This semester, the USU Huntsman Online MBA program welcomes its 100th recruit, Séba Jean-Baptiste. Born in Petion-ville, Haiti, Séba is one of 10 siblings. He obtained his bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Idaho and has worked over 18 years in software engineering. His current position is VP of Engineering at JPMorgan, where he believes he works with the smartest and most fun team in the world. Séba lives in Bountiful, Utah with his wife of 19 years, Karen, their two beautiful children, Jasmine (18) and Peter (12), and their two dogs. As a family, they enjoy travelling, eating out, and watching movies.

Séba is a man of many talents. Fluent in four languages, Creole, English, French, and Spanish, he also understands Italian, German, Portuguese, Latin, and, most recently, Norwegian. "I am always learning something."

Séba performs as a baritone in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square alongside one of our own faculty members, Executive MBA Director, Dr. Brad Winn. When asked what his favorite thing about being in the choir is, Séba answered, "It’s realizing how music connects people from different walks of life, different beliefs, and different lifestyles. The differences evaporate as they connect with the music."

In his free time, Séba is an avid writer and is currently working on a novel about Haiti. "Haiti became a free country in 1804," he shared, "but we still struggle. A lot of that has to do with not realizing how resilient we are as a people."

Séba learned about the USU Huntsman MBA program when his daughter applied to the university. While visiting the campus, he grew curious about the school and thought it might be a good place to earn his graduate degree. It helped that he’d previously spoken to Dr. Winn about the program.

Having operated companies in the past, Séba plans to take his experiences, coupled with the technical skills as a software engineer, and complement them with the business principles he learns in his MBA. He believes his advanced degree will help him in his daily work as well as help in future business ventures in Haiti. As he begins his MBA, Séba is looking forward to having his eyes opened to the world of business. " I am really excited for the journey – to see what I will learn and where it will take me."