Mariah Montenegro

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“I am one of those people, who believes they can change the world.”

Hometown: Campina Grande, Brazil

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was a YouTuber! At 16, during my exchange program in Louisiana (USA), I shared my experiences through YouTube videos. The channel grew to over 9,000 subscribers and 600,000 views. After returning to Brazil, I (unfortunately) stopped making videos. Maybe now that I’m back in the U.S., it’s time to pick it up again…

Undergraduate School and Major: Business – University of Sao Paulo (USP)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: AB-InBev – Senior Product Manager

UCLA Anderson is founded on the Three Pillars: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. Which pillar resonates most with you and why? From my very first coffee chat with Anderson alumni to today, I’ve felt how deeply Share Success is woven into our DNA. Before coming here, I spoke to students and alumni from various backgrounds, and I was struck by how collaborative everyone was. They not only answered my questions but proactively reached out to offer support, making the intense application process much smoother.

Now that I’m here, I experience Share Success every day. My classmates are incredibly supportive. Just last week, during the “Challenge Course,” a day of group activities designed to help us connect, I had to face my fear of heights by walking from one side to the other on a rope that was 30 feet above the ground! My rope partner was incredibly patient, guiding me through the challenge, and my classmates on the ground cheered me on. Another example is when we went to karaoke; whenever an Anderson student sang (no matter how off-key), the whole group joined in from the first row! This is our everyday life in and outside of class: we support and cheer one another. You will see students preparing together even when applying for the same job offer, sharing resources, and offering constructive feedback. The second-year students are also deeply involved, mentoring first-years. It’s so much easier to navigate this journey knowing you can count on the people around you. It is a true sense of community.

What makes Los Angeles such a great place to earn an MBA? Forget everything you think you know about LA. Even if you’ve visited as a tourist, living here is completely different—and a thousand times better. LA offers everything for everyone: if you are a city person, you can go shopping at Century City Mall or enjoy a night out at one of many bars; if you are into nature, you can hike with your friends on a Monday after class or plan a trip to Yosemite; and if you are a beach person, you’ll spend your Sundays playing beach volleyball or sunbathing in Santa Monica or Venice Beach. Even the weather offers you “the best of both worlds”—sunny and warm during the day, with a cool breeze at night.

With its strategic location, LA offers incredible opportunities to connect easily with big industries in the city, such as (but not limited to) entertainment, real estate, and healthcare, but also with industries outside, with Silicon Valley, for example, just around the corner.

Lastly, as an international student, I was particularly concerned about transportation, but LA pleasantly surprised me! Contrary to what I had heard, getting around by bus is quite easy—and it’s free for UCLA graduate students.

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? For most students, post-MBA employment is a major concern, particularly in the current job market. That’s why it was crucial for me to attend a school that provides robust resources to support my job search, especially as I navigate a completely new job market. At Anderson, we have the Parker Career Management Center, one of the best in the country. Even though I have just started the program, I have already seen how much effort the Parker team puts into helping students. For example, they offer three summer immersion options in Consulting, Finance, or Technology, which dive deep into each industry and provide an early start on recruiting preparation.

They have also hosted several sessions introducing various industries, such as Consulting, Technology, Healthcare, CleanTech, Real Estate, and Entertainment. These sessions provided an industry overview, recruiting tips, historical data, and real-life examples. The Career Series, mandatory for all students, offers weekly sessions to tackle the general recruiting strategy (target definition, resume, interviewing preparation, etc.). Additionally, each student is paired with an advisor aligned with their goals, who provides guidance throughout the entire journey.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at UCLA Anderson? One of the most exciting opportunities at UCLA Anderson is the Global Immersion Program. This course offers a unique opportunity to understand the intersection of business, technology, economy, and politics in regions beyond the USA. As part of this program, we spend a week in a selected country, gaining firsthand experience of how businesses operate in these dynamic markets,

What makes this course particularly compelling is its emphasis on practical learning, offering a blend of company visits, cultural activities, and interactions with business leaders and alumni. For instance, past participants have visited leading companies like Shein and Alibaba in Singapore, gaining insights into cutting-edge technology applications and business models. The course, led by Professor Terry Kramer, is designed to broaden our perspectives, providing us with the global mindset necessary to lead in an increasingly interconnected world

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026? My unique quality is my ability to bridge cultural differences and foster collaboration among diverse groups. Having visited over 40 countries and lived in 4, coupled with working with international teams at AB InBev, I developed a deep appreciation for different perspectives and a talent for bringing people together to achieve common goals. At UCLA Anderson, I will leverage this ability to build strong, inclusive teams, both in and out of the classroom. Whether it’s working on group projects, participating in the Global Immersion course, or contributing to clubs like AnderTech or Women’s Business Connection, I am committed to ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and valued. This focus on inclusivity will not only help create a supportive environment where everyone can thrive but will also encourage innovative thinking as we bring together ideas from around the world. I believe that my experience in uniting diverse teams will be a significant asset to the Class of 2026, helping us all to achieve more together.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of my most significant career accomplishments took place at Sem Parar, Brazil’s largest provider of electronic payments for vehicles, owned by Corpay. When I joined the company, I saw an opportunity to enhance customer engagement through a loyalty program. However, my proposal was initially met with skepticism by the leadership team, who were hesitant to invest in an unproven concept. Undeterred, I kept working to build a structured case, running a manual (no development required) test to validate it. Equipped with compelling results, I received a positive response to lead the implementation of the cashback program. In under 3 months, it exceeded the targets by 30% and soon became the biggest digital product of the company.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? As I continue to build my career in Product Management, my goal after graduation is to secure a Product Manager position at a tech company in the USA, such as Google, Uber, or Apple.

DON’T MISS: MEET UCLA ANDERSON’S MBA CLASS OF 2026