International Business

Academic Essay

David E. Ferguson

7822 Corte Castillo, Riverside CA 92509

Mobile: 573.301.3988 Email: dferg3512@yahoo.com

I graduated from Belleville West High School in Belleville, Illinois in 1980. I was not financially able to attend a major university at the time so I enrolled in San Jacinto Junior College in Houston, Texas. Several high school friends were attending a Baptist University several hours north which after visiting became a strong desire for me to attend also. After successful completion of one year of Junior College I transferred to Baylor University in Waco Texas. This turned out to be one of the best decisions and most influential decisions of my life. I attended the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor and received my BBA with a focus in Management. From there, I moved on to work in Dallas, Texas as a Retail Manager for a large discount department store. I continued in retail until 1992 when I realized I needed more from life and set out to find a more rewarding career.

I had a very close friend that could not stop talking about her rewarding career in Nursing. After long consideration and preparation completing the science prerequisites I applied for and was accepted into the Saint Louis University School of Nursing, Accelerated Option. I know these are quite common now but in 1992 this was a unique program and proved to be one of the biggest and most rewarding challenges of my life. Out of a class of 40 students that started the program only 32 of us graduated. I truly had found a challenging and rewarding career that I am still enjoying and continue to find stimulating.

After graduating the nursing program I joined the United States Air Force, Nurse Corp. Through nursing I was able to serve my country and be a significant support for our armed forces when we were attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001. not only was the military a rewarding experience spiritually, I also receive a world class advanced degree...