Jacqueline Sims

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“Comfortable in my skin. Cozy with who I am.”

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I taught myself Spanish by listening to salsa and bachata music. Then I accidentally turned into a pretty decent salsa/bachata dancer, too.

Undergraduate School and Major: Loyola Marymount University, Business Marketing

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Product Marketing Manager at a tech SaaS company

UCLA Anderson is founded on the Three Pillars: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. Which pillar resonates most with you and why? Drive Change. It is truly a blessing to be in this position to think fearlessly about my career choices and what I want my impact on the world to look like. It took courage to change the status quo of my career, intentionally shift its trajectory, and align my work with what my heart desires. Drive Change resonates most with me because earning an MBA is an opportunity that allows me to break the generational cycles that have perpetuated within my community and family. It also is not lost on me that “driving change” requires a degree of privilege. However, I look forward to leveraging my educational pedigree and experiences to help others be the architects of change within our communities.

What makes Los Angeles such a great place to earn an MBA? Los Angeles is truly an amazing place to be. I have lived here for over a decade and I love this city as much today as I did when I arrived. The weather is unmatched. The access to nature is unrivaled. The food scene is unreal. The amount of diversity in things to do is unbelievable. There is no other place within America that can check ALL those boxes. Hike with a view of the Pacific Ocean? Eat your way around the globe? Catch the sunset while on the beach? Want to see your favorite artist, band, sports team, or celebrity crush? Check! Professionally, Los Angeles checks the boxes for a diverse set of industries and companies, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. If you want to accelerate your career or pivot, Los Angeles is home to entertainment, aerospace, tech, sports – you name it.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of UCLA Anderson’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Anderson’s core value, Share Success, is very similar to the core tenets of ubuntu, an African philosophy that I embrace in my everyday life. The concepts of sharing success and ubuntu embrace the concept of success as being a collective victory. Everyone is genuinely invested in helping each other succeed here at UCLA Anderson—the students, the staff, and the alumni. As I explored different business programs, it was the community that became the biggest deciding factor. If I were to invest two years of my life, I knew I had to find a community that wholeheartedly believes in helping each other succeed.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at UCLA Anderson? UCLA Anderson has paired me with an amazing learning team. We hail from across the globe (USA, Canada, Korea, India, Chile), collectively speak five different languages, and come from very different industries. As a way to celebrate our diversity and bond with one another, we’ve started a monthly tradition where we each take turns organizing an event or activity that celebrates and highlights the beauty in our differences. We are big foodies, so naturally this has played out in the form of sharing a meal. Last month, our Korean learning teammate took us to a Korean BBQ restaurant, where we learned the social traditions of dining and the respectful way to toast among Korean people. Next month, we are “headed” to India or Israel. So excited!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Pivoting. I can tell you about impressive numbers on my resume, but the biggest accomplishment I am proud of is pivoting from customer success/digital marketing to product marketing. I cold-messaged hundreds of marketing leaders on LinkedIn, sought out mentorship, applied to countless numbers of PMM roles, and spent months interviewing and “shooting my shot.” Pivots are never easy, but I consider pivots (of any kind!) an accomplishment because you have to identify the change desired and do the work to change.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? The million-dollar question! I am giving myself the grace to explore without fear. As much as I like to plan many years ahead, I have personally witnessed a lot of loss in the last few years that has forced me to focus on the present. Life has proven to be incredibly short, so I am intentionally enjoying the “now” and letting my passion and intuition guide me. I am finding joy in work that is at the intersections of tech, human connection, and innovation. So, to answer the question directly, this can look like many things. Maybe in food and beverage. Big tech. Entertainment. Health care. The world will have to wait and see!

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into UCLA Anderson’s MBA program? You are already great. No program can validate that for you. Though the MBA application journey is grueling and a roller coaster of emotions, truly believe in your greatness. Remember: what’s for you, will not miss you! Also, embrace your community of support. This journey is best spent with others who can encourage and uplift you. I’m incredibly grateful for my tribe of supporters, the fellows and my coaches from Management for Leaders Tomorrow (MLT), and the networks from Forté and Consortium.

DON’T MISS: MEET UCLA ANDERSON’S MBA CLASS OF 2025