Representation Matters: Embracing Hispanic Heritage Month At Stanford GSB

Omar Garza, MBA ‘22, focusing on Finance and Management, HBSA Co-President

Omar Garza, MBA ‘22

Why an MBA? Growing up, I did not know much about the world of business. Neither of my parents had ever worked in the space and when I immigrated to the United States at age 12, my scope for a professional career was fairly limited to a stable and well-respected career path like engineering. I simply did not know what else was out there!

 After graduating from college, I was fortunate enough to work for an energy consultancy that worked with a myriad of organizations spanning from oil and gas operators to private equity firms and hedge funds. This was the first time I had the opportunity to gain first-hand experience into what business, and particularly the world of investing, had to offer. After supporting investors for a few months, I was fascinated by the world of investing! I quickly became captivated by how these firms invested substantial amounts of money and influenced the strategy of their investments. After coming to the realization that I wanted to achieve a career in investing, I drew up a path to achieving this goal. The most important step would be to obtain an MBA.

 What other schools did you apply to? Harvard Business School, The Wharton School, Booth School of Business, and Columbia Business School

Why Stanford? Being an engineer by education, I rely heavily on mental models and analytical frameworks when making decisions. So, it makes sense to say Stanford outperformed all schools in the three criteria that mattered most to me in my decision framework.

First, I wanted to attend a program that would teach me about Finance and would give me the opportunity to transition into the world of private equity. Stanford’s outstanding financial curriculum, high private equity placement rates and strong alumni network made it a great fit for me. Second, I believe that having strong leadership skills and high emotional intelligence is fundamental in an individual’s professional success. Stanford’s focus on soft leadership skills alongside its wide array of leadership development and EQ classes, such as Leadership Labs and Interpersonal Dynamics (Touchy Feely), stood out to me. Third, I wanted to attend a program where significant others were welcome into the community. After meeting with several enrolled students and potential classmates prior to business school, I knew that the GSB community would be a warm and welcoming community for my wife.

And maybe I’ll add a fourth: What school can beat Stanford’s amazing weather?!

What does being a Hispanic business student mean to you? Being a Hispanic business student means a lot of things to me, however two important characteristics stand out the most. First, it means seizing the opportunity to achieve the dreams that my family sought out when immigrating. More specifically, I feel called to work hard and leverage the opportunities that Stanford’s MBA program has to offer so that I can accomplish things that my parents and grandparents dreamed of. It means holding a responsibility to outperform, using my roots as motivation.

Second, and more importantly, it means inspiring and paving the way for other Hispanics to achieve their goals. Hispanics make up a significantly smaller percentage of c-suite executives and investors relatively to their ~18% share of the U.S. population. I hope I can play a small part in increasing these numbers.

What value does the HBSA provide for you and your classmates? Affinity groups like the Hispanic Business Students Association help build a strong community within large organizations like the GSB. It creates a safe and inclusive space for Hispanic students within the GSB to strengthen relationships while celebrating their heritage. Additionally, the HBSA helps share what being Hispanic means to the broader student body population. As a result, students across the GSB can learn more about Hispanic culture and learn what it means to come from this community.

Why is Hispanic Heritage Month important to you? Hispanic Heritage Month is important to me because it reminds me of who I am and where my family came from. Spending time in my year to intentionally celebrate my roots helps keep my Mexican pride alive and well. This celebration motivates me to live my life according to the values that my family raised me with by bringing them to the forefront of my attention. I get to enjoy what it means to be Hispanic and share it with all areas of my life. It allows me to bring my full Hispanic self to all spaces of life, be it social or professional.

What are your future career goals? After business school, I will be working at a generalist private equity firm in New York. My goal is to learn how to be a great investor, and to one-day lead an investment firm. Later in my career, I would love to focus a significant amount of time investing in and empowering Hispanic and LATAM companies.

I also feel a calling to give back to my Hispanic community but am still working out the details on what exactly that looks like. I strongly believe that education is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty. I’ve seen what scholastic opportunity has done for my family and for others, so it would be a dream to impact the Hispanic youth thought that lens (mentoring, scholarships, etc…)

What don’t your classmates know about you? Back when I lived in Monterrey, Mexico I was on a very competitive club soccer team. In 1999, we qualified for the Coca-Cola Mexico Cup, and obtained third place nationally! That means I achieved my athletic peak at 7 years old… but who knows, maybe if I had pursued a soccer career, I would be playing for my favorite team Tigres UANL!

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