Sara Van Sickle is a case study in contradictions. She was a finance major who once hated math. A storyteller who hated writing. A presenter who mastered a speech impediment. And while she doesn't know what she wants to do when she grows up, she knows how to get people to the stars.
So, when she decided to alter her trajectory yet again, Van Sickle searched for a master's program customizable enough to complement her life experiences and goals.
Thanks to her mom, Purdue University alumnus Marlene Van Sickle, she found Purdue's fully online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership & Supervision (MSOLS).
It was the missing piece of her puzzle.
“What I'm working on now, I would attribute to what I've learned,” Van Sickle said. “I mean everything that I have remembered for the last two and a half years has made a great difference on the last three months.”
Van Sickle joined Ursa Major Technologies as a proposal and program transition manager weeks after graduating from the MSOLS program in December 2025. The aerospace company designs and manufactures rocket engines, missiles and satellite propulsion systems.
As the proposal and program transition manager, she works with the new product development team. When her company gets a project request, Van Sickle collaborates with engineers and finance team members to draft a proposal that captures the client's vision and needs.