Meet the MBA Class of 2025: Teresa Magaña Leach, TCU Neeley

Teresa Magaña Leach

“A dynamic first-generation college student who values connection in a rapidly changing world”

Hometown: Kingsport, Tennessee

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have been an avid vegetarian for 24 years. Growing up in a Mexican household, this was not easy as meat is part of nearly every dish.

Undergraduate School and Major: Sam Houston State University, BS in Kinesiology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: City of Fort Worth, Community Engagement Liaison (Communications & Public Engagement Department)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:
In my role as program coordinator for the Keller Parks and Recreation Department, I led the transformation of our environmental initiatives. While managing programs like Keep Keller Beautiful and Adopt-A-Street, I encountered a challenging 16-page grant application (Keep Texas Beautiful GCAA). After a determined effort and major improvements, I secured second place, narrowly missing out on a $750,000 award for beautification projects. With another year in this role, I believe I could have achieved first place and secured the funding.

On a personal level, my greatest accomplishment is venturing into a career unrelated to my formal education, switching organizations, tackling challenging roles, and taking on projects I initially considered too advanced. My courage, dedication, hard work and willingness to embrace challenges, have been worth every hardship because they led me to be where I am today.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?
I had contemplated furthering my education for quite some time. My interest in business has been a constant in my life, with a previous consideration of minoring in business to eventually establish my own therapy clinic. Also, having family members who are in the industrial construction industry, I always believed I could contribute to their company’s growth. However, life took me in a different direction when I relocated to another state.

Over the past five years, I’ve gained valuable experience in the medical field and worked in various roles within local government, which exposed me to diverse environments. I’ve always valued diversity and have found that my greatest accomplishments stem from collaborating with individuals who share their unique perspectives. This realization led me to understand the importance of diversity and representation in my life. I felt compelled to get more deeply involved in my community, and that’s where the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce gracefully entered my life story.

I resonate with the mission of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and have enjoyed participating in their uplifting events geared towards Hispanic entrepreneurs and friends. As luck would have it, the FWHCC partners with TCU, who shares similar goals as the chamber, making it clear to me that pursuing my MBA, specifically at the TCU Neeley School of Business, was the right path for me.

TCU Neeley School of Business and the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce partner to dedicate scholarships to developing leaders to obtain their MBA degrees in the nationally ranked full-time program, and I was its lucky recipient this year.

What word best describes the TCU MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far?
Dynamic. They can do anything. They are leaders, innovators, but most importantly they are kind, they care and are always willing to lend a helping hand.

Aside from classmates, what was the key part of TCU’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?
When I started exploring the idea of business school, I was immediately attracted to TCU because of the remarkable network of community leaders, many being women who I admire. Upon expressing my interest in the TCU MBA program to these leaders, they showered it with praise, highlighting the exceptional faculty, esteemed professors, and the unwavering support of the Horned Frog network. In addition to the resounding endorsement, as an aspiring business owner, TCU’s Center for Entrepreneurship, and the resources they and the MBA program provide to assist aspiring entrepreneurs, made it clear that I needed to make TCU part of my future.

In fact, within a mere three months of starting the program, I’ve already had the opportunity to connect with the leaders Fortune 500 companies during networking events, case competitions and conferences. I’ve even had the privilege of dining with top executives at MBAC-level Confidential events. Additionally, I am working on translating my skills learned in the public sector to assets that will serve me well after completing my MBA and entering the private sector.

What is your favorite course as an MBA and/or favorite professor and why?
My favorite professor during my MBA journey so far has been Dr. Virginia Traweek. I appreciate Dr. Traweek sharing real-world tidbits from finance history to add an engaging and interesting dimension to the difficult course that is Financial Management. I’m taking her passion and enthusiasm for finance with me as I tackle the challenges of Financial Management II as I know that the skills learned in these courses will help me tremendously within my future endeavors.

What club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at TCU?
I have greatly enjoyed the Graduate Women in Business organization because it has connected me to a supportive and empowering community of future female business leaders and alumni. A testament to this started as early as my application process when I received a warm invitation to a Graduate Women in Business event. There, I was able to reconnect with Shanna Saldana, a current Executive MBA student and inspiring community leader. Shanna recounted her positive and empowering experience at TCU and reinforced the value of pursuing an MBA here. This club is already a valuable platform for networking, mentorship and personal growth.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far?
My biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far has been the cultivation of new relationships and having the vulnerability to welcome new concepts and embrace new challenges, truly unleashing my human potential.

The program began with a two-week orientation, during which the new cohort was getting to know one another to the point that we got to experience what it felt like to form a close-knit family. During this time, we were also assigned to teams, and I found myself a member of Team One.

Our first challenge was nothing short of adventurous – a boat regatta. The task: t Construct a boat from everyday household items within a short timeframe. This boat had to be not only functional, but also aesthetically pleasing, and it had to have the capacity to carry a team member while in a pool of water. What made our team remarkable from the start was our collective emphasis on embracing diverse thought and individual strengths. We encouraged each team member to leverage their unique skills. Winning was a goal, but enjoying the process and getting to know one another was our top priority.

In the end, our strategy paid off. We not only won the design portion, but also raced to victory in the boat regatta. One classmate even went as far as comparing our creation to a speedboat. The camaraderie, respect and effective communication that blossomed within our team on that exhilarating day carried to our next big challenge: the 2023 Dell Technologies Case Competition in Austin, Texas.

Once again, our team rose to the occasion, securing first place in the competition. The same values of teamwork, encouragement and the pursuit of excellence that drove our boat regatta success propelled us to another significant win.

Being part of this MBA cohort has been a thrilling journey, and I look forward to witnessing the remarkable achievements we will collectively accomplish as we continue this path.

What surprised you the most about business school?
Everything. TCU made the application process feel so personalized and intentional. The theme continued into orientation and now to the classroom. This atmosphere is truly refreshing, and it’s clear that fostering such an environment can only lead to unimaginable achievements. Business school is hard, but TCU makes it worth it.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list post your MBA?
1. Start a business that generates life-improving opportunities for my community.
2. Representation matters, so I hope to become an influential mentor that inspires young girls who look like me, sound like me, and have experienced challenges like me, and then show them that they can do anything they set their minds to.

DON’T MISS MEET TCU NEELEY’S MBA CLASS OF 2025