MBA Admissions Career Path

¶ … laptop on the tray table in front of me. Business class roominess is so much more conducive to getting work done, I think, as my spreadsheet application opens. Legs casually crossed in front of me, cranberry juice at my side, I review my work on the company's financial statements. It's been a great quarter for my pet venture, which I launched just a year ago. It hasn't been entirely easy but once I received my MBA from the University of Florida, my career mushroomed. After working for many years with such prestigious companies as Shell and Motiva, I launched my own business venture based on the knowledge and skills I gleaned over the years. Looking down at the vanishing earth beneath our airliner, I reflected on what it took to get me where I am now.

In 2001 my first big break arrived when I landed my first position with Motiva Enterprises. Based out of Houston, I completely immersed myself in the financial operations of the company, focusing on inventory management. On a daily basis I was in contact with clients to reconcile and analyze contracts. Therefore, in addition to improving my fundamental skills in accounting, financial management, and budget analysis, I learned a great deal about how to forge and maintain healthy business relationships. Developing amicable working relationships with external customers came easily to me: already multilingual, I was able to interact with people from a wide range of positions and backgrounds. The two years I spent as an exchange analyst for Motiva offered innumerable challenges and prepared me fully for my MBA and my eventual entrepreneurship.

Next, a promotion within Motiva drew me further toward my career goals. As data analyst I shifted focus to the distribution aspect of the oil refining business and worked primarily with Motiva terminals on the Gulf Coast. Another layer in my career foundation, that position strengthened my ability to analyze profit and loss and to process this data in ways meaningful to the company. Self-directed and highly motivated, I was able to hone my skills independently, through the boon on my position within the upper echelons of the oil industry. In addition to fine-tuning my financial know-how, I also gained insight into the complex and fascinating world of major oil companies, especially as they operate on a daily basis.

Moreover, I took the opportunity to engage myself in leadership positions. For example, I participated in a high-profile look-back project with Motiva, validating exposures from purchases. Selected to serve on the Shell Diversity and Inclusiveness Council, the company's Generation X Network, and Network NeXt, I was further able to demonstrate my abilities as a leader, motivator, and guide. Doubtlessly those experiences and the confidence they gave me prompted me to eventually start my own business.