How did a Protestant minister wind up in business school?

Jonathan PeachFor years, Jonathan Peach served as pastor to the largest Protestant congregation in Dubuque County, Iowa. In college, he studied theology and the Bible, certain that he was called to the ministry. So how did he end up studying finance and banking?

“I discovered that there are many ways to have an impact on this world,” explains Jon. “If you really think about what corporations are doing today, and about the role they play in our global society, you see what a tremendous opportunity there is to have an impact. The idea of that, the chance to enact change as an ethical business leader, became irresistible to me.”

But it was Karen, his wife and former high school sweetheart, who finally convinced him to check out Notre Dame. “She said, ‘Jon, this is a school that really stands for something.’ And she was right. I was sold the first time I visited.”

For this father of two young children, the deal was sealed when the business college offered him full fellowship support—an offer that made it possible for Jon to bring his family to South Bend and pursue an MBA degree. Today, he is the president of the MBA Student Association, and balances classes that he “loves, with students from all walks of life,” with time spent with Abby, 3, and Calel, 2.

“When I came to Notre Dame,” says Jon, “I knew that I had not stepped away from the ministry. I am just playing in a different ball field now. We have a responsibility, in whatever career we pursue, to be the arms and hands of Jesus. Notre Dame attracts a different kind of student: they understand that responsibility.”