As a leader at AT&T, Melissa Rack, MBA ’23, is no stranger to the importance of strong role models and mentorship in young people’s lives.
Thanks to her corporate leadership experience and the skills she learned as part of the One-Year MBA cohort in Schaumburg, Illinois, Rack felt ready to pursue a longtime goal in 2024: Starting her own side business. And, later this spring, she will open a franchise of Cheer Athletics in Bartlett, Illinois.
Parents of four kids, with three girls who cheer or have cheered competitively, Rack and her husband Christopher always talked about owning their own cheer gym. However, last year, they took solid steps to making their dream a reality.
“I got to a point where I had learned to take risks I hadn’t taken in the past, and I realized that life is too short to keep those dreams as dreams. Why not provide a place for kids to be their truly authentic selves, reaching goals they didn’t think possible and finding value in peers they wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to grow alongside? That’s what this gym is all about for me,” she said.
Rack noted that her approach to her new business is about more than cheerleading skills. It’s about positivity in a world with an abundance of cynics.
“Frankly, the world needs more cheer. It’s something we preach about with Cheer Athletics, and it probably has more societal significance now than ever,” she said. “When it’s so easy to find ways to divide us or compartmentalize us, I find both my role within AT&T and as an owner of a cheerleading gym to provide ways to always find the good — in ourselves and in each other. A leader knows that true impact isn’t about weeding out the bad, it’s about finding and strengthening the good.”
Rack finds inspiration in being a role model for the young people she works with.
“Self-confidence beats out self-doubt every day of the week,” she said. “And I’d rather be an example of authenticity, integrity and confidence than worry about what others think I should be thinking. Especially as a woman who has the opportunity to be a role model for young girls, I take this responsibility very seriously that we break through that glass ceiling when we build each other up — together.”
Growing up in the western suburbs of Chicago, Rack was influenced by several mentors who helped her identify her own strengths. Her dad coached her brothers in sports growing up and tried to help the kids feel valued and give them a sense of belonging.
“As an adult, with kids of my own, I see how I perhaps under-appreciated that about [my dad] at the time, but it molded me to feel the same now. It’s not about rooting for an underdog; it’s about making kids never feel like they’re the underdog to begin with, and that every child has a gift and it’s up to leaders to find that gift and foster its potential.”
Rack’s mother was a stay-at-home mom while raising her children and started a career when her children were nearing college age.
“She learned new technologies, led teams, managed complex assignments and has since retired — all pretty late in life,” Rack said. “She taught me that it’s never too late to do something different, that you set your own destiny, and that our world is better when different perspectives and backgrounds are leaned upon.”
During her childhood, Rack tried all sorts of sport, including softball, volleyball and cheerleading. But when she was in high school, she joined the theatre club.
“It was there that I found a home — not because I was particularly talented but because it was a place where you could come as you were, and you just sort of belonged,” she said. “It was a group of people that under normal circumstances probably wouldn’t have known each other, but if someone just started singing, you’d have a whole group of people shouting showtunes in no time. It was probably here where I learned that I wanted to lead people. I knew good leadership when I saw it, and how influential and positive an effect it could have on others.”
After high school, Rack went on to earn her degree in organizational management from DePaul University, and soon after, she started her career at AT&T. Today, after 24 years of climbing the ladder there, she is now the director of business field services.
Over the years, there were many impactful moments at AT&T, but the most important was when a senior business leader took a risk and hired Rack for a role that increased her responsibilities significantly.
“The truth is, it would have been easy to hire the no-brainer choice who had the experience, but it takes a true leader to hire someone for their potential,” she said. “And that’s what this leader did. There is a sense of pride and motivation that employees have when they know they weren’t the obvious choice. You can’t teach ‘give a damn,’ but you can hire it. And I firmly believe it changed the trajectory of my career.”
When Rack decided she wanted to continue to excel at the company, she enrolled in NIU’s One-Year MBA format, noting its convenient Schaumburg location first. However, she soon realized how much more the program had to offer.
“The cohort I had the privilege to work and learn alongside had some of the smartest, funniest and thought-provoking individuals I’ve ever met,” she said. “Learning about the diversity of their lives and learning experiences helped shape me to dream things I hadn’t thought to dream before.”
Rack added that the faculty were there for her, too. “From the very first orientation to graduation, the faculty and staff alike were there making sure I had the resources and capabilities available to make me successful,” she said.
In fact, Rack believes in NIU’s College of Business so much that she enlisted One-Year MBA Schaumburg students, through their UBUS 585 course, as consultants on her Cheer Athletics plans. The students gained real-world consulting experience for their end-of-semester capstone project.
“It was so, so fun! First of all, I was so fortunate to have had the team I did for the capstone. They all ended up cheerleading experts by the end of the eight weeks,” she said with a laugh.
“I think that if there are other alumni business owners who have the opportunity to participate in these types of student projects, they should definitely reach out. There is a sense of pride you have as a business owner when listening to recommendations from a team that sees growth potential for you.”
Learn more about Cheer Athletics’ Bartlett location.
Learn more about how your company can work with NIU business students through experiential learning opportunities.
Learn more about the One-Year MBA Schaumburg format.
