Meet Georgetown McDonough’s MBA Class of 2019

Gabriela Borray 

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: World traveler with a big heart who genuinely believes in the power of a smile.

Hometown: McLean, VA

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I’m marrying my high school sweetheart in Cartagena, Colombia this May!

Undergraduate School and Major: Wake Forest University, BA Communications

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

• Senior Associate Consultant, The Education Advisory Board
• Human Capital Consultant, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Business Analyst, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Presenting a communication strategy to a senior executive and successfully communicating the business case for why part of the budget should be dedicated to this work. At the end of the presentation, the senior executive commented that he liked my honesty and straight forward presentation style and stated to the leadership team (both for our client and for Deloitte) that no one is ever that up front with him like they should be. He ended by not only approving the necessary funding for the initiative, but advising everyone to take a page out of my book moving forward.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Be true to yourself, especially when asking for recommendations and when interviewing. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to ask people who truly know you, know your work, and can serve as your advocates to write your recommendations. Don’t make the mistake of asking the CEO of your company for a recommendation if they barely know your name. You want the people who would go to bat for you to do exactly that; they’ll write you a much better recommendation and they’ll help show your future MBA program why it’d be a mistake for them not to accept you. The same goes for the interview: be true to yourself and let that come out through the interview. It’s the best way to make a connection with your interviewer and it’ll serve you well too. Remember, they aren’t just picking you, you are also picking them.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? There are so many, but the biggest factors were Georgetown’s global mindset and commitment to service. Coming from an international family (I’m a first-generation American), my parents always emphasized the importance of traveling the world, understanding other cultures, and generally living with a global perspective. It’s always been important for me to incorporate that in my life so when I started my MBA research and learned more about Georgetown and its large international student and faculty population and programs like the Global Business Experience, I knew immediately it would be a great fit. I was also drawn to their Jesuit values of commitment to service. Like I said in my description, I’ve got a big heart and giving back to others and the community and being a part of something bigger than myself is important to me. That aspect of Georgetown really resonated with me.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? If I’ve been challenged to learn new things, am headed off to an internship where I can find application in what I’ve learned, and have a new family of friends that I’ve had fun with every day, then I’d call that a successful first year!