Program: M. S. in Management
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate Experience: Loyola Marymount University | B.S. in Economics and B.A. in Psychology
What was the aha moment that led you to apply to the LMU M.S. in Management program?
I transferred into LMU as an undergraduate student and felt cheated that I’d only had two years’ worth of memories here. As I applied for jobs at the end of my senior year, I was also weighing the option of a master’s program. I learned about the M. S. in Management program from a Facebook ad and flyers posted around campus – it was a no brainer to apply. It’s a one-year program and the ‘opportunity cost’ of not doing the program was way too high – I used my economics degree to make my decision!
Why did you choose to study management?
I was an economics and psychology double major (yes, those two fields of study really relate to each other!) but I missed the foundational aspects of a business education. The management degree gives you a bird’s eye view of how to run a business. You get a taste of everything and I like to learn how the puzzle comes together. Through the classes, I developed business acumen. I can now look at the financial statements of a business and extrapolate what’s important to stakeholders. In the future, I’ll know how to speak intelligently with different departments or clients, and make a positive impact on a business.
What do you hope to achieve professionally with your LMU graduate education?
I’ve always been really intrigued by sports and entertainment. I worked for the Dodgers in their sales department. Being in that environment was awesome and I’d love to jump back into entertainment or sports in a business operations function. I want to stay in L.A. and those are the industries the city is known for.
What class/professor did you particularly enjoy?
I really liked the “Organizational Behavior” class with Dr. Angélica Gutiérrez. She was just insanely engaging – it’s the only way to describe her! The energy she brought to explaining the different theories of management, the way she facilitated our class discussion and helped us understand how to implement the theories in our jobs – she’s so devoted to our development.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Los Angeles?
I try to go to the beach often as possible. Nothing in my mind beats the beauty of a sunset at the beach here in L.A. It’s easy to get to Manhattan Beach from here but if traffic wasn’t a determining factor, I’d be in Malibu as much as possible.
