Natalie Yammine

The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business

“Fort Worth born, NYC transplant back in Texas for a new chapter – big Ted Lasso fan.”

Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve been to over 25 countries for fun and for work – one of the most memorable trips was to Mongolia. Our company sponsors an incredible ultra-marathoner, Michele Graglia, and he set a record for running across the Gobi desert in 2019. I was part of his support team and we camped in the desert – which was one of the most inspirational experiences I’ve had both to witness someone run 80-90 kilometers a day but also to be in a place where there is nothing but stillness and nature for hours on end. It gives you a lot of time to think.

Undergraduate School and Major: Barnard College, Columbia University – BA in Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: TransPerfect Translations – Director, Technology Solutions

What makes Austin such a great place to earn an MBA? It’s a combination of the excitement of a booming city, with the laid-back city vibe of Austin, and the general friendliness of Texans. I knew that if I was going to leave New York, I wanted to be in a place that was still changing every day and never at a loss for places to discover or people to meet. Whenever you have a melting pot of people coming from different backgrounds and cities, innovation and creative thinking are sure to follow.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Texas McCombs’ MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? What drew me most to Texas McCombs was the emphasis on experiential learning through programs like MBA+ projects and Fellows programs. Because I’ve had an 11-year career at one company and am now looking to pivot – the opportunity to participate in actual projects across a variety of very reputable companies is invaluable. Every new experience I can get will give different perspectives and help with recruiting but also give me a chance to explore so that after school I’m ready to put all of myself into a new direction.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Texas McCombs? I’m really excited to apply for Venture Fellows because it will be a great way to get to become a part of the Austin VC community and as well as be a connection between the firms, Texas McCombs and the greater Austin start up community. The other thing I’m really looking forward to is taking Professor Raghunathan’s class on happiness in the workplace. He gave a 1-hour lecture during Preview Week, and it was not only engaging but also incredibly timely. In this transitional period with COVID, companies are looking for new ways to attract and support employees and it’s a discussion I’m excited to join.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My proudest work accomplishment is being a part of a leadership team that drastically changed the culture and technology of TransPerfect, my former employer, over the last 10 years. When I started, there was constant burnout, and it wasn’t a place people stayed long term. Now we’ve celebrated many weddings and new additions to families; overall, there’s a spirit of innovation and aiming to be better than we were yesterday. Any individual success, successful pitch or cutting technology came from that spirit. In terms of global impact, we as a production team had the opportunity to translate documentation for almost all of the FDA and MHRA emergency authorized COVID-19 vaccine trials and that was pretty incredible.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? I think this happened with a lot of people, but when life forced us to slow down – and I wasn’t traveling constantly or going out with friends every night – it was a time to reflect on where I really saw myself in the future. And while I was on one path that was very fulfilling up until that point – I wanted to explore what other paths I could take.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? After this year of being in a constant state of not knowing what tomorrow will bring, it seemed like the right time to take a chance and invest myself.  Because if not now, when? An MBA seemed like the perfect way to take my previous experience and combine it with the financial core I need to brush up on in order to move to the new chapter. After graduation, I hope to work with a VC firm using my technical and leadership experience to help guide emerging companies with underrepresented founders through their financing journey.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? UCLA, Stanford, MIT

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Texas McCombs’ MBA program? Be yourself and show off what’s unique about you. Being at orientation and connecting with my fellow students I’m truly in awe of how different we all are. Dig deep and tell your story – you’ll be amazed at what a transformative experience it can be.