Full-time MBA program helps Gina Larson transition from Peace Corps to running cross-cultural venture

Returning from serving in the Peace Corps in Kosovo, Gina Larson (Full-time MBA '26) has found a strong community and gained confidence in her business prowess through the Full-time MBA program at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Gina Larson (Full-time MBA '26) joined the Peace Corps with plans to one day become a diplomat. But her experiences during her time in Kosovo helped her realize that it was working on community-based projects that inspired her, rather than the work of a government employee.

"We did a big grant for an after-school music program, and that was so cool because the kids ended up winning the regional dance competition," she says. "It was beautiful and heartwarming, but one phrase I always came back to was 'hometown pride.'"

"It felt like a lot of these kids in these small communities were dreaming of getting to the city. It was cool when an event happened where it was like, 'Your little town on top of the mountain is really cool.' And it was great when we'd get to bring other Peace Corps volunteers over and have them double down. 'Oh, a foreigner from a place I think is cool is telling me my hometown is cool.'"

This concept of generating hometown pride through community projects inspired Larson and her husband — whom she met while serving in the Peace Corps — to open up a space for artists to gather, work, and perform in a city in Serbia. The venture started off as a nonprofit, but the couple decided to shift to more of a social enterprise model and soon realized that having more knowledge and hard skills in business would be beneficial.

A strong community of former Peace Corps volunteers drew Larson's interest to ASU, and subsequently, the Full-time MBA program at the W. P. Carey School of Business. W. P. Carey News spoke to Larson about how the program has increased her confidence, what she's learned from her MBA cohort, and what's next for her venture.

Why W. P. Carey?

As a native of Denver, when Larson began her search for business schools, she stuck to the Western states to be close to her family. Her husband is from Serbia, and they found a large Serbian community within Phoenix that has made his transition to the States much easier.

Within W. P. Carey, Larson has found a community of fellow learners from diverse backgrounds and industries, which has made a strong impact on her MBA experience so far.

"Business school is a whole group of people coming out of either corporate America or some sort of industry abroad, and they're challenging me in ways I didn't expect," she says. "It's not a group of "Gina"s, and I'm learning a different set of skills from them. It's been really fascinating, and I've been pushed really hard to think in a lot of new ways."

Another meaningful connection Larson has made during the program is with her Executive Connections mentor, Rick Baer. The Executive Connections program allows W. P. Carey Full-time MBA students to develop relationships with experienced business leaders.

"Really quick into our session, probably five minutes, I was telling Rick about the business I was starting, and I said I was looking for someone to help us finish off our business plan," Larson says. "He was jumping out of his seat, saying, 'Even if we don't get paired together, please let me help.'"

She adds, "Something really cool he did is he connected us with a professor who does a brand identity class. We actually had two undergrad students who got assigned our business and helped us put together a brand identity packet."

Why an MBA?

While Larson gained invaluable experience working on community-based projects in the Peace Corps, she knew that obtaining further education in business would help her develop the specific skills that could take her venture to the next level.

As they've been transitioning their space from a pure nonprofit to a social enterprise, the Full-time MBA curriculum has benefited Larson in multiple ways. For one, she has a much better understanding of some of the "hard" skills of business, such as finances and accounting, which she has found surprisingly enjoyable.

"What I forgot, or maybe never realized before, is there is a decent amount of creativity involved in a lot of the math that goes into business," she says. "Bookkeeping is not record-keeping. It's almost like a puzzle. There's a lot of creativity in where you put things that will change your understanding of your profits, and therefore, the decisions you make going forward."

The Full-time MBA program has also boosted Larson’s confidence. "The biggest problem my husband and I had going through the process of starting a business has been getting to a fork in the road and then having crippling indecision," she says.

"I think that comes down to having the confidence to just make a decision and move on with it, and either it was a good decision or you fix it later. So I think now we've built up the confidence, and we're able to make decisions quicker, and I can already see things snowballing faster, so it's really helped move the business along in a fast way."

What's next?

Larson and her husband are still in the pre-opening phase of their venture. So far, they've worked to build a network and community of artists in the area, as well as in other countries, who are interested in helping to build up the space and utilize it for their artistic endeavors.

The ultimate goal of the project is to have different areas available for use, like a visual art studio, a recording studio, a concert venue, and a small hostel, so many different types of artists from around the world can share the space, exchange ideas, and become inspired. "What if a classical violinist from France, a graffiti painter from Serbia, and a rapper from the U.S. spent two weeks together in a house? What would come from that?" Larson says.

Because of the skills she's developed in MBA courses, and how her confidence has blossomed, Larson feels she's in a great position to take the next step and officially open her space up to the public.

She says, "I'm using the skills and knowledge I've gained to monitor the success along the way, see what's working and what's not, and kind of head down that path with a deeper sense of what we should be doing."