Victoria Alleman spends her days helping shape one of Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 most beloved community spaces: Moncus Park.
Before it became the hub it is today, the land was known as the 小蝌蚪APP,小蝌蚪APP a place with deep ties to the 小蝌蚪APP, where Alleman earned her marketing degree in 2014.
小蝌蚪APP淏ack in the day, when the 小蝌蚪APP was called USL, the milk for the cafeteria came from the cows right here on the Horse Farm,小蝌蚪APP Alleman says. 小蝌蚪APP淎ll of them were kept on this property.小蝌蚪APP
The site has since been transformed into a 100-acre urban park that welcomes nearly half a million annual visitors. As part of the team behind its growth, Alleman helps secure the funding and partnerships that keep the park thriving.
小蝌蚪APP淲e raised right at $2.3 million last year from different leaders in the community,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淎 lot of those are repeat supporters who just want to make our community the very best it can be.小蝌蚪APP
But her work isn小蝌蚪APP檛 just about raising money; it小蝌蚪APP檚 about building something with long-term impact. As she navigates nonprofit development and strategic planning, Alleman draws on the knowledge she gained in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 online MBA program.
小蝌蚪APP淎 huge focus right now is making sure the park plays a role in advancing Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 quality of life and helping companies recruit and retain talent from UL Lafayette, SoLAcc, and our other higher education institutions. We see this mass exodus of young people after graduation 小蝌蚪APP and if the park can be part of what makes them want to stay, then we want to do our part.小蝌蚪APP
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Before stepping into her role at Moncus Park, Alleman built her career across fast-paced industries. But it was her role as investor relations director at , an economic development organization for the nine-parish Acadiana region, that reshaped her perspective.
小蝌蚪APP淏eing surrounded by the leaders in our community shows you how much they value determination,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淵es, you learn different subjects and do your research in school, but at the end of the day, what school really teaches you is grit 小蝌蚪APP and I think that小蝌蚪APP檚 needed in the business world.小蝌蚪APP
It was these conversations and observations that pushed Alleman to consider graduate school. As she evaluated her options, she and her husband were also growing their family, and she had recently stepped into her role as development director at Moncus Park.
Flexibility was non-negotiable.
小蝌蚪APP淚 needed something online,小蝌蚪APP says Alleman. 小蝌蚪APP淕oing every Tuesday and Thursday night just wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 realistic for me.小蝌蚪APP
So, she returned to where her academic journey began, enrolling in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 MBA online program.
Putting MBA Knowledge to Work
Going back to school after nearly a decade away was an adjustment.
小蝌蚪APP淚 hadn't taken online courses before so I would have to ask my younger coworkers how to use Moodle,小蝌蚪APP Alleman laughs. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was a learning curve at first, but it was worth it.小蝌蚪APP
The transition didn小蝌蚪APP檛 take long. She quickly found the MBA online program aligned perfectly with her work.
As Development Director for Moncus Park, Alleman touches every part of the organization from fundraising and strategic planning to community engagement.
And with courses like MGMT525: Organizational Behavior and Leadership, the real-world application was immediate.
小蝌蚪APP淲e had just gone through a whole strategic plan and leadership change at Moncus Park when I took that class,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was interesting to be able to relate real-life examples to what we were learning in class.小蝌蚪APP
Every assignment became an opportunity to reflect on the work she was already doing.
小蝌蚪APP淚t felt like my research had some meat and potatoes to it,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淲ith my professional experience, I could apply exactly how it happened in the real world.小蝌蚪APP
That real-time application gave her work more depth and more confidence in her leadership.
Her advice for others considering graduate school? Use your experience to fuel your success.
小蝌蚪APP淚f you have real life scenarios to apply to the business schoolwork, you get so much out of it,小蝌蚪APP she says. "I was working full time, having a baby, taking a final two days out of the hospital. It小蝌蚪APP檚 not easy, but it's totally doable.小蝌蚪APP
Ready to level up your business knowledge? Learn more about the MBA online program.
