EMBA Student Earns a Degree and a Changed Perspective on the World
Things are big in Texas, but EMBA graduate Paul Patek ('09) discovered the world is much bigger. Patek and his wife Kelly decided to leave their successful careers in sales—he, a senior sales specialist in the Bone Metabolic Division of Novartis consistently rated among the company's top salespeople, and she, a sales executive for a small pharmaceutical/biologics company in Austin—and move halfway around the world to Prague so that he could pursue his Executive MBA degree with the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.
Why the Czech Republic? Patek says he wanted to be immersed in a truly international class. "I wanted to be surrounded by people not from the United States," he explains. "I wanted to learn with students that thought differently than a citizen of the United States." Adding to the draw of the Czech Republic, Patek says was a visit he made to a friend who had also decided to pursue his MBA in Prague. "I fell in love with the city," says Patek.
Though his friend ultimately inspired him to take the risk, Patek, a fifth generation Czech-American, says his roots played a part too. But living and studying in the country of his ancestors was not exactly a homecoming. Patek and his wife traveled to the city of Netolice and the village of Mahous, home to his great-great grandmother and great-great grandfather, respectively. They found no one by the name of Patek living in either place, but Patek admits, "The language barrier made it difficult." Using old photographs, the couple was able to find the gravesites of several ancestors. "It was fascinating... to be in the town [of my ancestors] and to see how it had progressed. It was very evident to me—just by observing the interaction of the locals—that my family was from there. There were even a lot of similarities to the town I'm from in Texas."
Growing up in a small town in Texas, Patek confessed, "I was narrow minded. I thought the rest of the world should work and function just as the U.S. does." But EMBA really changed his perspective. "I learned there are so many different perspectives on how to live, learn, interact, and run a country," says Patek. "I was humbled and learned to shut my mouth and respect others' perspectives."
According to Patek, earning the EMBA was an experience in and of itself, but being immersed in unfamiliar surroundings and studying with classmates who had completely different perspectives, ideas, upbringings, and cultures helped him get the most out of the program. "I cannot begin to measure the knowledge and insights I have gained from this program. I have no regrets at all and look forward to continuing to educate those around me on how truly wonderful, diverse, and amazing this world is," he says.
Following Paul's July 25 graduation, the Pateks moved back to Texas. Kelly was able to rejoin the company she had been working for prior to moving to Prague—in the same position but with a different sales territory. Paul is interviewing with some prestigious companies—companies, he says, that would not have given him the time day before earning the EMBA. The couple is open to living anywhere in the United States or the world that Paul finds work. Patek says, "I cannot wait to put the knowledge and confidence I have gained from this EMBA to work!"