Catherine Young

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

“I am continuously curious, perpetually passionate, and a steadfast believer everything happens as it should.”

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Fun Fact About Yourself: I wrote and published a book entitled Miracle of Mom.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Notre Dame – Management Consulting Major (Italian Minor)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: General Mills – Customer Account Lead II

What excites you most about studying in Washington, DC? I’m most excited about living in such an international environment, especially partaking in the culturally diverse cuisine. I’m also quite excited to lose myself in all the incredible museums accessible to the public. This opens the doors to continuous education, giving McDonough students the unique opportunity to pair what we learn in class with outside knowledge. As a patriotic individual who loves U.S. history and international exploration, D.C. seems like the idyllic location.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Georgetown McDonough’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? What separated Georgetown from other schools was its emphasis on international exposure to cultivate and create the most prepared workforce. As someone who has always held the importance of becoming a global citizen at the forefront of my life, this aspect was extremely important to me, especially given my ties to my family business in Guatemala. I wanted to attend an MBA program that would continue my preparation as a global businesswoman to handle the complexities of an ever-growing interdependent world. Thus, the McDonough School of Business seemed like the perfect fit.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Georgetown McDonough? I’m most excited about the Global Business Experience that occurs during our second year. This involves traveling to and working through a business problem in a different country. Beyond gaining more insights as to handling business proceedings and culture in a foreign nation, I am most excited about applying acquired skills and learnings toward discovering real-world solutions.

Georgetown McDonough programming focuses heavily on instilling a global mindset. Why is exposure to global diversity so critical to business success? Having worked in a large multinational corporation at General Mills, it became evident how significant a diverse workforce becomes towards achieving growth. For example, without our international segments, our overall position as a leading food company would significantly diminish. More specifically, without having a global mindset, I would be significantly undervaluing a team in India which continuously supported me in delivering key business objectives.

Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized Georgetown McDonough was the right program for you? Why? As soon as I stepped on campus, I realized McDonough was the right program for me and my fiancé, Ryan Pachuta (also a first-year student at McDonough). Upon walking through Georgetown’s impressive grounds, we immediately could feel a sense of belonging and history, unparalleled to other programs in question.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Beyond the multiple promotions I received during my time at General Mills, my biggest accomplishment thus far in my career was navigating the complex customer relationships with two U.S. retailers during a dynamic, inflationary environment. This required fostering strong interpersonal relationships, where I matched internal targets with external needs. Not only did I accelerate my businesses, but I also strengthened ties with GMI and the retailers for many years to come. On a more personal note, winning the Culture Champion Award was my other greatest accomplishment in my career. As someone who always holds a people-first mentality in the workplace, being voted by my colleagues for my contributions in creating and fostering an enjoyable work environment was one of the greatest honors I have ever and will ever receive.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? Beyond just being able to explain what VC truly entails, if I can say I’ve learned and I’ve lived, then I will consider the MBA an incredibly fulfilling adventure. If I carry with me a deeper understanding of business principles and their application to the real world for the greater good, then I can say I’ve learned. If I have met and befriended individuals from all walks of life, learning from their professional and personal backgrounds and traveling with them to unfamiliar lands, then I can say I’ve lived. This, to me, will be a successful MBA experience.

DON’T MISS: MEET GEORGETOWN MCDONOUGH’S MBA CLASS OF 2026