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Owning a business, while working full time: NMC graduate does it all
Northern Marianas College graduate Laarni Zapanta continues to make an impact in both her professional career as a manager and her entrepreneurial endeavor as a salon owner. (NMC)
While it is not uncommon for Northern Marianas College graduates to wear many hats, there’s one graduate who stands out as an extraordinary example of resilience and determination.
Laarni Zapanta, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from NMC’s School of Business in 2020, is the Customer Operations manager at IT&E and the owner of Namaste Salon and Spa. Zapanta, like many of her fellow graduates, learned the skills she needed to flourish from the college.
“My business degree from NMC gave me the courage to act on my dreams of becoming an entrepreneur and helped me advance in my career at IT&E,” Zapanta said. “Shortly after receiving my degree, I was promoted to a managerial position at IT&E,”
“Afterwards, my friends and I decided to open…Namaste Salon and Spa in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. When everyone was afraid to take risks in opening a business, we decided to just jump and do it,” Zapanta said. “I was able to apply in real life skills that I’ve learned from my business classes in NMC and to make one of my dreams become a reality.”
According to Zapanta, her experience at the college has influenced her to tell her friends and family to earn a degree from NMC.
“I continue to promote starting education at NMC to my colleagues and friends because it is convenient and inexpensive,” Zapanta said, “I was very grateful to be able to finish my education without any student debt and while I was working.”
Zapanta tells everyone that getting an education is a ticket to career advancement and the knowledge gained gives a person the courage and confidence needed to achieve success.
“If I can do it, you can too!” Zapanta said.
Zapanta is currently working on a master’s degree in management and leadership from Western Governors University. (NMC)
