Victoria Alleman spends her days helping shape one of Lafayette杏吧专区檚 most beloved community spaces: Moncus Park.
Before it became the hub it is today, the land was known as the 杏吧专区.杏吧专区 It's a place with deep ties to the 杏吧专区, where Alleman earned her marketing degree in 2014.
杏吧专区淏ack in the day, when the 杏吧专区 was called USL, the milk for the cafeteria came from the cows right here on the Horse Farm,杏吧专区 Alleman says. 杏吧专区淭hey were all kept on this property.杏吧专区
The space has since been transformed into a 100-acre urban park that welcomes nearly half a million visitors each year. As part of the team behind its growth, Alleman helps bring in the funding and partnerships that keep the park thriving.
杏吧专区淲e raised about $2.3 million last year from different leaders in the community,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淢any of them are repeat supporters who just want to make our city the very best it can be.杏吧专区
But her work is about more than raising money; it杏吧专区檚 about building something that lasts. As she navigates nonprofit development and planning, Alleman draws on what she learned in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 online MBA program.
杏吧专区淎 huge focus right now is making sure the park plays a role in advancing Lafayette杏吧专区檚 quality of life. We want to help companies recruit and retain talent from UL Lafayette, SoLAcc, and our other higher education institutions," she says. "We see this mass exodus of young people after graduation 杏吧专区 and if the park can be part of what makes them stay, we want to do our part.杏吧专区
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Before 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 changed her perspective.
杏吧专区淏eing surrounded by the leaders in our community shows you how much they value determination,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淵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 杏吧专区 and I think that杏吧专区檚 needed in the business world.杏吧专区
It was these observations that pushed Alleman to consider graduate school. At the same time, she and her husband were growing their family, and she had recently stepped into her role as development director at Moncus Park.
Flexibility was non-negotiable.
杏吧专区淚 needed something online,杏吧专区 says Alleman. 杏吧专区淕oing every Tuesday and Thursday night just wasn杏吧专区檛 realistic for me.杏吧专区
So, she returned to where her academic journey began, enrolling in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 MBA online program.
Putting MBA Knowledge to Work
Going back to school after nearly 10 years was an adjustment.
杏吧专区淚 hadn't taken online courses before, so I had to ask my younger coworkers how to use Moodle,杏吧专区 Alleman laughs. 杏吧专区淚t was a learning curve, but it was worth it.杏吧专区
The transition didn杏吧专区檛 take long. She soon 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 courses like MGMT525: Organizational Behavior and Leadership revealed the real-world benefits right away.
杏吧专区淲e had just gone through a big leadership change at Moncus Park when I took that class,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚t was interesting to relate real-life examples to what we were learning in class.杏吧专区
Each assignment gave her a chance to reflect on the work she was already doing.
杏吧专区淚t felt like my research had some meat and potatoes to it,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淲ith my professional experience, I could apply exactly how it happened in the real world.杏吧专区
Her advice for others considering graduate school? Let your experience guide you.
杏吧专区淚f you have real life scenarios to apply to the business schoolwork, you get so much out of it,杏吧专区 she says. "I was working full time, having a baby, and taking a final two days out of the hospital. It杏吧专区檚 not easy, but it's totally doable.杏吧专区
Ready to level up your business knowledge? Learn more about the MBA online program.
