Achievement Unlocked

Eclectic Eller Postgrads Inspire

By Loni Nannini

A Dynamic Eller Duo 

For Trinnie and Matthew Cortez, an MBA from the Eller College of Management is all in the family.

The father-son duo have simultaneously pursued their advance degrees at Eller: Trinnie is a 2026 Executive MBA candidate and Matthew completed a dual Master’s in Accounting/MBA with a concentration in business analytics in 2025. 

They exemplify the diverse ages, backgrounds, cultures and academic disciplines that make up the Eller grad family. 

“I applied for my Master of Science in Accounting, and it was under the influence of better judgement—being my parents—that I decided to apply for my MBA as well,” said Matthew, 25, a first-generation Eller grad who earned his bachelor’s in accounting in 2022 along with a bachelor’s in music. 

That decision has paid dividends. Matthew gained better understanding of the operations and context of a business and his specialization in business analytics equipped him “to participate at a better level” as an analyst with the Financial Forensics and Valuation Services team at BeachFleischman.

“It is the cross-section of accounting and finance; it’s analysis and report preparation for expert testimony that can be used in the court of law. This could be the valuation of companies, asset misappropriation, partner dispute analysis, divorce consulting, or computations for economic damages. It is everything and more than I could have asked for,” said Matthew, now a C.P.A. candidate.

He is grateful for the unique opportunities and networking afforded by Eller professors and the Graduate Professional Development Center, which he frequented “almost daily.” He plans to pay it forward by “helping accounting-adjacent students and pointing them in the right direction.”  

He started close to home with his dad.

Currently an account manager at Caterpillar, Trinnie credits Matthew for encouraging him to pursue his Executive MBA after more than three decades in sales, executive operations, consulting, and business ownership. 

“When you have been in a career as long as I have, you have learned a lot along the way, but if you are a perpetual learner, you understand that the world continues to evolve and business continues to evolve and we have to evolve with it. This degree was a really good next step,” said Trinnie, 48. 

He said “the well-rounded overview” of qualitative and quantitative classes in accounting, finance, statistics, marketing, leadership, ethics and more are enhanced by dynamic professors and the lived experiences of other working professionals. 

An Eller MBA also aligns with Trinnie’s personal priorities. 

“This next phase of my life isn’t just about earning a living. It is about ‘How do I give back and help others?’ The ability to translate knowledge and information from my degree to those who may not have it is a huge benefit.”

Graduate Education Across the Life Span

Eller graduate programming accommodates the spectrum of life stages, as attested by Angelica Javier. 

In 2025, the mother of four completed the Evening MBA program while working full-time as a human services unit supervisor for the Arizona Department of Economic Security. 

Initially hesitant about her background in social work, Javier enrolled in the program after research and encouragement from her family and husband—also an Eller alum. The experience has exceeded her expectations.

“The professors are excited to work with you and respect you. They know a lot of us are full-time workers and appreciate our commitment to the program and our commitment to learning and growth. They make it flexible to enable you to continue with life as a mom, dad or a full-time worker in your industry,” said Javier, who juggled parenthood, pregnancy and the birth of her daughter “right before a finance final.”

Flexibility, communication and transparency are key components of the MBA, which Javier said has laid the groundwork for a leadership/management position that will enable her to earn a six-figure salary while “contributing to my community and family.”

Eller M.S.: Tailored to Transform

Flexibility allowed Sophie Anderson 

to take full advantage of her merit scholarship and earn both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in four years: a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management Information Systems with a minor in Spanish capped by an accelerated Master of Science in Marketing in 2025. 

Anderson pivoted to the advance degree in marketing to diversify her skill set beyond tech.

“I thought the marketing courses would allow me to be creative and they aligned with my focus on strategy and business-related concepts that would be beneficial to my future career,” Anderson said.

Her instincts were correct: Mentors, course work, presentations, and group projects taught her to “embrace the uncomfortable,” resulting in a job offer as an associate with Boston Consulting Group in Nashville. 

“Eller prepared me both in a professional development sense and in an ambition sense to make me feel like I can achieve anything I set my mind to.”

Christine Ashimwe, founder of the Rwanda Clot Awareness Network, a public health nonprofit based in Rwanda, has also embraced the opportunity to fast-track multiple postgrad degrees.  

Ashimwe, who holds a master’s degree from the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, is a 2026 Eller candidate for a dual MBA/Master of Healthcare Management (MHM).

 Ashimwe initially pursued the MHM to improve her American qualifications and understanding of the American healthcare delivery system. With a 15-year background in public health and health equity and a primary interest in population health, she added an MBA to boost her business knowledge and improve future job prospects.

“I want to combine these to see how social medicine and preventative medicine can be combined with curative medicine and how those can work hand-in-hand. . .I think this degree is very beneficial. It is going to be an incredible opportunity once I graduate or even before,” Ashimwe said.

Jennifer Amspacher has realized the benefits of dual graduate degrees in Eller’s highly-respected online programs in MIS and Cybersecurity as she pursues her dream of supporting national security for the U.S. Department of Defense. 

“I knew if I could complete both programs, it would open doors for me to support national missions from a technical and strategic standpoint,” said Amspacher, who attained her Master’s in MIS in 2023 after transitioning from military service. 

She quickly began applying her skills in a cyber governance and policy development role while contributing to cybersecurity modernization initiatives. Amspacher continued to advance, combining policy knowledge with hands-on security assessment and compliance work as she completed her Master’s in Cybersecurity in 2025. 

Amspacher credits the high expectations and structure of Eller programs—along with faculty and peer engagement—with building a foundation of leadership, knowledge and success that she is eager to apply to future endeavors.

“I’ve had the opportunity to support high-visibility initiatives, work on secure systems and help shape policy, all of which stemmed from the foundation Eller gave me,” she said. “The technical depth, combined with business strategy, gave me a distinct edge.”

Pictured above from left – Christine Ashimwe, Trinnie Cortez, Angelica Javier & Matthew Cortez. Photo by Brent G. Mathis

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