Meet MSBA Student Chad Ellis

“Coming from lowered expectations of having learning disabilities to…earning a second Master’s degree [from] a dream school…was a very humbling moment,” shared Chad Ellis (he/him/his), Associate Director of Technology Solutions at Humana. He is a summer 2020 graduate of the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program at the University of Louisville.

Ellis faced challenges with learning early in his life; however, he remained committed to achieving academic success. “I was diagnosed with learning disabilities and attend[ed] Meredith Dunn to help give me tools to learn differently. The academic bar was set low by everyone but my family. I stumbled out of the gate in my college career but found my way to Humana in 2005.”

Through his employment at Humana, Ellis’s tuition assistance enabled him to further his education, contributing to his academic and professional growth. Originally planning to pursue his Master of Science in Business Analytics at another institution, Ellis quickly changed his mind once he had the opportunity to see the differences between his original program of interest and the MSBA offered at UofL.

I was lucky enough to find UofL’s program, and once I was able to meet the faculty, they had a pulse of the industry, networking & connections, and bleeding-edge coursework I was looking for. So, I made the switch and didn’t need to look elsewhere.”

When reflecting on the experiences in the MSBA program that made the greatest impact on him, Ellis shared that “working hard with my small group of amazing and talented classmates (Katie, Neil, Sujeeth, Hasta) stands out. We spent a lot of late nights pushing each other to get better; truly, an ‘iron sharpens iron’ situation. [We also worked] with professors that were passionate about the subject and making sure we could have success.”

Ellis is committed to helping individuals facing socio-economic and learning challenges that wish to pursue careers in STEM fields–including participating at career fairs at multiple JCPS grade schools. The drive to volunteer his time providing opportunities to others comes from his own experiences. “I do all of this because I wasn’t exposed to these options… I think providing those options is foundational to people being able to take control of their lives and make the best decisions for them and their families.”