Guild and Team USA Learning Network U.S. judo athlete pursues podium opportunities and an MBA

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Overcoming challenges and chasing big dreams define Nicole Stout-Berliner.

Stout-Berliner remembers watching the Olympic Games on television as a child, dreaming that one day she would represent the U.S. and participate in an Olympic competition.

Today, Stout-Berliner finds herself on the cusp of two dreams — representing the U.S. in judo at the LA28 Olympic Games and earning a master’s degree.

She began taking classes for her Master of Business Administration thanks to an educational partnership between Guild and Team USA that offers eligible Team USA members the opportunity to earn a degree online at Purdue Global, the preferred online university and degree provider of the Guild and Team USA Learning Network.

The road to becoming a judo champion

At the age of 3, Stout-Berliner wanted to take ballet, but she was too young for the classes. Her family enrolled her in gymnastics, something she continued through middle school. She eventually participated in both ballet and gymnastics for a while.

When she was 13, she began exploring other sports but was not sure what she wanted to do.

Her dad and brother were participating in judo programs at the time, so Stout-Berliner tagged along. After watching a session, she looked at her dad and said, “I want to do judo.”

It was a rough transition, but Stout-Berliner persisted through the challenges. “I continued doing judo for over a year until I found a love for it myself,” she said.

A few years later Stout-Berliner decided that if she wanted to achieve her Olympic dream, she had to increase her training and compete in sanctioned competitions through the International Judo Federation.

She moved to Albany, New York, and began training at a dojo run by Jason Morris — a four-time U.S. Olympian and silver medalist — while pursuing her bachelor’s degree. 

“I worked full time for minimum wage at the time, which was $11 an hour. I would work for 12 hours, and I would go to practice, and then I would stay up really late to do my schoolwork,” Stout-Berliner said.

She began competing at 18 in the junior category at international judo tournaments. Even through lean times, she relied on her grit to become the first person to qualify for the Pan-American championships and world championships at the junior and senior levels.

Her hard work has paid off. She has won the last four consecutive national competitions as well as 26 international medals.

But she’s not done. She has her sights set on the LA28 Olympic Games.

The details she learned as a member of Team USA over the past two Olympic Games cycles have set her up for success, which is why she is mentoring younger judo athletes, preparing them for their own personal success.

Stout-Berliner explained that qualifying for the Olympics in a sport like judo is highly competitive. Athletes must be ranked in the top 20 in the world in their weight class to qualify directly. The Olympic Games feature 14 judo weight classes, and if a country is hosting the Games, it automatically receives 14 slots. For weight classes not directly qualified, these slots are typically filled through a trials event.

If she makes the team, she is looking forward to meeting other Team USA and international athletes.

“I love the idea of being able to become friends with other Team USA athletes and to hear their stories,” she said. “The entire Movement is just such a surreal dream.”

Where judo prowess helps with MBA classes

Stout-Berliner said judo has forced her to learn how to make quick decisions and rapidly adapt to situations, skills that she has applied to her daily life.

She has always wanted more — ranging from competitions and awards to an additional degree. “Ever since I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in communications, I knew I wanted to get a master’s degree,” Stout-Berliner said.

She had explored programs in the past, but all her resources and time were committed to judo training and competitions.

Recently she received an email from the Guild and Team USA Learning Network outlining a new educational benefit, which included the opportunity to earn a degree with Purdue Global, Purdue’s online university for working adults.

Through the Guild and Team USA Learning Network, Stout-Berliner is now enrolled in Purdue Global’s MBA program through the School of Business and Information Technology.

With several classes under her belt, she is applying what she has learned in her classes to her work as an athlete representative with USA Judo’s board of directors, with the goal of ultimately becoming a more prominent advocate for athletes.

“Having the MBA background to help understand the dynamics of, essentially, the corporate world and how it functions and how to appropriately work within it has been absolutely critical and has bolstered my confidence in being able to effectively represent the athletes’ interests in our sport,” Stout-Berliner said. “I like knowing that I had a small part to play in being able to push them toward their futures, and the idea is, not only am I looking out for the interests of the athletes of today but that I’m helping secure a better supported future for the athletes of tomorrow.”

She believes everyone wins with this educational partnership.

“No one benefits more from the partnership between the Guild and Team USA Learning Network than athletes,” she said. “It’s been really rewarding.”

To follow Stout-Berliner on her quest to qualify for the LA28 Games, check out her social channels, including Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Purdue Global

Purdue Global is Purdue’s online university for working adults who have life experience and often some college credits. It offers flexible paths for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, military service and previous college credits, no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and backed by Purdue University. For more information, visit https://www.purdueglobal.edu.