Meet Georgetown’s MBA Class of 2018

Calvin Alexander Cortes

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Quirky, loud, social, foodie, craft beer geek, adventurous traveler, and a dog lover.

Hometown:  Miami, FL

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have a 3.5-year-old black hound lab mix named Stitch after Disney’s movie Lilo and Stitch.

Undergraduate School and Major:

University of Miami – Microbiology/ Latin American Studies

University of Florida- MPH- Public Health

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Ohana Collectables- E-commerce- Proprietor

Southern HIV & Alcohol Research Consortium – University of Florida – Marketing Director/Recruiter

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Being able to take a small summer job selling Disney collectables on eBay and expanding it into a company with a global distribution network in Asian and European markets through a period of economic uncertainty – all before the age of 20.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? BE YOURSELF! I cannot stress this enough. Through my experiences, individuals attempt to impress interviewers so aggressively that their voices get lost in the process. This also applies for the essays. When one’s voice is lost, you have also lost the reviewer. I was able to use my voice and personal experiences to craft essays that were moving and compelling cases for why my candidacy was a strong one and why I was a fit for certain programs — not why the program was a fit for me. I believe they were my strongest segment of every single one of my applications. I also think this personal touch is crucial when it comes to selecting recommenders. Of course, I chose my supervisor, but my second recommender was a mentor and someone I came to know and highly respect for over 10 years now. This individual knew me not only at a professional level but at a personal level as well. This was crucial in framing a letter that was not a synopsis of my resume, but a true heartfelt message and compelling case for my candidacy.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? The reason I chose McDonough was a combination of multiple factors.

Location: I wanted to attend a program in a large metropolitan area. I enjoy large cities with the countless activities and great culture. But most importantly, I needed to live in a city with tons of diversity in its residents and DC being such a global city, it fit the bill.

Global Focus/Brand: Georgetown McDonough was the program with the strongest focus on international business I encountered in my MBA search. With my background working in healthcare in Latin America, I wanted to gain more international experience through the program I was attending and at Georgetown we are required to take the Global Business Experience where students have the opportunity to consult for a Fortune 500 company abroad. Apart from the global focus, internationally Georgetown is a brand that is well recognized and well received, and considering I want to work internationally, I believe the school can position me for success both domestically and abroad.

Gut feeling: Choosing the right MBA program became quite the task for me. I had created an excel spreadsheet listing the pros and cons of each program. I got opinions from online forums on which program to select. I reviewed the ROI’s of each respective program. I spoke with countless students at each program I was considering. After all of this analysis, I still could not reach a decision. It all came down to my gut feeling when I visited for Welcome Weekend at the different programs. I had that eureka moment when I visited Georgetown McDonough. My advice is to not just rely on the quantitative aspect, selecting a program is a very emotional process, so go with what feels right.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream employer would be Janssen Pharmaceuticals under the Johnson and Johnson Company. The reason I am excited to interview with them is they are a public-health-driven pharma company that puts its customers above their shareholders, which resonates with my values and prior experiences in the healthcare and business spheres.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?   We are all here to take our careers to the next level. We are all here to work our hardest to impress recruiters and excel in our program. So instead of speaking about hoping my peers can attest to my work ethic I hope the impression I leave is that I made a difference and added value to the Georgetown and McDonough name. If I can accomplish that, I will leave the program feeling accomplished and ready to take on what my career has in store for me.