Education should be a lifelong process, but it’s not easy to enter full-on study mode when you already have a job and family occupying your time. Rachel and Patrick Wilkins of Ladue might be considered busier than most, with work, military and community commitments … and five children. But with support from their family, the couple recently enrolled in Washington University’s 20-month executive master’s in Business Administration (EMBA) program—and they’re making it a true team effort.
“Patrick had been wanting a master’s degree for years. But as a military family that had moved a lot in the past, it was difficult for us to put down roots long enough for that to happen,” Rachel says. “Then we decided to attend an informational session on the EMBA program at Washington University. I went along just to listen, but the faculty ended up selling me as much as they sold Patrick.” Rachel, who has a background in tutoring and providing support services to military families, says the couple considered a variety of degree options. Ultimately, they were so impressed with the EMBA program that they both enrolled this past spring. Completing their degrees simultaneously has proven both challenging and enlightening, they say.
Each month, the couple spends a Thursday, Friday and Saturday on campus for intensive classes, and they also carve out study time at home. EMBA students form peer study groups that are extremely helpful in learning the material, Rachel says. “Each group has four or five members, and we work on projects, review homework and prep for class together,” she explains. “The students are very diverse, so everyone brings something important to the table, which helps all of us learn material in areas where we may not be as strong.”
Rachel says the study group system is extremely applicable to everyday life. “There are very few jobs that don’t involve interacting with others and resolving problems together,” she says. “This system fosters great organizational and communication skills. It teaches us to be contributing members of the workforce.” As part of the curriculum, the couple also partakes in off-site study at places like The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.; the two even will fly to China for an international study residency. “We’ll spend 10 days in Shanghai and other cities to get a global perspective on what we’ve learned,” Patrick notes.
So how do they accomplish all of this? With a good deal of support from those around them, the couple says. “Our older kids do a fantastic job of making sure dinner is ready and the younger kids are where they need to be while we’re at class,” Rachel notes. “We are really proud of them.” Patrick, a former Army battalion commander, retired from the military last year and now is chief of staff and strategic business planner in the federal pharmacy services division at Express Scripts. He says his boss wrote a ‘commitment letter’ to Wash. U.’s Olin School of Business when he entered the EMBA program. “He pledged his support so I could take two weekdays a month to further my professional development,” he notes. “Then we drafted a similar letter at home, and all of our kids bought in.” Hunter, 19, is a sophomore at Indiana University; Kate, 17, is a senior at John Burroughs; Ethan, 15, is a sophomore at Ladue Horton Watkins High School; and 13-year-old twins Sarah and Hanah are eighth-graders at Burroughs.
Patrick says he and Rachel also have each other to thank for making their family dynamic work, and they quickly have become enthusiastic ambassadors for the Wash. U program. “Even the most skilled and experienced person doesn’t get bored,” Rachel says. “It’s a very holistic approach. You’re working with percentages, data and analysis, but you’re also connecting with people.” Patrick adds, “The school does a great job of laying out how you need to rebalance your time at home. You learn to identify activities that are not that important, and let those melt away.”
Pictured: Rachel and Patrick Wilkins
Photo: Bill Barrett