Hometown: Madrid, Spain
Education: JD in Law and BS in Business Administration at ICADE in Madrid, with periods in Tuebingen (Germany) and ESSEC (Paris)
Before Wharton: McKinsey Company for two years and then Fundacin Codespa, a non-profit
After Wharton: Sales and Trading in London
When you just stay in one place and do one thing, you end up living in a bubble. Coming to Wharton and meeting people with different experiences, cultures, backgrounds, is like bursting that bubble. And looking to the future, that's going to be extremely valuable.
International studies
Lauder gave me the opportunity to learn Portuguese and to live in Brazil for two months. It's a huge advantage, now that I'm a Spanish speaker and a Portuguese speaker. I'm focusing on Latin America throughout my MA in international studies. I have made lots of friends from Latin America, and I'm convinced it's going to be helpful for me in the future.
Definition of a Wharton MBA graduate
I don't think there is a typical Wharton graduate, and that is the beauty of it. An important part of the Wharton experience is precisely that, interacting with people who are so different from you. When you just stay in one place and you just do one thing, you end up living in a bubble. Coming to Wharton and meeting people with different experiences, cultures, backgrounds, is like bursting that bubble. It opens your eyes to reality. And looking to the future, that is going to be extremely valuable.
Wharton embodies passion
All schools in the end have diversity, and lots of activities, and in many schools, you are going to get a great education. The community really is what made a big difference for me. The passion is truly distinctive and unique to Wharton. People here really put a lot of effort and a lot of energy and passion in whatever they do.
The 10 year path
Before Wharton, and after a couple of years at McKinsey I had transitioned to a non-profit and started an investment fund in microfinance – the first investment fund in microfinancing in Spain. In the end, I was working for an NGO and we offered a product to a bank that is now being offered by BBA (the second largest bank in Spain) to the non-profit world. I really want to specialize in capital markets in order to come back at a certain point to microfinance. In 10 years, I would love to see myself as the head of a socially minded, but financially viable, business. It’s my belief that every business has to be responsible in how they interact with the rest of the community. Business is not just about being a business unit that generates profit. It's a way of interacting with all the different stakeholders.
Wharton fun
The Wharton Intercultural Show was probably one of the best things I did this year. I am Spanish, I was born and raised in Spain, but I had to come to Philadelphia to learn how to dance Sevillana, which is a typical Spanish dance. We hired a professor, and for two and a half months we took lessons, we practiced, we become very frustrated at times, very happy at others, and then we performed in front of more than 800 people! I wouldn’t have done this anywhere else!
