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Deloris Mayuga, Evening MBA - Real Estate Investor/Property Manager at Mayuga Properties

Why did you pursue an MBA at CSU Long Beach?

My undergraduate degree was not in business, nor had I planned to be in business. I was going to be a teacher. In 1972, when I graduated, the teaching industry was impacted to a great degree. A friend and I came to California and I started working in business. Early on, I realized there was so much I didn’t know so I took a couple of undergraduate business classes. Then I thought, I might as well go ahead. I picked up the pre-requisites at CSU Long Beach and then went right into my master’s program. The thing I loved about the Cal State Long Beach program was that it was an evening program. I was working full-time and you could get home from work and then go to class. I found it was exactly what I needed. There were a number of professors who worked in industry, and I found that very valuable because they gave many concrete examples of how you could apply the concepts they were teaching.

An MBA opens doors. When you have it on your resume, I think it puts you closer to the top of the list. If you’re comparing two people with similar skills, it absolutely gives you an edge. It gives you confidence that you know what you’re talking about. Having an MBA gives you a core intelligence that allows you to pivot to other industries when there’s a recession, and when some industries aren’t doing as well. I really think there are a lot of reasons to recommend it.

Where do you work now? How has COVID-19 impacted your day to day tasks.

Well, I changed careers. I had been working in procurement as a purchasing agent and when my children came, it was very difficult both to do full-time work and parenting. At that point we had bought a small apartment building and over the years it’s evolved into owning and managing rental properties. I’m the point person, I do all the management, the bookkeeping, and of course my MBA gave me a great set of skills to handle that. COVID-19 has changed [the industry] slightly, but not much. People still need a place to live, people still need to rent. The only thing that has changed is that there are some people who are not able to pay the rent and there have been provisions made through various government programs. Overall, COVID hasn’t impacted the industry much at all.

What class/es from your time as a grad student did you find most helpful given the current situation? Why?

The Accounting classes were helpful in managing the finances plus preparing information for my accountant.  The business climate as well as the tax laws change quickly so having an MBA absolutely helps in making short-term and long -term business decisions.

What are you doing to relieve stress given the impacts of COVID19? (ex: What do you do during your spare time?, How do you relax/de-stress?, Any hobbies?, etc.)

I’m a reader. I love to read and I’m in two book groups. I’m a gardener and puttering about,  working with plants or vegetables I’m growing is a great de-stresser.