Melissa Ortiz-Feliciano

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“I am an empathetic leader, results-driven innovator, passionate storyteller and dynamic global connector.”

Hometown: Queens, NY

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have traveled to 52 countries, most of which were solo. I am continuing to grow that number as my goal is to travel to every country in my lifetime.

Undergraduate School and Major: Queens College (CUNY): English Literature

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: English Language Arts Teacher and Individualized Education Program Coordinator at the New York City Department of Education

What has been your favorite part of Nashville so far? Why? While I have traveled all over the world, I have only lived in New York City, so it has been fun to embrace a new home. Currently, I am loving the culinary scene across Nashville. There is a vibrant mix of creative dishes and unique atmospheres that make exploring local spots an exciting adventure. Top of my list are Noko in East Nashville and Dicey’s Tavern (amazing gluten free pizza) in Wedgewood Houston.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Vanderbilt Owen’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Coming from a different professional industry, I appreciate the module-based academic calendar at Owen, in which we do four ‘mods’ of classes in a year instead of two semesters. This style of coursework has given me exposure to twice as many business concepts in a short amount of time. This has been very helpful in my skill development for my post-MBA goals and as I go through the internship recruitment season.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Vanderbilt Owen? I have done my best to try to take advantage of as many of the great opportunities in clubs, classes, and activities that Owen offers. I particularly love two organizations that I am a part of: Owen Board Fellows and WIPC (Wond’ry’s Innovation Consultants Project), both of which have provided me the opportunity to work with non-profits in Nashville. I truly believe in learning about the community you are a part of and finding time to give back – especially important as a transplant. I truly enjoyed learning about the different non-profits that do so much for the individuals in Nashville and have been fortunate enough to be paired with two fantastic organizations.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishment of my career so far is that I was appointed as the English Language Department Lead at the high school where I worked – a program and project manager role with 4 direct reports. My team was passionate and invested in driving educational excellence. Together, we created impactful learning experiences that made positive impact on the school community and lives of our students.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? I came into this program with the understanding that I have a lot to learn in a relatively short amount of time to help equip me for my future. As I am not one to shy away from trying new things and being a little uncomfortable, one thing that I did early on was form a team to compete in Bank of America’s Human Capital Case Competition. While we didn’t win – we did place! A huge accomplishment for me as casing was a completely new experience and challenged me in new ways. Not only did I get to learn about this type of work, but I also made some fantastic friends!

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? The Owen Holiday Party! It was such a fun night – with great music, my husband, and all of my friends excited to celebrate the end of Mod 2.

DON’T MISS: MEET VANDERBILT OWEN’S MBA CLASS OF 2026

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