Meet The MBA Class of 2022: Emmanuel E. Escamilla, UC Davis Graduate School of Management

Emmanuel E. Escamilla

UC Davis Graduate School of Management

Committed to making economic opportunity and civic engagement accessible to all.”

Hometown: Modesto, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: In 2018, I rode a bicycle across the United States. It took four months. I crossed nine states and biked 3,261-miles from San Francisco, CA, to St. Augustine, FL.

Undergraduate School and Major:

University of California, Berkeley: Religious Studies (Undergraduate)

Harvard Divinity School: Religion (Graduate)

Current Employer: NA

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the MBA curriculum or activities that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Location. I grew up in California’s Central Valley and I have built a network in the region. My thought process for choosing UC Davis was to create impact in the Central Valley, I should commit to learning more about the region from a school with a history of influence in the area.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates and why? Resilience. My classmates come from different countries and backgrounds. They have had to overcome barriers in their educational journey as undergraduates and professionals, and now we are actively adapting to and overcoming the “new normal” of a virtual learning environment.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment was winning the “Westly Prize for Young Innovators of California” after founding an edtech startup that helped rural school districts implement tech-focused courses. This accomplishment affirmed my efforts and interests in entrepreneurship.

What has been the biggest surprise in your first three months of business school? The biggest surprise has been the camaraderie among my classmates and faculty. It is an “in this together” disposition that has created strong relationships within this MBA class because we are all actively working with a less-than-desirable environment, so we lean on each other for support.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? The realization that for decades, the quality of life for residents in the Central Valley has worsened and that streams of capital need to be developed to create sustainable impact and change. I want to position myself to play a role in making this happen.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None

What do you see yourself doing ten years from now? I see myself running an investment fund that provide seed capital to community-focused start-ups in the Central Valley.

DON’T MISS: Meet The UC Davis Graduate School of Management MBA Class of 2022

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