“My parents always said, ‘through hard work you can accomplish anything, and keeping a positive attitude is vital for happiness and success.’ A lot of people go through life angry; some are dealt a bad hand, but we have to work hard and have a positive attitude toward any life experience. What my parents taught me is the way I want to live my life.”
James Armbrust is a new father, husband, and a recent triple degree graduate of Cleary. He ambitiously loaded up every semester with at least 18 to 26 credits, always asking for more. He walked across the stage in May at Cleary’s commencement festivities, proudly earning a double master’s degree in Strategic Leadership and Healthcare Leadership, and a BBA in Healthcare Management Magna Cum Laude, completing all within two years, while working full-time as a CNA, welcoming his second child in December 2024, and helping to care for his great-grandmother. He also competed on the Cleary golf team but gave it up in his last semester to focus on his family.
Armbrust acknowledges that he was in a hurry to complete his education so “I can spend the longest time possible in my career helping others.”
He grew up in Millington, the son of schoolteachers. He was homeschooled up until his senior year, and after graduation, he decided to take “a few gap years to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.” He returned to school at Mott Community College, lived at home, and joined the college’s golf team as a walk-on. During his time there, Trevor Spagnoletti, Cleary University’s golf coach, offered him a scholarship to play for Cleary, so he took advantage of the opportunity.
He chose business as his major, but the young newlywed’s wife encouraged him to take a different direction – health care management. “She worked in the field and told me that good leaders were desperately needed, so I switched my concentration. She made one more request:
‘Do it in a hurry!’ because she wanted to start a family.”
And that’s exactly what Armbrust did. Many of his credits from Mott transferred, so he only had a little over a year left to complete his BBA. He spoke with Susan Mall-Krinke, manager of Academic Advising, and explained to her his fast track plan to graduate. She worked alongside Armbrust to help him achieve his goal in only three semesters. Shortly before graduation, his son was born.
With his ever-constant positive attitude, he obtained his CNA license while studying at Cleary and started working at a health care facility in that role. During this time, his grandparents needed some help caring for Armbrust’s great-grandmother in her home in Monroe. “They told us, ‘we can’t do this alone,’ so we moved in to provide an extra set of hands,” while Armbrust continued his education, working on a dual master’s degree and working at an assisted living facility. He gave up his last semester playing golf at Cleary to focus on his family and his studies. “Family always is first,” is the motto he lives by.
Now that Armbrust earned his degrees, “I’m going to get my state license to become an administrator of a skilled nursing facility, and then work toward my dream job of working in an executive leadership position in a hospital. I see myself as a COO, leading business improvements while making sure people receive the care they need and deserve. I can do both with my degrees from Cleary. I’m looking for a job right now to get my foot in the door and get started,” he says with conviction.
In the meantime, he is renovating his great-grandmother’s home that she has owned since the 1940s. “Nothing much has been done to it since the 1990s,” he finds.
When reflecting on his whirlwind, accelerated degree pace at Cleary, Armbrust is quick to say repeatedly, “I loved it! Going to Cleary has been enjoyable, but difficult, too. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did at a bigger school,” he notes. “The care, the attention, the connection, the close and personal relationships with my professors, and the ideal culture, all contributed to my success.
“Professors discussed topics relevant to my field of study, and I wasn’t just a face in a sea of faces,” he says. “Clearly, it is a positive place to learn and still have a life outside of school. I hope all the other facets of my life go as well as my experience at Cleary.”
When looking into the future, Armbrust sees “a happy home, a successful career, and kids who have every opportunity to pursue their dreams like I was able to.”
One of his favorite professors, Angela McBride, says this about Armbrust: “Students like James are rare. He doesn’t brag or seek attention. He simply shows up and gives 110 percent to everything he does. I’ve watched him grow in the classroom, compete on the golf course for Cleary, and take on life as a father. He genuinely cares, and it shows in every interaction, every assignment, every commitment. As he steps into this next chapter, ready to share his knowledge and lead by example, I know he’s going to do incredible things. The world is truly his oyster! Any employer would be lucky to have him.
It is important for Armbrust to add a message to his wife: “I would not have been able to accomplish these goals over the last few years without the support of Amanda. I am blessed to have an amazing partner who motivated, inspired and supported me throughout this process. Behind every amazing accomplishment is an amazing person who helped to make it all possible, and for me, it’s my wife. I am so grateful for her sacrifice, commitment, and love.”
And they both are ready and excited for their next journey!