Michael Germain, MBA 2008

Michael Germain came to Florida State University thinking he'd get financial skills to support his dream businesses. He discovered a fondness for finance that led to a banking career.

"You think when you get your bachelor's degree you know something," Germain said. "I was surprised how much is left to learn."

Germain absorbed all he can. He moved to the front row in managerial economics, so he wouldn't miss a point. His investments class led to a new hobby, virtual trading in his limited free time.

"It's just exciting to buy options and watch them grow, he said. "I've learned I'm very competitive and pragmatic."

Now a commercial relationship manager at SunTrust Banks, Inc., Germain will be managing a portfolio of about 200 emerging business clients, primarily those ranging from $1 million to $5 million in annual revenue.

Germain also hasn't ruled out political aspirations. While in graduate school, he secured a post on FSU's Congress of Graduate Students, which decides how to allocate money generated from student fees to support graduate students.

A native of Haiti, Germain moved to the United States at age 14. He said his MBA should provide him the business skills to help revive his homeland someday.

"My country has a lot of money challenges," he said. "We're not even promoting our own goods well."

Germain said getting an MBA was a practical career choice.

"You can do so much with it," he said.

Hometown: Petit Goave, Haiti, and Orlando, Florida
Undergraduate degrees: Associate’s degree in economics, Valencia Community College; bachelor’s degree in project management, DeVry University
Post-MBA job: Commercial relationship manager, SunTrust Banks, Inc., Tallahassee, Fla.