Katie Cormier, a native of Mesa, graduated from Arizona State University last week with a master’s degree in business administration and the Master’s Distinguished Medallion for graduating with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.
The married mother of two described her decision to attend ASU as being simple, especially since she also received her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies there.
According to Cormier, her interest in networking and communication led her to enroll in the ASU Online MBA program at the W. Business school P. Carey.
“In my undergraduate communications course,” she recalled, “a teacher explained the psychological reason why sitting at certain spots around a desk fostered more collaboration.
“I was fascinated by human behavior and the traits you could expand and develop to be an effective leader,” Cormier said.
While emotional well-being has recently been at the forefront of public discourse, Cormier said that while it is important to learn about leadership and how psychological principles affect team-based environments, concrete examples of useful tools and approaches are frequently left out of that discussion.
In an effort to foster these discussions and create a welcoming environment for ongoing discussion, she aims to support them and draw on personal experiences.
“My ethics course expanded my view of people from different backgrounds and the experiences they encounter,” she told ASU’s newsroom.
Together with her sister, Cornier attended undergrad, and her sister is currently employed by ASU as a clinical veterinarian in training and research.
“My husband is also a graduate of ASU,” Cormier said. “My children may attend ASU someday, I hope.”
As what professor had a memorable influence on her, she replied that Reynold Byers “taught me never to give up.”
“A key idea that will benefit my career is this one. His class was challenging, but I was able to solve the problem when I took a break or tried to approach it differently. Professor Byers always volunteered to assist when I couldn’t.
As for what she’d advise other students, Cormier said, “When I first started, my brother-in-law gave me the best advice: Always do at least one thing for school every day. If you do something every day, even if it’s just reading that one article or posting on a discussion board, you’ll never fall behind on your work.”
Cormier works in the insurance industry and intends tp stay there “with a long-term goal of promoting through risk management.”
“Managing risk to protect employees and property is where my passion lies,” she said.
She also thinks teens today have mental health challenges and that “we should be teaching healthy habits for mental health in schools. I’m attempting to impart these skills to my children so they can prosper, be self-sufficient, and know when to seek assistance.”
Reference: www.eastvalleytribune.com
