“Where are you from?” has become a very difficult question for me to answer. I was born in Medellin, Colombia, raised in both New Jersey and Georgia, lived in South Korea for a year, and before Durham I lived in Miami.
Constantly moving has sparked my desire to see the world. Each year for my birthday, I travel to a new country or city—Japan, Napa and Bahamas have been the last three. Next year, Spain here I come! While at Duke, I traveled to South Africa and China through the Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE).
I learned the meaning of hard work through my parents who moved to the U.S. in search of the American dream. At the age of 15, I started selling jewelry at a flea market and since then have not stopped working. I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from the University of Georgia. After college, I conducted cancer research, but wondered about the world beyond the lab walls, and moved to South Korea where I was a teacher. My most interesting job to date was teaching English in Korea, and my most fulfilling was at Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. While at Turner Broadcasting, I sincerely enjoyed coaching my sales operation and TurnerUno teams. However, I wanted to expand my impact and increase my business acumen and decided to pursue an MBA at Fuqua.
My diverse experiences have strongly influenced my interests. I enjoy snorkeling in Key West, watching Korean dramas, working out, volunteering with children, and trying out new recipes. I also really love make up and as a first-year MBA helped launch a cosmetic-focused company through Program for Entrepreneurs (P4E).
At Fuqua, you can find me at the Fox Center helping a first-year team with their leadership development through my Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) fellowship, volunteering in the Admissions office working with their ambassador program or interviewing candidates as an Admissions Fellow, or working with Fuqua’s Tech or Marketing Clubs and having fun with the Black and Latino MBA Organization. I am excited to be at Duke and part of the Class of 2017!