Faces of Global: Cristal Lara

Lara was inspired to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from CSU Global because of the flexibility the University provides and the opportunity to finish a semester in eight weeks. As an Amazon employee, she learned about CSU Global through their Amazon partnership, which assists employees in obtaining degrees and certificates.

“Amazon has amazing opportunities to further our careers,” Lara shared. “They offer a program called Amazon Career Choice. Through this program, Amazon partners with educators to help employees take the next steps in their careers and helps eligible employees by paying a certain amount of their tuition per year.”

Going back to school was not without its challenges for Lara. She enrolled at CSU Global in 2023; that same year, her mom received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Trying to balance caring for her mom, work, and adding school back into the mix, presented struggles that she did not anticipate. “With so much happening in my personal life, it was challenging to create a consistent schedule and stay focused in a distracting home environment,” Lara explained. “When you’re an online student, there is no one around to motivate you, like there is when you’re an in-person student.”

While she experienced some adversity in the beginning, Lara shared that her CSU Global courses and teachers helped her overcome those challenges. “One of my very first classes taught me time management and how to create a schedule,” Lara said. “The information I learned in my classes helped me to follow a schedule consistently and fight procrastination. Teachers were always there to remind us about the importance of a consistent schedule too, so that was great.”

Lara first started working at an Amazon delivery station in May of 2022. In January of 2023, she applied to be a Learning Ambassador and her coursework helped her develop her skills within this role.

“I was a little bit shy but what I learned in my classes helped me,” Lara explained. “I gained skills in time management, problem solving, leadership, and how to communicate. I would learn something in class and then put it into practice the next day at work. It was really eye-opening to see the effectiveness of what I was learning!”

In addition to the Career Choice program, Amazon helps employees expand their careers through the Amazon Campus Next program. This program gives students the opportunity to apply for a 10-week internship or a full-time role in various departments, such as Operations, HR, and Project Management, before they graduate. Through this program, Lara applied to be an Area Manager in Operations and landed that promotion.

Lara believes the knowledge she gained at CSU Global was influential in helping her secure the new role. “I initially thought I was applying for the internship part of the program, but I think my CSU Global courses helped me land the full-time role instead,” she commented. “My classes were teaching me things I was implementing at work, and they really helped me in knowing what I wanted my next step to be.”

Lara will be moving to San Bernardino to work in her new role at an Amazon fulfillment center. She also plans to continue her education at CSU Global and obtain a Master’s Degree in Management. She has even encouraged two coworkers to enroll at CSU Global as well!

Lara shared that it’s never too late to go back to school and encourages those who are considering this decision to go for it. “I didn’t want to go back to school because I was afraid that it was too late in my life,” she said. “It does take a lot of time management and you need to sacrifice time with friends a little bit; but good friends will understand. Don’t be afraid, just go for it!”

We love hearing from our students and learning more about their personal CSU Global experiences. We hope they inspire you as much as they inspire us!