Business Matters

Trent Daiuto is one that seems to take things in stride – life after military service, life after the pandemic, and now life after his MBA.

The Class of 2023 grad of the organizational leadership track intends to take a beat – taking time to connect with his son.

“Now that I am finished with my degree, I am excited to become more involved with my son’s schooling and his athletic pursuits,” Daiuto said. “I plan on continuing to support my family as a domestic engineer while seeking a position where I can use the skills I learned during my time at OSU in a way that makes a meaningful contribution to my community while supporting a healthy work-life balance.”

After ten years in the U.S. Navy as an aviator and flight instructor and a career he describes as “progressively increasing responsibility and direct organizational leadership in the maintenance and management of multi-million dollar aircraft assets,” Daiuto turned to his graduate degree.

And Oregon State University was an obvious choice. Daiuto earned his bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry and a minor in Navy/Marine ROTC naval sciences and operations.

“Coming back to OSU was an easy choice for several reasons,” Daiuto said. “I had a wonderful in-person experience earning my undergraduate degree, and I was living in Bend, Oregon, when I began my graduate coursework.  Though I ended up not using them, the opportunity to access resources at the Cascades campus was a big selling point.”

What he did do was fully embrace the flexibility of the MBA program, leaning into online learning, and spent the first year of his graduate degree on the road with his wife and son and two dogs, touring through the seven western states.

And in this mindset, he was able to address the biggest challenge of his student experience, as he calls it, “learning to speak and communicate in a manner that was effective and appropriate for the civilian corporate setting.”

“Every workplace has a unique culture, and adjusting from Naval Aviation’s cultural norms to those of the global workforce was a significant shift,” Daiuto said. “I feel that OSU’s curriculum and professors did a wonderful job aiding in the transition, and I feel well-prepared to contribute during my next employment opportunity.”

OSU has an excellent reputation in support of veterans, and Daiuto found that to be the case.

“I would absolutely recommend OSU to other veterans,” he said. “During my coursework, I had the privilege of meeting and collaborating with other veterans, which lent a level of familiarity to the experience.”

“I found Willie Elfering and the rest of the veterans and military certifying team to be absolutely first class during my time at OSU. Mr. Elfering was kind enough to send me a stole to celebrate my graduation and the certifying team was easy to work with and flawlessly processed my courses,” he said.

Daiuto had one more support system in place to help him keep pace with the rigor of the MBA program, his wife.

“I would like to thank my wife, Lauren, for her unwavering support throughout my pursuit of my graduate degree,” he said. “Whether it was taking extra time with our son to allow me to study, calming me down when the assignment load seemed overwhelming, or simply showing interest when I shared what I was studying, she was always there for me, every time.”