Harding University
Harding University
At Harding University, many young women are learning skills they need to become the professionals of tomorrow. Not only does the university help students turn their passions into careers; Harding also fosters a supportive network of students, staff and faculty.
“Harding is a community of faith, learning and mission,” said Briana Byers, who is earning a master’s degree in business administration. She said she is considering working in higher education so she can ease freshmen and transfer students’ transitions into college.
“I did not grow up around many AfricanAmerican women who were in business. It is important for young girls to see other women whom they can relate to in positive roles,” she said, adding that her role model is her mother, an entrepreneur. “I want to be an inspiration to the young girls who aspire to be successful.”
Emily Heinen, a senior majoring in marketing and French, said she enjoys the camaraderie of growing spiritually and professionally with other students. The professors at Harding also make fantastic mentors, she added.
“This university provides students with endless opportunities to explore new career fields, new adventures, new passions and new depths to their faith,” she said.
After graduating, Heinen said she plans to work in marketing, perhaps at a job where she can use her French skills, and she is considering moving to New York City, where she lived during an internship
THIS UNIVERSITY PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE NEW CAREER FIELDS, NEW ADVENTURES, NEW PASSIONS AND NEW DEPTHS TO THEIR FAITH. ” — Emily Heinen
this summer. She added that she hopes to someday be a brand manager.
“Above all else, I want to find a career that I am passionate about,” she said.
Abby Rogers, a senior management information systems major, said finding a work-life balance will be crucial when she enters the information-technology field. There are few women in IT, she said, so she believes it is important for her to establish professional relationships that foster mutual respect and workplace equality.
“I am grateful for the trailblazers who have come before me,” she said. “I recognize that I have the opportunity to continue paving the way in the business world for other women in IT.”
In February, Rogers will begin working in cybersecurity at Walmart Technology in Bentonville. Harding’s faith-based atmosphere helped instill a foundation of beliefs and principles that will guide her throughout her life, she said.
“You will walk out of Harding with so much more than a degree, including lifelong friends and a changed heart,” Rogers said.