Mother and Daughter Earn Carlson MBAs Together

A mother and daughter are celebrating their journey of earning their business degrees together, three years after enrolling in the Carlson School Online MBA program.

On Monday, Shelly and Samantha Soupir, both ’25 MBA, each walked the stage during Carlson’s commencement ceremony. The moment marked the realization of a goal—for Shelly, it was one decades in the making.

“It’s an experience that when you look at life’s plan for you, it was meant to happen at the time,” Shelly reflects. “It’s made me a better person having the chance to go on this journey with my daughter. It’s just true joy, knowing that I got to do something that I always wanted to do but never thought I would be able to do, and then I experienced it with one of my favorite people in the world. It’s one of those priceless experiences.”

For years, family members close to Shelly earned advanced higher education degrees, but the timing to pursue her own never quite worked out. High travel requirements for her career in the healthcare industry ruled out a traditional master’s program, putting her dream on hold. That is, until a conversation several years ago with her daughter, Samantha, caught her by surprise.

“I was talking to my mom about my goals for my professional career and how, for me, the only way that I can advance is to either get experience or go back and continue my education,” Samantha remembers. “And my mom was like, ‘Well, you should go get your MBA.’ And I was like, ‘Well, why have you never gotten your MBA?’ Then I told her, ‘I’ll go back if you go back.’”

No stranger to challenges, this MBA journey came right on the heels of the mother-daughter duo running together in the Boston Marathon. After completing that life goal, the pair set their sights on the MBA. Samantha started her courses in Spring 2022, and, after completing a pre-MBA math course, Shelly began her classes that fall, 30 years since her last college class.

“When I would tell people I was getting my MBA, they would say, ‘Why would you do that now?’ There’s a belief your life ends when you get to a certain age. It doesn’t,” Shelly urges.

“It’s always on to just the next thing,” Samantha reiterates. “Isn’t that kind of the whole point? That’s why we’re here. Let’s do the things that make us excited and make us a little scared at the same time because it’s fun to see what our limits are and what we are made out of.”

The two balanced full course loads amid working full-time, staying connected with classmates across the country. At times, their peers would confuse them on Zoom due to their similar appearances and curly hair. The mother-daughter relationship provided a built-in study buddy, but also friendly competition on assignments as they motivated each other along the way.

Being at different stages in their careers meant each took away something different from the program. For Samantha, who works in brand management, it was learning more about finance; for Shelly, it was applying artificial intelligence in the business setting.

Samantha says she’s proud to see her mom set a powerful example for her and her younger sisters.

“I look at her going back after some time,” says Samantha. “I think it just shows us that there is no timeline and it’s all meant to happen when it’s supposed to happen, but to continue pursuing what makes you excited.”

“It goes back to: How do we become the best version of ourselves?” says Shelly. “And for me, it was getting a chance to go through this MBA and then continue to realize that I can do hard things that I didn’t think I was capable of doing.”

Samantha completed her degree this spring, while Shelly will finish her final two classes this summer. As the two prepare to leverage their new degrees in their respective careers, Shelly encourages others to challenge themselves.

“Find what your passions are and don’t let other people’s opinions and limitations allow you to limit yourself,” Shelly says.