Alumni Q&A: Karriema Calhoun `11

Karriema Calhoun `11 is a senior versatile technologist working in information technology at Boeing. Her primary responsibilities include looking for opportunities to save money and drive reduction in various IT services and functions, as well as developing communication messages and marketing campaigns to spread awareness of these opportunities and how employees can contribute to success of these initiatives. She puts her CSU MBA to good use in this role as she analyzes and evaluates IT to identify improvements to business operations.

Q. What are the skills you learned at CSU that have benefited you the most?

Goal setting, prioritization and overall career/professional development. The decision to pursue a graduate degree is a step in the right direction toward career and professional development. While at CSU, I had the opportunity to set goals that I wanted to accomplish, along with the timeline I wanted to accomplish them in. I’ve applied that same logic with other career and professional goals (e.g., going after specific jobs, promotions, certifications/training, etc.). Prioritization is something that I had to learn quickly after beginning the MBA program. Not only did I have coursework, but I also had my full-time job and other commitments outside of school and work. I found myself setting a schedule each week and being disciplined to stick to it to ensure I was fulfilling necessary commitments and staying focused on my goals.

Q. Do you feel having a liberal arts core background has given you advantages in your career?

Yes, it has had its advantages. Currently, I work as an IT professional, but my day-to-day is focused around communication, writing, relationship building, etc. For communication (writing and editing), having a liberal arts background surely assists in those areas. 

Q. What has contributed to your success? 

Mindset, attitude, communication, relationship building and openness to change have contributed most to my success within my career.

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