A busy marketing professional, who studied online in her spare time, is the University Canada West Medal for Academic Excellence recipient in the Master of Business Administration Program.

Tammy Lynn McMullen is from Ontario and has worked as a marketing manager in a casino for the past 15 years.

She has two daughters and is a grandmother to three young boys. Tammy and her husband recently celebrated 25 years of marriage.

She is the medal recipient for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program after posting the highest cumulative GPA of all University Canada West (UCW) graduates. Her transcript includes seven A+s and a grade point average of 4.02.

Tammy started her academic journey with UCW in June 2011. Despite graduating with stellar grades, she was still surprised to learn she earned the medal.

“I was completely shocked,” she said. “I have studied alongside many intelligent people and did not think I would be recognized with this award.”

She added that she was striving for excellence for personal satisfaction and motivation.

Tammy knew for many years that she wanted to pursue an MBA, but it was only after her children were grown and her career was stable that she was able to upgrade her education.

“An online MBA was a goal I could pursue. Many career advancement opportunities were attainable from my experience, but the educational requirement was not quite there,” she explained.

“The online experience was perfect for me to maximize my efforts and work around an already busy personal schedule.”

She said that the faculty was very engaging and applied many learning styles to best explain the course materials.

“I really enjoyed learning from fellow students in other parts of the world and gaining new and unique perspectives to each lesson,” she said.

She enjoyed the ability to learn at her own pace and on her own schedule.

“UCW has provided a very personal learning experience for my work/life/school balance,” Tammy said.

She said the degree will allow her to explore more senior level management positions within her own company or in a new field.

Tammy is also considering pursuing a project management designation or advancing her Six Sigma Green Belt to a Black Belt but is taking a break from studying to consider her options.

Six Sigma is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement.

Tammy said she will look back at her time at UCW fondly.

“I have enjoyed every challenging minute of my studies with UCW,” she said.

“Even though it was sometimes difficult to balance everything, the satisfaction from completing this program is a highlight of my life that will benefit me forever, personally and professionally.”

University Canada West is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. The University offers both online and on-campus Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Arts in Business Communication and MBA programs. The business-oriented university provides students with the experience to succeed in their careers and scholarships to recognize students’ academic excellence. For more information about UCW email [email protected].

WRITTEN BY BRADLEY FEHR