Julian Fuentes-Loza       

Yale School of Management

“I am a positive person looking to leave a mark in the healthcare industry.”

Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have a secret Margarita recipe shared by my mom that I like to prepare for my guests

Undergraduate School and Major: Chemical Engineering, National University of Mexico (UNAM)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senior Consultant, IQVIA

The Yale School of Management is regarded as a purpose-driven program. What is your mission? How will your MBA at Yale SOM help you fulfill that mission? My mission is to improve and increase access to healthcare around the world. I believe that SOM will allow me to fulfill my mission for the following reasons:

To accomplish my goal of broad impact in healthcare, a deep understanding of the industry is essential. I believe Yale has all the resources to gain a deep knowledge of the healthcare industry. Yale has several healthcare electives, and you can easily take courses at the School of Public Health. Also, the location between NYC and Boston plus campus resources like Yale Health make it ideal to attend industry events and meet other professionals.

SOM alumni constantly talk about how supportive the SOM network is. In the past days I have been able to see this first-hand by interacting with my colleagues. They are extremely accomplished, affable, open-minded, and are already seeking ways to support each other. I am sure that being part of the Yale SOM community will have lasting benefits in the years to come.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Yale SOM’s MBA curriculum or programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I think the component of SOM’s mission of having a positive impact in society is a key reason of I why I decided to attend Yale. The school has several classes that consider the societal aspect of business (eg., “State and Society,” “The Global Macro Economy”) and has several events and clubs related to NGOs, impact investing, and social enterprises. In the few weeks since I arrived to campus, I have attested that most of my classmates also decided to choose SOM because they want to make a beneficial contribution to society in one way or another.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Yale SOM? I am really excited to experience the traditional Harvard–Yale football game. Regarding clubs, I am looking forward to being part of the Yale Grad Crew (rowing). Rowing is not a common sport in Mexico, so I think this is a unique opportunity to try something new and fun while doing my MBA.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I believe that my biggest accomplishment so far is deciding to create a social project. I named the project Vaccupedia, with a mission to answer vaccination questions and, at the same time, fight misinformation regarding vaccines in Mexico and Latin America. For the project, I hired a marketing intern to lead our social media strategy, project advertising, and to seek funding opportunities. Leading a person was challenging and at the same time extremely enriching and gave me an idea of the leader I want to become. Vaccupedia reached more than 10,000 quarterly views in the first half of 2022 through our social media channels, which made me extremely proud of the positive impact we are having in the region.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation?  As an engineer, business was not extensively covered during my studies. After rising to more managerial positions and creating a social project, I faced instances which required a sound business and management acumen. This made me realize the need to learn first-hand about both business topics as well as soft skills, making an MBA degree an unequivocal choice for me. Post-MBA I want to work developing the product marketing and strategy for a healthtech startup.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? This will be a recommendation specifically for Spanish-speaking P&Q readers. I started listening to the podcast Startupeable, which is focused on interviewing founders from the top start-ups in Latin America. It is a great way to learn about the start-up ecosystem in the region while listening to challenges and learnings that founders have faced while scaling and running their ventures.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Harvard, Wharton, Yale, Tuck

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Yale SOM’s MBA program? I would recommend visiting the Profiles section of the Yale SOM website. On that webpage, you can filter SOM students and alumni according to your interests (profile, program, industry) and read about their experiences. I contacted several of them afterwards through LinkedIn and scheduled quick calls to learn even more about their SOM experience, which allowed me to get a better sense of the values and mission of the school. SOM students and alumni are incredibly open-minded and supportive, so do not hesitate to reach out to them if you want to talk about SOM!

DON’T MISS: MEET YALE SOM’S MBA CLASS OF 2024