Marissa Minter

Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business

“Kindhearted Texan who is always learning and growing. Driven to create a life of meaning.”

Age: 34

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Fun fact about yourself: One of my hobbies is writing fiction. I have been writing since I was a child, and I hope to publish a book someday.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Baylor University, B.A. in Public Relations and Journalism

Where are you currently working? Velora (software startup), Product Marketing Manager

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? The achievement I’m most proud of is not about a single milestone, but about the tenacity, adaptability, and work ethic I have sustained throughout my entire career. My path has been defined by meaningful pivots and continuous growth, from making the leap into the tech industry to my first management role, to taking a deliberate sabbatical, to leading a company-wide session at a retreat. I am proud that, in every season and every role, I have approached new challenges with conviction, resilience and a commitment to excellence.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? There are two reasons why I chose the online MBA@Rice. The first reason is that the Rice University name holds a lot of weight in Texas and has a strong reputation for providing a high-quality education. The second reason is that, despite being online, Rice offers several in-person learning and networking experiences for online MBA students. Despite choosing an online program, I knew that I wanted to have opportunities to network in person when possible.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? What I appreciated the most about being in an online MBA program was the flexibility it afforded me. I’ve easily been able to retain my full-time employment and take on major projects at work while simultaneously attending classes and completing rigorous coursework. A full-time, on-campus program would have required me to pause my career. While I don’t believe a career pause is a bad thing, I was not interested in slowing down my professional momentum.

How did your online MBA experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? There have been a lot of similarities between my in-person undergraduate experience at Baylor and my online graduate experience at Rice. Both experiences provided a learning environment that mixed lectures with team projects and individual assignments that focused on a core area. Also, both experiences were full of opportunities to work hands-on with in-person clients, which allowed me to apply my education to real-world experiences in real time.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? For me, thriving in an online MBA program looked like taking advantage (as much as possible) of the many different benefits offered to me. This meant attending an additional on-campus elective, traveling to Colombia for our Global Field Experience, attending professors’ office hours to gain extra insights, and always keeping an eye out for conferences and events to attend.

That said, my advice to an applicant is to see what opportunities different programs offer for their online MBA students outside of the required course programming. Once you’re accepted, make a commitment to get involved as much as you can. You only have two years; make the most of it!

How has your online MBA education helped you in your current job? The confidence my online MBA education has given me is invaluable. I am more confident when presenting to executives, and I no longer shy away from opportunities for public speaking. For me, this is huge. In addition to improving my confidence, my online MBA has taught me how to be a strategic thinker. In my current role, I now approach every project and every deadline within the context of broader corporate strategy.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? About halfway into my time in the program, I was recruited into a foundational strategic marketing role at a software startup following a recent merger. Though my title (product marketing manager) remained the same through this transition, I advanced from being in a supportive role within a large marketing team to becoming the sole owner and functional lead of product marketing at a fast-growing technology startup. This move reflected a significant step in strategic influence and aligned with the career trajectory I set out to pursue when I started my MBA journey.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? My decision to attend an online program was largely related to where I am in my career. A full-time residential would have required me to leave the workforce for two years, and I was unwilling to put my career on hold just as it had been taking off. Since I was fairly certain I did not want to change industries or functions, I knew the online program would grant me the flexibility to continue advancing my career in tech marketing without a gap in employment.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? This past year, the MBA@Rice program offered an on-campus intensive learning elective called Generative AI for Business Applications. This course was led by Kathleen Perley, who has successfully built an AI startup. During this course, I learned many different ways to safely and strategically incorporate AI into my everyday operations as a marketer. The course also opened my mind to the possibilities of how AI can accelerate output and improvements throughout various industries in the business world.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 19–30 hours, depending on the semester

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? Long-term, I strive to build something of my own. Rice Business’ MBA program is very strong for entrepreneurship. A lot of the coursework has really paved the way for me to think like a leader and business owner. I believe that my work experience in the startup space, along with my knowledge from my MBA@Rice, have set a strong foundation for me to launch my own venture. Though I don’t have plans for this anytime soon, I definitely see entrepreneurship in my future.

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