Southern Connecticut State University’s first Doctor of Business Administration cohort includes three U.S. Navy veterans whose paths to Commencement reflect resilience, sacrifice, and a continued commitment to service.
Jamal Porter, Neka Eells, and Portia Fredua-Agyemang are among the graduates of the university’s inaugural STEM-focused Doctor of Business Administration program, balancing doctoral coursework alongside careers, military service, parenthood, and family responsibilities.
Launched in 2024, Southern’s DBA program is the only STEM-designated DBA program in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. Designed for working professionals, the practitioner-focused degree emphasizes resiliency, leadership, and applying research to solve real-world challenges.
For Porter, a former Fleet Marine Force corpsman who served 10 years in the Navy, the decision to pursue a doctorate came from a desire to continue challenging himself after leaving military service.
After graduating from high school, Porter enlisted in the Navy, eventually building a decade-long career in healthcare and emergency medicine. While serving, he earned both his bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and an MBA in healthcare and executive management before transitioning out of the military and into healthcare administration at the VA Hospital.
“When I heard about this program, I was like, that’s the next level of education, that next challenge to see if I could do it,” Porter said. “I like a good challenge.”
Porter said Southern’s DBA program connected closely with many of the lessons he learned during military service, particularly the importance of resilience and leadership.
“The DBA program here focuses on resilience and resiliency, which you learn a lot about in the military,” he said.
As a father of three boys, Porter balanced coursework while managing youth sports schedules, family life, and a full-time career. He credited his support system and Southern’s flexible hybrid course format for helping make the experience manageable.
“You don’t really know how resilient you are until you have to be resilient,” Porter said.
Eells’ journey to Southern began long before she enrolled in the DBA program. Born and raised in Haiti, she immigrated to the United States with her family at age 13 after her father spent years working to bring his wife and seven children to the country in search of greater opportunity.
“My father sacrificed a lot for us,” Eells said. “He came in search of a better life for us.”
A five-year Navy veteran and former aviation ordnanceman, Eells said she joined the military while searching for meaningful work and an opportunity to make a difference. During her service, she traveled internationally and worked alongside people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures.
“We all come from different places and different backgrounds, but when we come together and find common ground, we can make a difference,” Eells said.
Eells said she spent years searching for the right doctoral program before discovering Southern’s DBA offering shortly after it launched. She was already familiar with the university through her siblings — including a brother who graduated from Southern and a sister currently pursuing a doctorate in education at the university.
As a mother of two young children, Eells said balancing graduate school and family life required support from both Southern and her family, especially her husband Patrick.
“My kids motivate me,” Eells said. “And my husband — he’s very supportive. Without him, I don’t think this would be possible.”
Fredua-Agyemang, who immigrated to the United States from Ghana in 2009, also brought years of military and academic experience into the program. A six-year Navy veteran and mother, she previously earned an MBA from Southern in 2019 before completing an MSBA from Sacred Heart University.
Together, the three veterans said they quickly formed connections through their shared military backgrounds while also bringing distinctly different life experiences into the classroom.
“I was very nervous,” Eells recalled about the first days of the program. “And then everybody started introducing themselves and saying they were veterans too. It was like, ‘Okay, I’m not alone.’”
All three graduates pointed to Southern’s veteran support services, faculty accessibility, and sense of community as important parts of their experience.
As members of the program’s first graduating cohort, the students also helped shape the program itself, providing feedback to faculty and administrators as the new doctorate evolved.
“We’re going to be the first cohort to graduate out of it,” Porter said. “The staff was very open with those conversations and very forthcoming with information.”
Now preparing to cross the Commencement stage, the graduates say earning their doctorates represents more than academic achievement — it reflects perseverance, family, and the opportunities made possible through education and service.
For Porter, the moment carries additional meaning. During his years serving as a Navy corpsman alongside Marines, he was known simply as “Doc.” Soon, that title will take on a new meaning once again.
“So now,” Porter said with a smile, “I’m Doctor Porter once again.”
