What success looks like from a parent’s perspective – thoughts on parenting
It is each parent's dream to see their children grow and prosper. As a parent, you can only give them guidance in life and the foundation of what you believe in, and what you think might help your child. Once they are flying with their own "wings," you hope that you can be with their journey and enjoy their success. As a parent, it is no longer about you; it is about their growth and happiness. That is all you can do.
I wanted to share this story of our daughter Dani Salonen as her alumni Northwestern University Master of Science Product Design and Development Management shared a career story of our daughter, where she is giving her 5 lessons in product management. The story can be found in the following link:https://design.northwestern.edu/product-design-development-management/inside-our-program/stories/2025/5-lessons-in-product-management.html?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social-post&utm_campaign=mdp2-inside-our-program-article&utm_content=leads__2025-5_alumni-spotlight
When I look at our daughter Dani Salonen, I believe she is a good example of what success looks like when working hard, not giving in, and believing in your dreams. When she was studying information systems science at University of Arkansas - Sam M. Walton College of Business to achieve her BA, she worked at the same time Small Business Intern at the University of Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center; she worked as Design Team Project Leader at McMillan Innovation Studio part of the Arkansas Small Business & Technology Center Restaurant Innovation. She also worked simultaneously for a Swiss software company BA Solutions, learning about sales and marketing. When she graduated, she was hired by McDonald's HQ in Chicago to work on service design & CX for digital product experiences.
As with good people, she was then hired by Bain & Company (a top-tier consulting firm) as a product management and innovation specialist. Of course, the way Daniela ticks, she decided to get her Master's degree from the top university, Northwestern University, Master of Science Product Design and Development Management, all this while working full time. She then further advanced to become senior manager at Restaurant Brand International (RBI) to lead development of Popeyes mobile app.
I wanted to share this story with you because my wife Rita Salonen and I could not be more proud of our daughter. Secondly, I truly believe that Daniela represents a good role model for many who want to achieve something. Believing in what you are doing and not giving up is what really matters.
I have also always emphasized that the success that each one of us achieves is success that you did, not anybody else. You will always have support from people around you, and you might take advice occasionally. I am also super grateful that Daniela has kept in touch with me and my wife asking questions every now and then about choices and things that we might have experienced. I did that with my father, especially if he had no understanding of the business I was in (software business). However, life lessons can be applied to anything if you are willing to listen and learn. I think Daniela is such a person, and thankfully, she has people around her who want her to be successful and drive even bigger goals going forward.
I would also like to emphasize one thing to parents: Don't push your "kids" to things they do not want. Let them make their choices. As a parent, you can guide them and reflect on what might happen with a route they want to take. That is all you can do. You can't force your kid into a profession they end up hating. I have seen too many of those cases and it never looks good.
Yours,
Dr. Petri I. Salonen