After working at a Corporate and Investment Banking firm to start her career, Elainne Diaz (Gabelli, ‘22) decided to pursue an MBA to pivot to a career in Marketing. Elainne enrolled at the Fordham University Gabelli School of Business, where she completed her first year. During this conversation, Elainne spoke about her journey to the MBA, why she chose Fordham, and her advice to prospective MBA students.
MBASchooled: What did you do before business school, and why did you choose to apply to business school?
Before I enrolled into business school, I worked as an analyst at Intesa Sanpaolo in the Corporate and Investment Banking division. The overall objective of my role was to assist a relationship manager in developing new business relationships and maintaining existing ones. The beauty of this job was the incredible exposure to direct client meetings and close collaboration with many other departments since my team acted as the bridge between corporate clients and many product teams.
The experience allowed me to learn the importance of sound relationship building within the banking industry from many different angles. Throughout my working years, I became very interested in fully understanding these corporate clients and their businesses in order to identify areas of improvement, and ultimately better market the various financial products to be offered by the bank.
In this position, I quickly realized that I truly enjoy the marketing aspects of my role more than the financial part of it all. For this reason, I decided to apply to business school and change my career focus from Finance to Marketing. In the near future, I want to hold a position as a Marketing or Product Manager that will allow me to leverage the various sets of skills acquired during my previous career experiences as well as recent academic journey. Pursuing my MBA meant that I will also improve much needed leadership skills while challenging myself to become the best marketer I could possibly be in the field of my interest.
MBASchooled: What were the most important criteria to you when selecting MBA Programs to apply for?
To me, the most important criteria when selecting my MBA Program was flexibility regarding course selection and the university’s community. Completing an MBA is not a must, but a choice of obtaining higher education. Having the flexibility to choose courses of my interest that I deem to be in line with my career goals, was extremely important during my decision-making process.
Throughout the program, I wanted to have the opportunity to connect with professionals/alumni in the marketing field and hear their stories as well as suggestions that would better prepare me to succeed post the MBA program because community often brings career dreams to life. For this reason, when choosing an MBA program, I spent a good amount of time researching what the community is like in the university and how it can help me grow from a professional as well as personal standpoint.
MBASchooled: Based on your own specific career aspirations, what programs, resources or experiences at Fordham were most important to you?
I highly value connections with people and given my career aspirations in the marketing field, the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University had a lot to offer in this regard. Some of the resources that I considered to be valuable are through the career path platform that incentivizes mentorship opportunities from the Career Development Center (CDC). I was able to have several meetings with professionals working in different industries within the marketing field. This helped me stay up to date on what it is truly like to work in different industries and learn about the skills that are becoming more relevant in today’s business world. Following these meetings I was determined to develop new skills that will help me become a strong candidate for an internship in the marketing field. As a result, I am humbled and extremely excited to have received an offer at Verizon as a Customer Experience MBA Summer 2021 Intern. For this, I am thankful for the resources at Fordham, CDC’s faculty members and students for their ongoing support and guidance that helped me secure this incredible opportunity.
In addition, Fordham’s MBA program offers a unique experience in Argentina and London to act as consultants to nonprofit organizations; and although these trips did not materialize due to COVID-19, the university found ways to keep us engaged virtually with the clients in London. The experience was still rewarding and gave us a different perspective on how to work together and build sound relationships overseas. All in all, Fordham’s resources and experiences are very much in line with what I needed from a program that I believe will set me up for a good start to my career.
MBASchooled: Think back to the MBA application process. What’s something you know now that you wish you knew then?
When I think back into the MBA application process, I wish I had spent more time doing research on the different types of industries that I found interesting for my career in marketing to prevail. Given that the first semester was full of coursework, activities as well as internship search methods, understanding the industry of main focus for specialized branches of marketing would have been extremely beneficial and it would have facilitated the networking process. I have no doubt that this would have helped me save time and use the school’s resources more adequately and wisely.
MBASchooled: Why did you choose to attend Fordham?
I decided to attend Fordham University because of the structure of the MBA program, community, and location of the business school. As I mentioned before, for me it was important to have the flexibility to combine different courses that would complement my educational goals and help me build a clear career path.
The community is another important factor because while spending two years completing the program, I wanted to be able to feel close and comfortable to build relationships even during the pandemic. I believe Fordham has been doing an amazing job at maintaining a strong and united community. Lastly, the Gabelli Business School is located near the Lincoln Center in the heart of New York City. This meant that I would have a great exposure to diverse groups of people that undeniably benefitted my personal and professional growth.
MBASchooled: Now that you’ve been at Fordham for a semester, what’s been your favorite experience, and why?
At the end of the spring semester, my first year at Fordham has flown by and I cannot emphasize enough how the university’s community and culture has changed my life. Thanks to the various virtual events held throughout the year, I have managed to develop great relationships with a lot of students from diverse backgrounds. This experience made me realize that all the efforts the Fordham community has put in place to facilitate the networking and relationship experience during the challenging periods. My favorite experience so far has been running for the Vice President position of Full Time MBA Students in the Student Advisory Council. This experience has challenged me to think outside the box to find ways to improve student’s experiences while completing their education. This semester I have been officially elected for the position and I cannot wait to start working with my Advisory team to have an unforgettable experience for our last year.
MBASchooled: Oftentimes, the word “culture” gets thrown around when talking about MBA programs. Can you characterize the culture at Fordham? and share an example of an experience that you think personifies this?
The culture at Fordham is very well grounded and it is built on common ideals of the faculty and students who wish to succeed from a personal and professional stance. Part of the customs is the willingness to help one another without the need of competition. This is important for me because I believe we are all capable of achieving what we desire and focusing on competing merely shifts our energy from realizing our full potential. At Fordham, the faculty members and other students simply work together to help you obtain the necessary skills that will help you shine with your own unique light.
A recent experience that I think personifies the culture at Fordham was when I was traveling while wearing my Fordham face mask that led to being recognized twice. A couple of people have approached me to ask if I attended Fordham University and after confirming, we had a very warm conversation about their academic experience years ago and their career path after their education. One of the alumni suggested connecting on LinkedIn and we agreed to have coffee at some point to further discuss our experiences when she returns to New York. It all felt very natural and as if the meaning of the Fordham Family extends beyond graduation. This moment put a big smile on my face, for which I am very proud to be part of a community that focuses on unity regardless of time.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have, for students who are considering applying or applying to MBA programs right now?
My Advice for students considering applying for an MBA program is to do sufficient research on the university’s community and networking opportunities. In my opinion, a strong community and networking incentives are crucial for a successful career because it truly helps take off from the academic foundations within the program. Doing extensive research is necessary to better understand if the community is adequate for you to complement and continue expanding your own journey. In addition, I would advise students to consider looking into the clubs and activities of interest ahead of starting the program. These extracurricular activities bring unique challenges and ultimately will prepare you for life after the program.