“Once I started my bachelor’s, I began to excel at work because I learned so many things I could put to use on the job.”
In 2005, Jennifer Serrano started working as a clerk at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. Personable, bright, and ambitious, she earned a series of promotions over the years, at one point ending up as the executive assistant to the chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology.
“He had such a prestigious position, both within the hospital and globally,” she says. “Since I was traveling with him to conferences and representing him, I felt I had to keep up with him. That’s when I decided I needed to step up, continue my education, and get my bachelor’s degree.”
Jennifer was talking to a counselor at Monroe when she learned of the Corporate Partners program. As an employee of Montefiore, which participates in the program, she found out she was entitled to a 20 percent discount on her tuition.
“It was amazing! I felt I really lucked out,” Jennifer, a single mom, says. She enrolled in the accelerated bachelor’s program and earned her degree in just three years. “Once I started my bachelors, I began to excel at work, because I learned so many things I could put to use on the job,” she says.
Jennifer also earned a certificate in project management, a certification that she finds very useful in her current position as the project manager for Montefiore’s cancer service line.
“My job is to implement programs, work flows, and manage projects for all of the oncology departments and multidisciplinary services that have a hand in treating our cancer patients, from suspicion of cancer to survivorship services,” she explains.
But that’s not all. Last December, Jennifer graduated with her MBA from Monroe, and is proud to say that she did it in two years while working full-time. Because she is a Monroe alumna, she applied for, and received, an alumni grant that covered half her tuition.
“Everyone I’ve encountered at Monroe has been wonderful,” Jennifer recalls. “My student advisor, Sharon Alpert, was in touch with me all the time, always getting back to me if I had a question or was discouraged. When you’re at Monroe, you get the sense that everyone there is cheering for you. It’s been a really great experience.”
