‘The Journey of a Lifetime’: How Juan Munoz Earned His MBA

After Juan Munoz '22 '24MBA earned his bachelor's degree in general studies from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), he knew he wasn't finished learning.

Getting his master's degree seemed like a way to continue bettering himself and others — "my family, the people I work with, the people around me," he said. "So why not go all the way?"

And that's exactly what he did. He moved into his master's program quickly after finishing his bachelor's, not wanting his progress to stall.

"The reason why I wanted to go into the master's program right away is because I have experienced the defeat of losing momentum," he said. "And I didn't want that to happen again."

It didn't. Just two years later, he graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Public Administration from SNHU.

"I'm very excited," he said at his graduation ceremony. "It's the journey of a lifetime."

Why SNHU?

Munoz noted that SNHU's flexible online schedule was a good fit for him as a nontraditional student. "I love that the school is geared towards adults, working adults, people that might have challenges, prior attempts to graduate," he said.

It doesn't matter how old you are when you go back to school, according to Munoz. "As long as you do it," he said, "and as long as you do it for you, for your family, for your own reasons."

By earning his degree, he passed that message on to his own family. "For young people in my family, you know, my daughter or my niece, it is proof that it doesn't matter the timing," he said.

Earning an MBA

Working for a state agency in California, Munoz said the public administration MBA concentration seemed like a good fit.

"I wanted more training in something that I was already working on that will facilitate or will give me a better language to explain my ideas and at the same time, give me more ideas to reproduce those improvements," he said.

He said the MBA program was hard work, but the information he learned was all important. "One of the things that I love the most about the master's program is that there are no fillers," he said.

While he noted that the program was fast-paced, he said it prepared him well with skills he needed, with an emphasis on applicable, real-life scenarios.

Support Along the Way

Munoz said his family was there to support him while he was earning both of his degrees — especially his husband, mother and daughters. "I am truly blessed by the people around me," he said.

SNHU was there to support him, too. Whenever he was overwhelmed, he said he reached out to his academic advisor or connected with other available student support services.

"The support exists from the professors, from the advisors, from the teams and the student service(s)," he said. "And they're very open."

Moving Ahead

While professional advancement isn't a guarantee for all graduates, Munoz said his education helped him get promoted. "I actually got a couple of promotions," he said, noting that he can now provide a better life for his family.

Wherever you decide to take your career after graduating, earning a degree can be a formative experience, according to Munoz.

"It builds you up, and there's more confidence in your skills and who you are as a person and who you are as an adult," he said. "And I can say that I'm very proud of myself for achieving this."

Mars Girolimon '21 '23G is a staff writer at Southern New Hampshire University where they earned their bachelor’s and master’s, both in English and creative writing. In addition to their work in higher education, Girolimon’s short fiction is published in the North American Review, So It Goes by The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library, X-R-A-Y and more. Connect with them on LinkedIn.