She's number one! Twenty-six-year-old is top MBA graduate

At the end of 2005, Kimberly Martin was faced with a tough decision. She had just graduated from the University of the West Indies (UWI) with a degree in international relations and was ready to take on the working world. Something though, didn't feel right.

"Growing up, I saw myself working with different countries, perhaps at the UN (United Nations). That's why I decided to pursue studies in that area," she said.

But something kept nagging her.

"I started finding myself leaning toward the business world. My interest in business had grown over the years and I started feeling like that was the direction I wanted to go," she said.

Martin's aunt suggested she enrol in Mona School of Business' MBA programme, specialising in general management. A few years earlier, the suggestion would have been immediately brushed off.

"I hated math and accounts," she laughed.

But Martin decided to go for it and she signed up to start the 29-month MBA programme in May 2008.

"It was gruelling. Social life went through the window and all weekends were booked for study sessions. Classes were held in the evenings, so going out at nights was out of the question," she said.

Regularly, Martin and other programme participants would stay on campus until one o'clock in the mornings, studying or working on projects. It was particularly challenging since she was working full-time during the days.

For Martin though, hard work reaped great rewards. She graduated last year at the top of her class, achieving what many MBA holders say, are outstanding results. For the 21 courses she took on over the 29 months of the programme, Martin earned 20 As and a B plus.

"I missed the 21st A by two points!" she said, shaking her head.

Martin also picked up some awards. She received the Executive Director's Award For Most Outstanding Academic Achievement, and for Excellence in General Management, the Academic Directors Award for the Most Outstanding Performance in the MBA Part-Time Programme, and for Excellent Performance leading to the Award of Distinction.

Career-wise

The 26-year-old is director of a phone dealership where she's in charge of marketing and sales. She shies away from predicting where she will be, career-wise, in five years, but dreams of someday running her own business.

She also plans on doing even more studies.

"Definitely! I intend to pursue my PhD," she said.

Martin said she encourages all her friends to put as much effort as possible into pursuing higher education.

"A business student should always approach their studies with the expectation to not only sharpen their entrepreneurial skills but also be able to implement the concepts in a practical and strategic manner," she said.

"It's a lot of work but at the end of the day, it's extremely rewarding."