Online Student Manages the Demands of Business, Family and Pursing an MBA for a "Better Tomorrow"

“Do better today than you did yesterday, so you can be better tomorrow than you are today.” That’s the motto Shital Mars ’23 MBA lives by every day, as she juggles her career as a management consultant and executive coach with the demands of earning an online MBA from the Whitman School. 

Mars has over 14 years of executive leadership experience in areas that include public companies, corporate governance, financial planning and management, audits, and corporate cultures and structures. Prior to starting her own business, Mars Corporate Advisors, in 2020, she was CEO of Progressive Care, Inc., a Florida-based healthcare services and technology company, and has held a number of other roles in the financial space. Still, she wanted to further her experience by pursuing an MBA.

With a young child and a business that often requires long hours and frequent travel, Mars knew she needed flexibility if she was going to succeed in an MBA program. “I didn’t get my MBA sooner because my responsibilities were not conducive to being successful in a classroom environment,” she explains. 

“Syracuse felt right from the first conversation with the recruitment team to the point that I actually hoped that I wouldn’t get into other schools, so my choice would be easy,” she says. “I did get into other schools, but, ultimately my decision came down to how the program fit into my lifestyle. The online environment at the Whitman School offers me the flexibility to give the program my best effort.” 

With one year of the program completed, Mars is pleased with the skills she has already gained from her MBA studies and put into practice in her business. But, the benefits of the program haven’t only come from the academics. She has also enjoyed interacting with other students in the program’s cohort.

“I didn’t have the typical college experience as an undergrad,” says the University of Phoenix graduate, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting. “So, it has been really nice to connect with other students in my program, many of whom also have children and demanding schedules like me.” 

While the MBA studies are online, Mars really enjoyed visiting the Syracuse University campus in both 2021 and 2022 for the program’s in-person residencies, where students gather to focus on specialty topics and also have the chance to meet faculty and others at Whitman face-to-face. 

“The residencies have been highly valuable, wonderful experiences,” she says. “Getting to visit Syracuse University was exciting, and these visits have been some of my fondest memories to date and a terrific complement to the online aspect of the program.”

Mars admits she is “pushing herself to the limit” to complete the MBA program. Once she is finished in spring 2023, Mars hopes to use her advanced degree to write a book, expand her brand as an executive coach and management consultant and, ultimately, either build her own organization or find a place that shares her passion for innovation and helping people.

“Working towards completing my MBA online is something that helps me stay focused on improvement and perfection, see value in small successes and remember that there is always a way to make things better,” she says. “My work at the Whitman School fits in very well with my personal and professional goals and will certainly be a part of my own ‘better tomorrow.’”

By Caroline Reff