Balancing it all: Christy Stelloh pursues MBA to advance her career

When Christy Stelloh decided to return to Central Michigan University, she knew it was the right step to grow in her career.

“I got my bachelor's from CMU, so it was easy for me to re-enroll, you know, to get back into it,” Stelloh said. “I had tried once before, but my living situation wasn’t ideal for studying, especially online. So, I had stopped. Then I decided that because I really like my current job, I’d like to see if this degree could take me further up with them as my time goes on.”

Now an accounting specialist with US Petroleum Partners, Stelloh is on track to graduate in December 2025 with her MBA in finance.

Applying knowledge in real time

Stelloh works in the oil and gas industry, a field shaped by global trends. She found that her coursework connects directly with her role.

“I was quite impressed with this master’s program as far as getting to apply and see how the world works in relation to my job,” she said. “It helped me with understanding things that have been happening in my business and then wanting to try to focus on helping [my company] steer the right way.”

Balancing work, school and family

Like many graduate students, Stelloh juggles a full-time job and family responsibilities along with her studies.

“It is tough at times,” she said. “I have a regular 40-hour work week job, sometimes hours are longer, and then I have a family that I’m involved with.”

Stelloh explained that she often dedicated weekends to completing major assignments because she had more time to concentrate. Still, balancing school with family commitments wasn’t always easy.

“There were times where I was struggling, but I had a great support system,” she said. “Whenever my head was going crazy, I had someone there to help me keep grounded.”

Staying organized and embracing tools

Organization has been key for Stelloh. “I definitely take the stuff that the professor gives us as far as tasks and try to incorporate that [into my schedule],” she said. “Usually, a lot of our classes want a discussion post done by Wednesday or Thursday. I would try to time everything based on whatever class I was doing.”

She also turned to new tools to help her stay on track. “AI has been, as far as being a guide, a great tool for inspiration and help to get started,” Stelloh said. “Then I can go from there.”

Advice for other professionals

Looking back on her experience, Stelloh encourages others to carefully consider timing before enrolling.

“You’ve got to make sure it’s the right time in your life,” she said. “Trying to do this with toddlers, it’s not as easy. Just make sure you can really look at what’s going on in your world and life right now. Because to do eight-week classes, it’s definitely time-consuming, especially when you have to write papers.”

What’s next for Stelloh?

Stelloh hopes to advance at US Petroleum Partners by applying what she has learned in the MBA program.

“I have a meeting with the president of my company. I’m going to talk to him and ask him some questions about potential in the future,” she said. “I want to learn more about other aspects of the company that I don’t know yet, so I can apply what I have been learning.”

As graduation nears, Stelloh is proud of what she has accomplished. “I’m proud that I was able to actually do it and I feel like I did learn,” she said. “For the first time since what I remember from my bachelor’s, I’m actually applying what I’ve learned into my job.”