As a student of Hastings College, 2013 Outstanding Young Alumna Paula Queen ’98 gained the skills and preparedness needed to create a career path guided by her own passions and life experiences.
The secondary English education major began her professional career as a High School English Teacher at Burke High School in Omaha. She later entered the corporate world for a successful 10-year career in business development, first working for firms in Nebraska and concluding as the Manager of Business Development for Higher Education Institutions and Federal Market with the 5th largest construction management firm in the U.S.
In 2011, Paula launched her own business, Pyar & Co., inspired by a family trip to India to celebrate her marriage to her husband, Sumit Gupta. Pyar & Co. specializes in luxury accessories for the home as well as a children’s collection.
This year, Pyar & Co. was named “America’s Great New Home Textile Company” by Home Textiles Today magazine. The company is based in Chicago, where Paula lives with her husband and their young son, Ojas.
