Donna Levi

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Donna Levi has been a barber for 35 years, and for most of those years she dreamed of getting an MBA. In May 2014, after three years of night classes, she earned that degree from Valpo.

“Almost everybody said, ‘You’ll never go back to school; you’ll never do it,’” she says. “But a few people said, ‘If that’s your dream, Donna, do it!’”

The faculty in the MBA program supported Donna through the challenges that others thought were insurmountable. They helped her schedule coursework around a full-time work schedule and answered questions by phone and email when she couldn’t come in during office hours.

“I was willing to work as hard as I could, and willing to ask for help. The professors saw my motivation, and they gave me the support I needed,” she says. “Here, they know who you are. You’re not just a number, and I like that about Valpo.”

Donna says the faculty’s attentiveness and respect mirrored the values-based business principles they taught in the classroom. They also aligned with the way she interacts with her customers — showing true care, going the extra mile.

Now Donna seeks to transfer those business practices to a new industry.

“Ten years down the road, I hope I’m helping people in a nonprofit organization,” she says.

With Donna’s track record of achieving goals, that’s something to count on.