journalism from Pima Community College, Judge Hensel headed to the University of Arizona for a BFA in Visual Communications with an emphasis in graphic design. While in college, she worked at the Tucson Citizen Newspaper—one of two papers in town.

Because the publication printed in the afternoon, it was rarely the first to report on breaking news. At the time, online news was also starting to emerge, and many newspapers were closing down. Seeing the writing on the wall, Judge Hensel wanted to help the publication stay relevant—so she helped lead an overhaul of the 60-member newsroom to a focus on digital delivery and online content.

After eight years—and a successful transformation—she moved to Michigan and left the newspaper to pursue teaching, freelance web design, and branding work, which gave her the flexibility she wanted as her children were growing up.

Once she was ready to return to a full-time job, Judge Hensel joined the communications and marketing team at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Her variety of experiences helped her land a web content specialist position involving web design and writing, with gradual increases in responsibility involving marketing strategy and management.

“Once I started at the University of Michigan and began to see my career grow, I set my sights on next steps and what I wanted for the future,” explains Judge Hensel. “Especially in higher ed, the higher the degree you have, the more you’re considered for administrative roles. I decided I needed a master’s degree to compete in that space.”

She wanted more than just a piece of paper—she wanted a degree that would make her better at her job. Her goal was to enroll at a top-ranked school that would allow her to earn an MS in Communication quickly—and online.

“I watched peers go through being full-time parents and full-time workers while taking years to get a master’s degree,” she says. “I didn’t want to put my family or myself through that, so I was looking for a program that was super flexible. Northwestern is one of the few that does this—and does it well. “

Shortly before beginning the MSC Online Leadership Program (formerly known as the Hybrid Leadership Program), the University of Michigan College of Engineering promoted Judge Hensel to executive director of communications and marketing. Starting on Day One, she began using what she learned in class on the job—from strategic planning to leadership. Northwestern’s emphasis on the science aspect of the MS in Communication degree ensured that she not only knew the “how,” but also learned the “why” behind her work as the voice of the college. Not too long after graduation, COVID-19 hit.

“I was suddenly managing a 24-person remote team that, up until that point, had worked in the same office together. And we were responsible for communicating around the crisis to thousands of people. We’ve now been in constant-crisis mode for eight months in addition to our normal jobs—plus doing everything remotely. This degree has helped me weather all of that. It’s also prepared me to shift my mindset into ‘long-term mode’ so we can think about refining collaboration, re-evaluating communication channels, and finding ways to make adjustments.”

In addition to the relatable and actionable curriculum, Judge Hensel also found unexpected value in the relationships she built with her cohort. Working alongside other professionals to finish the degree together helped her build lasting connections.

“I remember the first in-person residency,” she explains. “I was thinking, ‘I’m just going to earn my degree and move on.’ And I remember the team at Northwestern saying, ‘You’re going to leave this weekend not only knowing everyone in this room but also loving them all.’ It sounded crazy at the time, but it turned out to be absolutely true.”

Art teacher. Organic caterer. Crate & Barrel recruiter. Staffing firm owner.

To hear more from Pat Messina please join us for a webinar next week where we will talk with Pat in more detail about her approach to career services for students in the MSC program. The webinar will be at 12 PM CST on Wednesday, October 28th. REGISTER HERE

When you think of the skills needed for a career in biotech, communication may not rise to the top of the list. But, for Adam Zetter ’19, it’s exactly what he needed.

His path began with a degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1996. His first full-time job was at a small startup conducting research as a formulation engineer: evaluating, formulating, and developing products to fill the company’s drug-development pipeline.

When his employer was acquired by a larger company, there was an opening for a junior project management position. He got to know some of the people on the team and decided to try it. “The unique thing about being a project manager in drug development is that you’re right in the middle of everything,” says Zetter. “Manufacturing, regulatory, research, development, marketing—all of it.”

After a year and a half, he was lured by the thought of working for a bigger biotech company and went to serve as a product development project manager for a genomics organization in a software development role—which turned out not to be a great fit. “At the time, I wasn’t a seasoned project manager with enough knowledge of software development to make that position work and handle the pace,” he explains. “The science and genetics, yes. Software development, no.”

So he returned to smaller startups and spent the next seven years honing his project management skills in a drug development environment, where he also gained experience in roles focused on training, learning, and development. In 2007, when his employer was preparing to close its doors, he got a call from one of the biggest players in biotech: Genentech.

To work for Genentech, he went back to a drug development project manager role before transitioning to a business analyst position and serving as a liaison between IT and the business. Five years in, he shifted gears once again to become a business manager, where he learned about business from a different perspective as he worked with senior executives on strategy and tactics to help shape and advance their organizations while overseeing strategic, cross-functional initiatives—a role he still holds today.

“The great thing about this job is that there’s not any one way to do it,” he explains. “We’re counted on to leverage our experience in a multitude of situations to be thought partners on strategy and drive execution.”

Spending nearly 24 years in biotech, Zetter knew he had his technical skills down. After some personal reflection, however, he asked himself some tough questions: Where are my gaps? What’s holding me back from getting to a higher level? That’s when he realized it all came down to communication.

“It took me over 20 years to figure that out,” says Zetter. “Once it crystallized in my mind, I started researching and looking at different programs to see what they offered.”

When he discovered the MS in Communication (MSC) program, its three learning themes—managing complexity, collaborative leadership, and communication—spoke to him. “At the end of the day, I only applied to the MSC program,” he says. “It’s the only one I wanted.”

Because he was based in California, Zetter appreciated the Hybrid Leadership Program option, which gave him the opportunity to learn online while still being physically present on occasion. With a young family at home, he recognized it would be a hard year—but the one-year commitment vs. two or three years made it more realistic.

“Even though we were predominantly online, the professors were incredibly engaged, and we were an extremely tight cohort,” he says. “We still message each other almost every day. These aren’t just classmates. We formed lifelong bonds, and I learned so much that I use every day.”

He credits the Understanding and Leveraging Networks course for sparking new ideas in learning and development as he builds and trains successful teams. “Helping people learn and imparting information is going to be the hallmark of the second half of my career.”

Information Design was another highlight for Zetter—if for no other reason than it inspired him to revamp his résumé, which has generated so many compliments that he says it’s now worth its weight in gold.

“I have real confidence in my communication skills and ability, knowing I can apply them in nontypical ways,” he says. “The MS in Communication program gives you skills you can apply in any business situation. Even if I go outside the biotech industry someday, I have these skills to leverage. Everything I’ve learned is going to add value.”