Meet the MBA Class of 2023: Diana Bueso-Mendoza, Rice University (Jones)

Diana Bueso-Mendoza

Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business

“Latina, curious, dog mom, aunt of six, traveler, crafty.”

Hometown: Friendswood, TX

Fun Fact About Yourself: I like crafting things, whether that is sewing masks or reupholstering furniture

Undergraduate School and Major:

Texas A&M University Class of 2018 – B.S. Biomedical Sciences

Baylor College of Medicine Class of 2023 – Doctor of Medicine

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Medical student as above

What has been your favorite part of Houston so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA? Houston is an incredibly diverse city and is one of the cities that accepts the most immigrants in the United States. Being in an area with many different opinions and experiences is important because it opens you up to sharing cultures. This means that many of the businesses you interact with also have a diverse staff and you may hear various languages throughout the day.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of the Rice University MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Rice has a healthcare concentration that allows faculty and students to discuss some of the problems in the healthcare system. Through these classes, you can learn to optimize processes, quality improvement and value-based care. Since Rice is located next to the Texas Medical Center and has a variety of engineering research in the healthcare field, learning from these classes at Rice was a perfect fit between what I want to do and the classes offered.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Rice Business? Rice University has events called party on the patio, where we get free food and can network with businesses. However, since our classes are divided into sections, this is also one of the main times where I can meet others with a different schedule. These events have allowed me to get to know most of my classmates and their spouses, partners, children, and animals. It has been interesting to meet these individuals from industries all over the world.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of the areas I was in during medical school was the pediatric intensive care unit. These were the most complex cases that I had seen. It was very rewarding to help these kids go from being on a ventilator to being awake and able to transfer to a different floor in the hospital. This transition could take anywhere from a day to months later, but I was always glad to be a part of that journey back home.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: I have been trying to push myself to apply my learned business knowledge in other ways by entering case competitions and working for a non-profit consulting company. These are new tasks for me, so I enjoy discovering a way to bring a new product to market.

What has been the most surprising thing that you’ve learned as an MBA student so far? The most surprising thing I’ve learned as an MBA student is that companies can describe their financials or raise capital in different ways that gives them a higher tax break. This is done through categorizing inventory differently or increasing debt. It’s interesting to calculate the tax savings in accounting and finance with real companies.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Rice University MBA program?  Rice has a few trademarked sayings that they are looking for in candidates. The “you belong here” and “be bold” are some of the ideals that Rice University tries to look for in its applicants. Overall, be authentic.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE RICE JONES MBA CLASS OF 2023