UOPX alumni spotlight: Noe Ballesa 

Noe Ballesa (AABFN, 2022; BSB, 2023; MBA, in progress) has quite the resumé. In fact, it might take up more than a few pages.

“I’ve probably had close to two dozen jobs,” he says, listing off such roles as server, meter reader and a contractor who assembles display items at department stores. But nothing seemed to stick until he found himself working in the field for a cable company. That became his entry point to telecommunications, which led him to his current employer, Comcast. At last, he’d found his happily ever after.

Or so he thought. After focusing so heavily on his career, going back to school wasn’t really on his radar until Comcast offered him a chance to attend University of Phoenix with a tuition reimbursement plan . That’s when everything changed — again. 

Going back to school wasn’t an easy decision. Ballesa recalled that his mother, who stopped attending school in sixth grade, worked hard to earn her GED and find new opportunities for herself and her family. 

Ballesa spent most of his years in primary education angling to get out. “I started taking advanced classes in middle school,” he recalls, “but I came to the notion that my teachers wanted me to think in one certain way.”

This led to some adolescent frustration over not having the freedom to find creative solutions or, he felt, to think for himself. He planned to drop out and earn a GED the way his mother did, but his counselors and mother encouraged him to see high school through.

When he discovered he could graduate early and earn financial assistance toward higher education, he jumped at the chance. But when that assistance ended, Ballesa gave up on his degree and didn’t plan to go back.

For a decade, he moved from job to job before making his way into telecommunications as a field technician. This is where Ballesa’s more experienced colleagues stepped in to push him in a new direction. “They all told me, ‘Do something indoors,’” Ballesa says, because they saw in him the promise for more opportunities and career longevity. “It took a long time,” he recalls, but he found his way to Comcast in 2009, first in a call center and eventually in the learning experience department.

Comcast’s culture of professional development  and individual growth became a huge part of Ballesa’s daily life. In addition to tutorials and insights, there were regular events promoting the company’s tuition reimbursement plan. Ballesa was skeptical but curious. After meeting a University of Phoenix representative there, Ballesa decided to take a chance. He started out slowly, taking advantage of flexible course offerings to try a few classes. Then, when he changed roles at Comcast, he decided to go all in.

Ballesa sees firsthand how his education has affected his colleagues. Others, he says, have seen him return to school and decided to do the same. This, in turn, inspired him to keep going and pursue his MBA .

Ballesa points to how his education at University of Phoenix played a role in his professional life. It seems to impact everything, from how he interacts with customers to how he helps his colleagues with their own professional development.

“I work as a trainer, and University of Phoenix has helped me develop my own curriculum,” Ballesa says. The University’s instructors tailor their courses to different learning styles, so every student can take away the lessons they need, he points out. 

But more than anything else, Ballesa is particularly proud of how he — like his mother before him — could take his education home and use it to create opportunities for his family. This includes his wife, Maria, whom Ballesa cites as his biggest cheerleader. “She’s a great baker, so we started a small baking company where I can use the things that I’ve learned to promote her business and help her grow,” he says.

And again, as his mother did, Ballesa is able to bring his insights to the next generation. For example, he is helping his 11-year-old daughter start a business selling bracelets. “I love being able to promote her, and I’m using a lot of the tools that I’ve gained from University of Phoenix to help with that.”

Ballesa’s eagerness to share his expertise at home is apparent to his co-workers, says McKinnis. “Noe regularly shares his weekend activities with his family and organizations in his personal community. Noe is one of those colleagues who make you a better person,” she says.

Perhaps more than anything, Ballesa’s education and experiences have allowed him to gain insight into not just his own career or the business world at large, but to also have a deeper appreciation for the opportunities that others worked so hard for. “To see somebody who’s trying to improve their life,” says Ballesa of his colleagues’ and family members’ dedication, “is gratifying, but it’s also humbling. It’s really cool to be a part of that.”

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