By HEIDI KNAKE
UNK Graduate Studies
KEARNEY – More than 200,000 students were enrolled in Master of Business Administration programs during the 2023-24 academic year, according to AACSB International.
But most of them can’t say they’ve earned the degree twice.
Elizabeth Ama Baidoo can.
The Ghana native received her second MBA, this time with an emphasis in human resources, during last week’s summer commencement ceremony at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Her first MBA, with a focus in finance, and her bachelor’s degree in economics and geography were completed more than 6,000 miles away in her home country.
UNK wasn’t Baidoo’s only option; she was also accepted to the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Her family and friends back home still question why she would choose a smaller, rural school over a bustling city, but Baidoo knew she would be able to grow at UNK.
“The main reason I chose UNK was because it didn’t just focus on HR,” she said. “It’s HR but also managerial economics, financial administration and strategic leadership. Organizations are growing and most companies don’t want someone who has only one background; they want you to be versatile in many areas.”
In December 2023, Baidoo packed her bags and moved to Kearney.
“It’s a tough decision being an international student,” she said. “International students really need people around them. It takes all your strength to survive.”
She found her community through a graduate assistant position in the Department of Accounting and Finance in UNK’s College of Business and Technology. There, she worked with professor Brenda Eschenbrenner on research that led to two published papers and a third currently under review. Baidoo also presented at a national economic conference in Orlando, Florida.
Those hands-on opportunities helped her land a position as a finance coordinator for the Department of Medical and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Baidoo, a self-proclaimed go-getter, isn’t stopping anytime soon. She applied to multiple doctoral programs and is waiting to hear back.
Her motivation comes from a deeply personal place: her mother, a former soldier in Ghana’s military.
“One of my inspirations has been my mom,” said Baidoo, whose mother still resides in Ghana. “We talk every day.”
Her mother had dreams of advancing in her career, just like her daughter, but life interrupted those plans after having six children. Now, Baidoo is determined to carry those dreams forward.
“She really wanted to get out there and get to the top – the very place that she couldn’t get to,” Baidoo said. “I’m trying to get to that place for her.”
