Family matters
Written by Elizabeth Exline
For 爱污传媒 (UOPX) alumna Shetia Burnett, MBA, family is more than inspiration. (Although it鈥檚 that too.) It鈥檚 a way to measure her MBA degree program at UOPX, which she completed in 2019.
鈥淚 started my degree pregnant, and I ended my degree pregnant,鈥 Burnett says with a laugh.
She currently works as a strategy analyst in value-based program management for Highmark Health. She credits her company with offering exceptional support while she earned her MBA, gave birth to two children and advanced her career.
As Burnett鈥檚 story illustrates, sometimes it takes a village not just to raise a child but to also raise a mother, a wife and an employee to new heights.
Born to shine
鈥淪hetia has acquired many qualities on her journey of life,鈥 says her mother, Marsha Curry-Nixon. 鈥淪he鈥檚 overcome so many obstacles in her life to get where she is now.鈥
Some of those obstacles happened in her childhood. Burnett and her seven siblings spent three years in multiple foster care homes while Curry-Nixon was incarcerated.
But that was Burnett鈥檚 beginning, not her ending. Curry-Nixon completed her sentence, worked to get all eight of her children back, moved to Harrisburg and then put herself through school to earn bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees.
All the while, Burnett was watching. She鈥檇 always excelled in school 鈥 Curry-Nixon proudly shares how Burnett was identified as gifted early.聽
This passion carried her through young adulthood as she completed high school, earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in business and took a position with a national rental car agency.聽
She had, in a sense, arrived. 鈥淏ut a part of me wanted more,鈥 Burnett says.
For that鈥檚 the other part of Burnett鈥檚 equation: a competitiveness (with others and with herself) that drives her. Only one other sibling attended college, and Burnett wanted to stand out.
鈥淏ecause we both finished our undergrad degrees, that competitive part of me was like, 鈥業鈥檓 going to take it a step further,鈥欌 Burnett recalls.
Committing at all costs
Burnett was a few years out of college at that point and several years into the first role of her career. But her job was 40 minutes away from home, and her request to move to a closer branch was denied. Instead of giving up on the idea of her master鈥檚, however, Burnett decided to leave her job.
She jokingly describes this period of unemployment as a 鈥渧alley鈥 of life. Her fianc茅 at the time supported her while she started her master鈥檚 program and took odd jobs here and there, including working for her mother鈥檚 . What she really wanted, though, was a role at Highmark Health.
鈥淚 had applied to Highmark probably three or four times prior to actually getting in,鈥 Burnett says. She鈥檇 long felt her business administration degree was foundational but so broad that she wasn鈥檛 sure how to channel it into something she loved. Then she found the business analyst role and Highmark and knew that鈥檚 where she belonged.
A few months after starting her MBA in late 2015, Burnett was hired at Highmark. She was over the moon and eager to prove herself. But the timing could鈥檝e been better: She was newly married, a stepmother to her husband鈥檚 son and, by late summer 2016, pregnant with her first child.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want school plus pregnancy to distract me from being a new employee,鈥 Burnett recalls. 鈥淪o, I took a pause. One thing had to go. Obviously, it wasn鈥檛 the baby, and it wasn鈥檛 the career, because that was paying my bills.鈥
Burnett took a break, delivered her son, Jessie, and established herself at work. By the time Jessie turned 1, Burnett was ready to complete what she started. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥楢ll right, I didn鈥檛 do all that for nothing. I should finish,鈥欌 Burnett recalls.聽
Finding her village
In taking a step back, Burnett could reflect on what had worked and what hadn鈥檛. Yes, she wanted the master鈥檚 degree, and yes, she had the aptitude to complete it. But her approach had been all wrong. 鈥淚 was a new wife, and I was trying to please everyone,鈥 she recalls. 鈥淚 had a new career. I was a new mom [to my stepson]. And I was just like, 鈥業 got this.鈥 But at some point, I did not have it.鈥
By the time Burnett returned to her degree program, she resolved to do things differently. Her external circumstances helped. She was a year into her career, and her management team at Highmark was 100% behind her. 鈥淚t was like a weight lifted off my shoulders because of their support and my husband鈥檚 support,鈥 Burnett explains.
Curry-Nixon concurs. 鈥淲hen we discussed her going for her master鈥檚, she said, 鈥楳om, I know I can do this because you showed me it could be done.鈥欌 聽
Burnett learned during the first year of her program that she couldn鈥檛 do it all alone, so this time she leveraged support at home and at work. She delegated tasks to her husband 鈥 putting the kids to bed, making dinner 鈥 that opened up windows of time for her to complete her coursework.
She also focused on setting a sustainable schedule. During the first year of her program, she stayed up late to write papers and crammed in the work whenever she had spare time.聽
鈥淭he second time around,鈥 Burnett says, 鈥淚 was like, 鈥業 got kids. I鈥檓 in a full-time job. I have to set a daily schedule.鈥 So, I knew exactly on what days I was cooking and on what days I was responding to a discussion post. I knew what availability to give my project team [at school] every single day. And all that included a day where I did nothing, absolutely nothing, because I knew I needed that refresh.鈥澛
The formula worked. By the time Burnett participated in the commencement ceremony in the summer of 2019, she was pregnant a second time. (She smiles to remember hiding snacks under her graduation robes to fuel her through the event.)
She cherishes that familial moment. All three of her children were present one way or another. Later on, she would discover through a DNA test and a subsequent meeting with her biological father that her paternal line is peppered with high-achieving women who鈥檇 earned master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees. In this way, family has been her support, her motivation and her destiny.
Reaping the rewards
When Burnett returned to work after delivering her second biological son, she was in for another surprise: She was promoted.
For her part, Burnett was ready for it.
鈥淚鈥檝e got this degree for a reason,鈥 she explains. And as she continues to grow her career at Highmark, she plans to use it.聽
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Exline has been telling stories ever since she won a writing contest in third grade. She's covered design and architecture, travel, lifestyle content and a host of other topics for national, regional, local and brand publications. Additionally, she's worked in content development for Marriott International and manuscript development for a variety of authors.
This article has been vetted by 爱污传媒's editorial advisory committee.聽
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