When he was in high school, Antonio Thery says he changed his mind about his future career path almost daily. He considered law, business and medicine. Then he settled on engineering, until his college course work convinced him that he didn’t want to be an engineer. He came back to one of his early interests — finance.

Meanwhile, volunteer experiences in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, helped him clarify his career ambitions. “Going regularly to a few of the most dangerous slums in the world to teach kids and get involved in the community changed my life. There, one can realize how little things could change someone’s life forever.”

Antonio decided he wanted be involved in investing, particularly in nonprofit organizations promoting social development, education and health in less developed countries. To attract foreign capital into his country, he realized, he’d need not only skill in the field but also a network.

Coming to Vanderbilt right after graduating from Venezuela’s Universidad Metropolitana was an easy choice, Antonio says, thanks to the school’s “top-notch academic quality, outstanding alumni network, and excellent career opportunities, plus the idea of having access to all of these in a dynamic, demanding and fun environment.”

He believes the experience has helped him in other ways, too. “Being exposed to really smart people from around the world has let me open my mind and think deeper, with different points of view, about many things from politics to religion to food and sports. It has helped me develop a more global understanding that I’ll use to improve and impact the people around me.”

Fun Fact: Along with Spanish and English, Antonio speaks French.

“Going regularly to a few of the most dangerous slums in the world to teach kids and get involved in the community changed my life.”