After enrolling at Boise State University straight out of high school, Samantha Moncada came to a crossroads.
“I wasn’t in the right headspace to be in school at that time,” she said. “I was majoring in health sciences. I decided that working two full-time jobs and going to school was too hard, so school got dropped, and I continued to work.”
Twelve years later, Moncada returned by enrolling in Boise State’s online Bachelor of Business Administration program. She is on track to graduate in August 2026.
“I had that mentality of I started something, and I wanted to go back and finish it where I started it,” she said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t leave myself in a very good position to go back.
“With a lot of help from advisors, and working my butt off to get my GPA where it needed to be, I got myself out of that hole and am on a better path forward.”
Moncada is a production partner for Waterstone Mortgage, based in Eagle, Idaho. She and her husband, Kris, live in Punta Gorda, Florida, in the Fort Myers area.
“Working full-time, earning a degree online is really the only option I have,” she said. “Thankfully, I work completely remote. I do two or two-and-a-half hours of schoolwork in the morning, then another two hours in the evenings. It’s a good format I can work around if needed.”
After deciding to return to school, Moncada zeroed in on business because of its broad depth of knowledge and real-world applicability.
“Being in the mortgage industry, unfortunately, I got laid off when things hit a wall with the economy,” she said. “I applied to a lot of positions, but because I don’t have that beautiful piece of paper, no one would look at my resume.
“It doesn’t matter that I have 10 years of experience. When I was laid off, I started researching and looking at what my options would be. Business was the biggest thing that stood out to me.”
Career appraisal
Originally from Boise, Moncada landed a position in mortgage lending for what she thought would be a brief amount of time.
“My mom was in the mortgage lending industry for 30-plus years, longer than I’ve been alive,” she said. “They started their own branch and needed some assistance. I thought, ‘Why not? I’ll take a career direction.’
“It was never meant to be my forever home, but I’ve been in it for 10 years now. It’s a hard industry to get out of, but I’m interested to see what I can do and where I can go, once I get my degree.”
So far, Marketing is Moncada’s favorite course in the online Bachelor of Business Administration curriculum.
“It’s a lot of textbook work and questions, but it has an interactive element where you’re in real-life situations, building a product, figuring out different avenues to market it and your competitors,” she said.
“I don’t typically work on the marketing side with my position, but it’s something I could help out with in the future. There’s a little bit of every course you can apply to your real life immediately.”
As she continues to work toward the bachelor’s degree, Moncada is looking at a possible future career shift to human resources.
“HR was always an intrigue of mine,” she said. “There are different avenues of human resources you can do — like product development — I am learning about. The more I learn, the more I am intrigued by it.”
Moncada looks forward to reaching the home stretch of the program and continuing to learn along the way.
“The nice thing is my classmates and I are all in the same program,” she said. “The further you get into the classes, the more you see those same classmates. It’s fun to do your intro, which is your first assignment in every class, and recognize them from previous classes.”
Home again
Returning to school after a long layoff wasn’t easy for Moncada. She wasn’t sure if she would be welcomed back into the fold.
“I was very nervous when I started,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d get accepted with the way I left everything, so I didn’t tell anybody until I was fully accepted.
“I did some prerequisites and made sure I had my foot in the door. Then, I told everybody I am doing it. My family and friends are excited for me.”
Although she lives on the East Coast now, Moncada hopes to make it back home to Idaho to walk at commencement next year.
“I would love to be there, if I can make it work,” she said. “My husband really wants me to. He says, ‘It’s a long day, but it’s a way to be proud of yourself and celebrate everything you’ve done.’”
With two years of online classes under her belt, Moncada knows what it will take to finally earn that coveted degree.
“You have to be truly dedicated,” she said. “You can’t go in and expect an online course to be a breeze; it’s a lot of work. Having that support is important.
“You have to be fully in for it. It’s all self-motivated. If you don’t have the motivation to read the text and do the quizzes, you won’t be ready for it. You have to be ready — physically and emotionally.”
Moncada knows her hard work will be worth it once the day comes when she can call herself a Boise State University graduate.
“I wanted to go back to school in the back of my mind,” she said. “It was an itch I never got to satisfy. Working full-time, I never thought I could manage it. Now, I’m married, and I have a great partner who supports me in everything I do.
“Now, I have that great support system I need. If it were up to him, I’d quit my job and do school full-time, but I’m too proud of myself to do that.”
Learn more about the business administration program
Earning an online Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.