The Pioneering MBAs In The Class Of 2019

Orlando GĆ³mezĀ 

Tuck School of Business at DartmouthĀ 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less:Ā Mexican-American from the South Side of Chicago who seeks to grow eachĀ day.

Hometown:Ā Chicago, IL

Fun FactĀ AboutĀ Yourself:Ā IĀ onceĀ met withĀ FlavaĀ FlavĀ at hisĀ now defunctĀ fried chickenĀ restaurant to pitchĀ co-opening a new location.

Undergraduate School and Major:Ā Robert Morris University Illinois,Ā BusinessĀ Management

Employers and Job TitlesĀ SinceĀ Graduation:

Peace Corps,Ā PerĆŗĀ ā€“ Community Economic DevelopmentĀ Specialist

Credit SuisseĀ ā€“Ā Private WealthĀ Relationship Associate

Charles Schwab ā€“ Registered Representative

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:Ā I taught a finance workshop to aĀ local mothersā€™Ā club in PeruĀ that went overĀ how to recognize a goodĀ investment from a bad one. It also covered how, ifĀ facedĀ withĀ aĀ saturated market, orĀ an unfeasible break-even point, they should re-evaluateĀ investing their limited capital.Ā TheĀ advice seemedĀ relativelyĀ straight-forward to me, but once I was done with the workshop the women showed me that there was value in sharing it anyways. One-by-one, each woman stood up and thanked me for taking the time to teach themĀ these basic business concepts becauseĀ no one had everĀ thought them capable of becoming business owners. This newfoundĀ knowledge wasĀ a tremendous gift for them andĀ their families.Ā That was an incredibly rewarding experience.

Looking back on your experience, whatĀ one piece ofĀ advice would you give to future business school applicants?Ā Ā When studying for the GMAT, it is importantĀ toĀ focus on the areas in which you needĀ toĀ improve. That might sound obvious, but it is easy to gravitate towards your strengths. This is especially true when the going gets tough because seeing a green checkmark feels a whole lot better than seeing a red X. Donā€™t do yourself that disservice. The GMAT isĀ designed to be difficult, but each time that you get a question right that you had answeredĀ wrongĀ previously, itā€™sĀ a step in the right direction, aĀ step towards conquering the exam.

WhatĀ was the key factor thatĀ led you to choose this program for your full-time MBAĀ and why was it so important to you?Ā Ā At Tuck, the people make the program. From your classmatesĀ to staff and facultyĀ to the alumni,Ā TuckiesĀ are just plain nice. Theyā€™reĀ alwaysĀ there for one another.Ā This was a qualitative component that I put just as much weight on as any quantitative metric. I attended Tuckā€™s Diversity Conference as a prospective student and saw first-hand the closeness of the relationships formed in Hanover.Ā Current students offeredĀ to review my admissionsĀ essays and were always available to hop on a call to answer myĀ questions. I have also, without fail, received a response to every ā€œcold emailā€ I have sentĀ toĀ TuckĀ alumni. The network is real and I truly believe thatĀ TuckiesĀ look to payĀ it forward.

What wouldĀ success look like to you after your first yearĀ of business school?Ā Ā For me, successĀ wouldĀ be knowingĀ each one of my classmates, their Tuck Partner, their TinyĀ Tuckies, and even their pets, whileĀ also beingĀ well-positioned toĀ excelĀ during myĀ summerĀ internship.

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