Student Spotlight: Chaise Seasholtz
Meet dual doctor of physical therapy (DPT) and MBA student Chaise Seasholtz.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Why did you decide to pursue a dual graduate degree?
I hope to run my own sports and orthopedic PT clinic in the future, so learning how to run a business was something I was going to have to do one way or another. Thankfully, the DPT and MBA programs were able to start offering this option to us, so now seemed like the perfect time to learn the ins and outs of running a business.
What has been one of your favorite moments in the MBA program so far?
My favorite experience so far has definitely been getting the opportunity to work with actual businesses on some of the real-world problems that they face. It’s one thing to sit in class and learn about how to optimize workflows or do marketing research, but actually getting out and putting those skills to use and seeing the impact they can have has been incredibly valuable.
What has been the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge has definitely been adapting to think like a business professional. I went straight from my bachelor’s degree in exercise science into the DPT program, so my education has been all exercise, all the time. For someone fresh to the world of business, the fall semester courses over things like accounting, finance, and supply chain management felt a lot like drinking from a firehose, but I think that my classmates and I have been able to adapt really well.
What are your plans for the future? How do you think the MBA program will impact your career moving forward?
Short answer: Pay off my debt, learn the skills I need, and open my own shop, in that order.
Long(er) answer: There are a couple of PT-related specialty certifications I want to get, so I hope to learn from some of the great PTs in the area who are doing the things that I want to be doing while I get those and save up money to open my own clinic. From there, I just want to see how far I can take this thing and grow this pipe dream into something great if I can.
What accomplishment, personally or professionally, are you most proud of?
That’s a tough one for me to answer, if only because I’m constantly surrounded by people who are doing really impressive things. I spend all my time with classmates and staff who are all outstanding in their fields, and frankly, I’m proud of myself for managing to keep up with them!
What is something you still hope to learn, in or out of the classroom?
Oh man, too many things to count. There are a lot of really incredible people out there with a lot to teach me, and I want to learn it all. The one constant factor in grad school has been that the more I learn, the more I realize just how much more is out there.
