Leaving home at the age of 18 was the first and hardest step for me in beginning my future. I’ve found that in order to find balance between the wings that allow you to soar and the roots that keep you grounded, a support system is critical. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, I grew up in a Hispanic and Catholic bubble where familia was always a top priority. It was common for your Tía to live across the street from your Abuelita, who lived behind her sister Tencha. Needless to say, it was uncommon for family, especially young ladies, to leave the house for college. You can imagine the surprise to my Dad when I not only went to college outside of the city — a full three hours from my home to Texas A&M University at College Station — but then moved to Houston to work for JPMorgan Chase Bank after graduation.
While it was hard at times to be away from home, I knew — and my family knew — that securing my education was important for my future. Throughout my academic career, I had always been active — in high school I played sports and was in student government. In college, I held officer positions with the Hispanic Business Student Association, a chapter of the National Hispanic Business Association (NHBA). It was through my participation in extracurricular activities and organizations that I learned the skills necessary to guide my way through a job interview process and apply lessons learned in new experiences. It was also through my involvement that I built a support system of friends that would eventually lead to stronger business networks.
I remained active with NHBA after college as a Director for the National Board. I eventually moved to Chicago, Ill. to work for Chase there (yes, even further from Texas!) and became Chairwoman of the Board for NHBA. It was because of my leadership with NHBA that I first had the chance to visit The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business during the 2007 NHBA Summer Leader’s Conference. At this point in my career, I had worked for nearly 6.5 years for the bank and I was ready for a change. While at the meeting, I took time to speak with Fisher’s Director of the Office of Minority Student Services, Mr. David Harrison, who encouraged me to explore Ohio State University and apply to the Fisher MBA Program.
With nothing to lose, I applied. The Fisher College of Business admissions office was wonderful during the entire process. It felt like an extended family even before I was officially admitted — and that feeling has stayed with me throughout my time here. My first week of business school, I joined the Fisher Latino Graduate Association and was given the opportunity to attend the NSHMBA Conference in Atlanta, Ga. It was at that conference’s career fair that I secured my summer internship with Procter & Gamble’s beauty division in the CoverGirl Marketing Department in Baltimore, Md. (even further than Columbus and Chicago!). That summer in Baltimore was phenomenal — even better than my experience was a full time employment offer.
I graduated Spring 2009 with a Master’s in Business Administration and through it all, I’ve found that nothing can be achieved without a positive attitude and ganas! Aside from my family, I’ve had the support of NHBA that helped me acquire my first job and opened the door that led to business school, which ultimately led to my next life chapter at CoverGirl. After a support system, the right environment is vital for a successful career. The environment at Fisher welcomed me for who I was and provided different organizations, as well as the great resources of a large university. |
