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Nontraditional paths lead to ThunderbirdNontraditional paths lead to Thunderbird

Nick Winward has a background in a variety of different industries. Most recently before enrolling at Thunderbird School of Global Management, he was a customer relations manager for Pulte Home Corporation. His duties included being a liaison between homeowners and the corporation. Winward realized the home building industry was slowing and decided to apply to Thunderbird in 2006.

While many students have prior business experience before coming to Thunderbird, some have nontraditional backgrounds. Nontraditional work experience refers to positions that are not directly business related.

Students such as Mike Bruneau, a 2006 graduate who served as a special operations officer in the Navy prior to coming to Thunderbird, and Megan Hundley, a 2007 graduate who worked as a college administrator before coming to Thunderbird, are examples of nontraditional alumni who transitioned successfully to business careers.

Like many other nontraditional students, Winward worried about the level of his business skills and knowledge of dynamic business problems. As a Latin American studies major at Brigham Young University, he did not have much exposure to undergraduate business courses.

“Thunderbird was the perfect opportunity for me,” Winward said. “The school’s international flavor really appealed to me. Teachers and other students guided me to overcome any concerns I had.”

Winward graduated from Thunderbird in 2008 and works now as a project manager in the Latin America Supply Chain division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. He spends half his time in New Jersey and the other half working in San Juan.

“Nontraditional students have just as much to offer the business world as traditional students do,” Winward said. “They have a different skill set, and employers are looking for variety. Just because you are not business standard academically doesn’t mean Thunderbird is not right for you and you can’t succeed in the business world. I work with people all the time from different backgrounds. You bring a whole different perspective to the table.”

Current student David Stevens previously was an actor and owned his own Pilates and personal training business before coming to Thunderbird. Stevens said he applied to Thunderbird not only because of the schools rankings and reputation, but because of its nontraditional views.

“It's definitely rare for an MBA program to encourage individuality,” Stevens said. “When I attended a hospitality weekend, the humanity of the school really shone through and convinced me that this was the right school for me.”

Stevens expects to graduate from Thunderbird in spring 2010 and he says his ideal job is in the field of leadership development and human capital. Making the transition to the business world is not easy, but Thunderbird is helping Stevens and many other nontraditional students reach their dreams.