Lindsay Rickel, 2012 B.S. Business Administration

“You can do anything with a business degree, it’s all encompassing,” Rickel said. “Whether you’re a teacher, a doctor or an administrative assistant — there are aspects of business in everything we do. It makes the world go ‘round.”

Lindsay Rickel didn’t know what she wanted to do when she started attending Humboldt State Universityt in 1998 — ultimately dropping out three years into her degree. It was a different story when the 31-year-old returned 13 years later. She was ready to finish what she started.

Rickel used her time off from school to save money and gain work experience. Although she originally moved to Humboldt County because she wanted something different than her native San Fernando Valley, she decided to move back south for work before returning to Humboldt in January 2011.

“It really bugged me that I never finished,” Rickel said. “Going back to school was important to me personally because I felt like something was missing from my life.”

During her time off, Rickel worked a number of jobs. She ran an after school program for at-risk youth for the City of Ventura and and also worked for a civil engineering and construction company where she oversaw recruitment, assisted proposals and managed administrative personnel.

Despite the time off, Rickel was eager to jump back into her education upon her return and pursue a degree in business administration with an emphasis in management.

“You can do anything with a business degree, it’s all encompassing,” Rickel said. “Whether you’re a teacher, a doctor or an administrative assistant — there are aspects of business in everything we do. It makes the world go ‘round.”

While at Humboldt, she excelled in her field. The small classes, engaging professors and incorporated community gave Rickel a chance to come into her own and learn practical ways to utilize her degree.

In spring 2011, the business department’s Academic Internship Program gave Rickel the opportunity to apply the skills she was learning at Humboldt in a real life business situation, challenging her and helping her to build networking connections along the way.

Based on her skills and interest, the School of Business helped pair Rickel with Wing Inflatables — a family-owned, Arcata-based company that specializes in manufacturing polyurethane inflatable boats and accessories. There she helped design labor tracking spreadsheets, created charts for displaying performance indicators and produced bi-monthly management reports for the production department as well other projects honing in on the company’s labor efficiency.

“It was fun and exciting,” Rickel said. “I wasn’t familiar with how companies manage. To see the way companies operate and how much they are willing to improve was a great opportunity.”

Rickel graduated in May 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and currently resides with her husband of five years in San Diego, Calif. She hopes to pursue a career in human resources or marketing and production management.