If you杏吧专区檝e seen the iconic 杏吧专区楲AFAYETTE杏吧专区 sign in Downtown Lafayette, where locals step in as the missing 杏吧专区榊杏吧专区, then you杏吧专区檝e seen part of Kate Durio杏吧专区檚 impact on the community.
But her story goes beyond public art.
After moving away to earn her bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in journalism in Oregon, Durio returned to Lafayette in 2010. Over the years, she took on community-driven roles with ABC affiliate KATC TV3 and Downtown Lafayette and worked closely with past city administration to lead the CREATE initiative, which fused arts, culture, and economics to drive regional growth.
杏吧专区淚 had to think about things like what our return on investment was going to be for every dollar spent. That was a really hard task,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淎rt is something that's so subjective to people. But there was real math and real accounting and real money that was benefiting Lafayette through arts and culture, and I needed to show that.杏吧专区
When the CREATE initiative was discontinued in 2020, Durio was recruited by a London-based consulting firm specializing in culture plans for communities. She was soon offered a leadership role that required managing budgets and pricing strategies 杏吧专区 revealing a gap in her business knowledge.
That challenge led Durio to pursue UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 MBA online program, where she found an opportunity to complement her creative, community-driven work with business expertise.
杏吧专区淢y friend was surprised I felt the need for an MBA with all of my work experience,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淏ut I told her, 杏吧专区榃hy not have both? Why not show that I can do the work and have the degree to back it up?杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
Mastering the Business Side of Creativity
Durio is no stranger to hard work and multitasking. When she applied to the online MBA program in the summer of 2023, her son was turning one. By her first semester, she found out baby number two was on the way.
Some people might take that as a sign to slow down. Durio did the opposite.
杏吧专区淚 thought, 杏吧专区業杏吧专区檓 working from home. I can handle this,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 she says. 杏吧专区淪o, I loaded up on courses and maxed out my schedule the whole way through.杏吧专区
Durio brought plenty of experience to the table, from communication to project management to creative thinking. But what she needed were the hard skills: accounting, finance, data analysis 杏吧专区 and the MBA delivered.
杏吧专区淚 had to take my foundation courses because I didn杏吧专区檛 have a business undergrad degree,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淏ut that杏吧专区檚 where I learned those accounting basics that I was looking for, like how to do a profit and loss (P&L) statement.杏吧专区
Beyond the technical knowledge, Durio found value in the broader lessons, particularly in the ways that technology and sociology were shaping the modern workplace.
The program gave her a deeper understanding of a range of business topics, from organizational leadership to technology.
杏吧专区淭here was a class about how technology and business are changing, and things to be aware of. I also appreciated learning about different people and how they work,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 think that knowledge is going to make me a more well-rounded professional.杏吧专区
Unlocking Career Opportunities with an MBA
Durio杏吧专区檚 time in the MBA program laid a foundation for new opportunities.
In a serendipitous turn of events, she landed a new job at UL Lafayette in September 2023, just before starting classes.
杏吧专区淏eing a student and working there has been a unique experience,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 been interesting to see how academia differs from the private sector.杏吧专区
Ready to level up your business knowledge? Learn more about the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 online MBA program.
