Graduate Alumni Spotlight

Business Administration MBA

Student Name: Kim Partin

Program: BBA / MBA

Graduated: 2010

Employer: Southside Bank Wealth Management & Trust

Position: Senior Vice President & Trust Officer – Administering trusts and estates, managing the day-to-day operations of the Tyler office, overseeing trust and estate administration in Tyler and Lufkin offices

What attracted you to this field?

I found it by accident. When I started working here, I had no education or experience. I knew nothing about trusts, estates, investments, or banking! I started as a data entry and file clerk and worked my way up.

Why did you choose UT Tyler?

It was local and my boss at the time was a graduate.

What do you like most about UT Tyler?

My favorite thing about UT Tyler is how much the faculty and staff care about the students. I have never had a professor here who was not willing to help me. If you are willing to put in the work, the professors are willing to give you critiques or extra practice homework. Everyone I have ever come across at UT Tyler has wanted to see me (as well as other students) succeed. Also, the campus being beautiful is a plus as well.

What are your career aspirations?

I hope to one day run the entire Wealth Management & Trust department.

What’s your work experience?

I have been with Southside Bank Wealth Management & Trust for 22 years. I started as a data entry and file clerk in 1996. In 2003, I was promoted to be the assistant to the head of the department. (That’s when I decided to go back to school.) I worked my way up through the ranks over the years.

Do you have any advice to pass along to other students interested in this program?

My advice is for those students who, like me, return to school as adults. Even though they may have many responsibilities and feel pulled in many different directions, I would say “don’t give up”. You can do this! You just have to want it bad enough. Yes, you will miss out on some things but it will be worth it in the end. You will be in a much better position to provide for your family. You are also providing a positive role model for your children to follow. It’s ok for them to see you struggle as long as they also see you stick with it. When I first started school, my boss, who also returned to college as an adult, told me to make a spreadsheet with all of the classes that I would have to take listed in one column. Then, as I finished classes, transfer them to another column. It was so exciting to see the “completed” column begin to grow longer than the “still to do” column. When I would complain about how long it was taking me to finish she said “so what if it takes you until you’re 40 to get finished…you’re going to be 40 anyway, with or without an education”. That is a great bit of wisdom that I would like to pass on to others. And, by the way, I graduated in August 2010 and turned 40 that September.

Find out more about our Master of Business Administration