Couple Graduates together at WSU Global Campus Commencement

By Jeff Willadsen, WSU Global Campus senior writer

Commencement is a time for graduates to celebrate their accomplishment with loved ones. Life partners Carolyn Bunn and Prashant Gupta got to experience this milestone from a unique perspective—by walking in commencement and receiving their graduate degrees together.

“Being able to attend the commencement together felt like such a gift,” said Bunn.  “Not many people get the chance to share such an accomplishment with their partner.”

The couple attended WSU Global Campus’ commencement ceremony in Everett, Wash. on May 5, where they both received their Master of Business Administration degrees from WSU’s Carson College of Business. They earned the degrees fully online through Global Campus.

“Carolyn and I were both so excited to walk together,” said Gupta. “It was such a joyous occasion that brought our families together from both coasts to celebrate our accomplishment!”

Bunn and Gupta, who have been together since 2016, made the decision to earn their MBAs together while they were quarantined for the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“I was already working on my degree at that time,” said Bunn. “After a lot of thought, we decided it would be fun, and would make a lot of sense, to tackle our degrees together. So Prash started working on his MBA too.”

“There was a lot of fear and uncertainty during that time, and it was comforting for us to be working towards our educational goals together as we quarantined.”

According to Gupta, along with being emotionally gratifying, the arrangement also supported the couple’s academic success.

“We had a great experience learning together. Even though Carolyn was a semester ahead of me, we were able to help each other out a lot,” said Gupta. “We often did assignments together, which was very beneficial in our learning experience. In addition, it brought us closer together and kept us both busy during a time when the whole world was shut down for the pandemic.”

Bunn said that the decision to pursue her degree has also allowed her to make a significant shift in her career and pursue her ambitions towards entrepreneurship.

“When I decided to start my degree, I was working a job in the insurance industry that felt like a dead end to me,” said Bunn. “As it turned out, that position was eliminated just as I was about to finish my MBA, catapulting me into my ultimate dream of leaving the corporate world altogether and starting a marketing business.”

Though Gupta, as a practicing medical doctor, had a much different career path than his partner, he saw the MBA as way to expand and diversify his knowledge and skills.

“One huge reason I chose Carson College was that Carolyn was having such an impactful experience. I knew that I could benefit as well,” said Gupta. “I learned a lot and had an incredible experience meeting and working with students from all over the world, which really broadened my horizons in many ways.”

Now that he has graduated, Gupta plans to use the business and marketing skills he acquired from his MBA to start a practice in cosmetic medicine and build a base of clientele.

Along with starting her own business, Bunn has also realized her passion for mentorship and professional development.

“While I run my business doing consulting and marketing strategy, I also find opportunities to teach and empower women to start their own side hustles and businesses outside of a corporate environment,” Bunn said. “It really means a lot to me to help other people get the opportunities that I have had.”

“In the end, our shared experience earning our MBAs has made an incalculable difference in our lives,” said Gupta. “That made it all the more special and meaningful to symbolically finish that journey together at commencement.”