With graduate classes, a full-time role at Dick’s Sporting Goods and a college experience shaped by athletics and hands-on business work, Hailee Liptak knows what it means to keep a packed schedule.

“I don’t sleep,” she said. “I’m kidding, I actually do. But just finding a schedule and finding a balance is really beneficial.”

Hailee is an MBA student in finance at PennWest Clarion, building on the foundation she developed through her undergraduate studies in finance. She also works as a merchandising administrator at Dick’s Sporting Goods and brings with her the kind of practical experience that started growing while she was still a student.

For Hailee, one of the most important pieces of that growth came through the Clarion Small Business Development Center. She said the SBDC taught her how to develop a schedule and create balance, skills that proved essential while she was juggling work, academics and athletics. As a member of the PennWest Clarion women’s golf team, she has learned how to perform as part of a team, manage pressure and keep moving through a packed schedule.

“Overall, everybody was super kind and encouraging,” she said of her experience on campus.

That spirit of support has shown up again and again in her story. Before she ever stepped on campus, the community was one of the main reasons she wanted to choose Clarion, she said. Once she got there, that feeling only deepened. She worked with clients through the SBDC, helped with the student BizPitch competition, and learned how helping other people grow can be deeply gratifying.

“Working with clients every day to help them with their business plans and make projections so we could help them with their dreams was so rewarding to me,” she said.

Hailee also saw correlation between classroom learning and the workplace. In a capstone simulation, she explored employee retention and workplace satisfaction, lessons she now sees reflected in the business world at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

As Hailee looks toward the future, she continues to work toward goals. She hopes to become a divisional merchandise manager or senior vice president on the buying teams for Dick’s Sporting Goods. She feels that her ambitions are within reach because her PennWest story is already grounded in action. It is built on community, practical experience and the kind of support that helps students see bigger possibilities for themselves.

At PennWest, Hailee found more than a degree path. She found momentum.