“I came to Quinnipiac because of its great academic programs and beautiful campuses,” said Waite, “but I stayed because of the people I met and the relationships I built here. From day one, I just felt comfortable everywhere on campus.”

Comfortable and confident, Waite wasted no time in getting involved. She joined the App Development Lab and Computer Information Systems Society, and participated in major events such our School of Business’ Global Asset Management Education Forum — the world’s largest student-run financial conference — and QTHON, which raised more than $216,000 this year for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. She also served as vice president of intellectual development for Alpha Chi Omega.

Waite’s most gratifying accomplishment, however, came with her induction into the Beta Sigma Gamma business honor’s society.

“It’s an honor given only to the top 10 percent of my graduating class,” she said. “It was so reassuring and gratifying to know my hard work paid off.”

While earning high marks in the classroom, Waite reached new heights overseas when she studied abroad in London — exploring Europe on ground and seeing the continent from a different perspective when she went sky-diving.

As a student in the 3+1 accelerated BS/MBA program, which enables her to earn both her bachelor’s degree and MBA in four years, hard work would define Waite’s experience.

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“People are always amazed when I tell them about the 3+1 program at Quinnipiac,” she said.

Waite said that her program’s additional workload helped her develop time-management skills. She also credits her individual courses with connecting her work inside the classroom to real-world scenarios. It makes sense. With more than 1,000 full- and part-time faculty, we have a 16:1 student to faculty ratio making it easy for our professors and students to get to know each other on a more personal level.

“In my capstone class, we are building a functioning database and website for a real client,” Waite explained. “Mentioning the different projects I’ve worked on to recruiters has helped me land two internships with Fidelity Investments in Boston.”

As she completes her MBA, Waite envisions herself as a technology consultant, helping businesses deploy and utilize technology more efficiently. Ultimately, she’d like to teach in a university not unlike the one she has called home for four years.