Julian Barquin

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

“I am an attorney passionate about impact leadership in Latin America.”

Hometown: Montevideo, Uruguay

Fun Fact About Yourself: Just before COVID, I crossed the Andes from Chile to Argentina on horseback. It took us 4 days and we camped in the mountain.

Undergraduate School and Major: Universidad de Montevideo

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senator Carmen Asiain, Legislative Counsel

What excites you most about studying in Washington, DC? It is being at the world’s crossroads of politics, law and business. What happens in DC has immediate global resonance.

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? Georgetown is the world’s leading university when it comes to international relations, and that is heavily reflected on the McDonough MBA’s curriculum and faculty. Its goal to educate the “best of the world, to be the best for the world” reflects both Georgetown’s Jesuit heritage of service and its global leadership mission.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Georgetown McDonough? I’ve heard great things about the Consulting Club, especially if you’re interested in recruiting for the field. However, there have been talks among first-years about starting a Pizza Appreciation Society, which sounds equally enthralling, honestly.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In my last pre-MBA role I was privileged to be part of an incredibly accomplished team, working in one of the most challenging years for policy making. We were able to pass a law requiring accessible facemasks in public places, aiming at hearing-impaired individuals who became ‘de facto’ unable to communicate due to facemask mandates. We also helped Uruguay’s Food Bank with a tax incentive scheme that helped them distribute 460,000 kg of food among 92,000 Uruguayans at the surge of the COVID economic crisis.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? It was a clear sign that the next generation of leaders needs to be ready to lead among disruption and change as constants.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation?
I see the MBA as the ultimate leadership preparation, equipping students with a tool kit that combines both quant and soft skills, and forcing you to take this theory to practice through team projects and networking events. After graduation, I would like to work in consulting in Latin America.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Chicago Booth, Duke, Harvard, UVA Darden.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Georgetown McDonough’s MBA program? Make sure you understand what’s unique about Georgetown, its global focus, and D.C. location, and how that fits with your academic and professional aspirations.

DON’T MISS: MEET GEORGETOWN MCDONOUGH’S MBA CLASS OF 2023