Oscar Mendez, Jr.

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“Born an extremely competitive person and passionate about travelling and family.”

Hometown: Mandeville, LA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I used to compete in Tae Kwon Do, and I have two gold medals from the AAU Jr. Olympics.

Undergraduate School and Major: Tulane University, Legal Studies in Business

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Ariel Investments, Associate Analyst

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: When I started as a research associate at Ariel Investments in 2015, I worked under the supervision of a vice president, who was in charge of our investment restrictions monitoring process. After a few months on the job, our vice president resigned. I was able to prove to senior management and the research team that I could lead this process. At the end of last year, I was promoted from Research Associate to Associate Analyst.

After a year at the firm, we decided to migrate to a new compliance engine, which was a large and high-risk project. The purpose of this project helped us improve our efficiency and increased the automation of our investment restrictions process. Many departments were involved in the project, and I was able to lead the migration process for the research team. We decreased the number of manual investment restrictions by over 40%.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why?Team-oriented. The rising second year students and my fellow incoming classmates have been very accessible in preparing for the upcoming academic year. In addition, many of my classmates have made themselves available to assist other classmates with questions about a certain industry and/or job.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? I was attracted to Goizueta because of the strong finance program. However, I was more impressed by the close-knit community and how much the Goizueta network helped one another. Prior to starting my first semester, Goizueta alumni and current students took time out of their day to run through mock interviews with me for summer investment banking events. Without their help, I would not have been able to secure a summer 2019 Internship.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to being involved in the Finance Club.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I want to strengthen my financial skill set. In addition, I wish to expand my knowledge about other business sectors such as operations, marketing, and business strategy.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? There were several factors that went into my decision. I wanted to develop my leadership skills, expand my knowledge and way of thinking, and build life-long friendships with my classmates.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to several schools in the Midwest and Southeast.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I was looking for a program with a close community and strong finance program. In order to achieve this, I made sure to attend a seminar through The Consortium to learn more about Goizueta. In addition, I made a few trips to Atlanta to ensure that the program and city was a perfect fit. After talking with current students and alumni, I could see the genuine interest from the Goizueta community about my personal and professional interests.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? The defining moment in my life was seeing my mom go back to college while my sister and I were young. It taught me that anything could be achieved with a little determination and hard work.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After graduation, I plan to be working as an Investment Banking Associate.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself remaining in Investment Banking. Hopefully, I will be transitioning from an Associate to a Vice President.