Beatriz Marrero wanted to build a career in marketing. 18 months after joining a company in Venezuela, she’d been promoted into the role of assistant brand manager for a consumer product line and was managing an annual marketing budget.

There was just one problem. As Beatriz put it, “I lacked business skills.”

As an industrial engineering major in college, she says, “I did not touch finance, marketing, accounting, or HOP in my undergrad.” She decided to pursue an MBA, to acquire the knowledge she lacked and to build her leadership and organizational skills.

Initially, Vanderbilt was not her top choice. But visits to several schools led her to rearrange her preferences. “The other schools I went to,” she says, “were not as open and receptive as Vandy. It felt like home when I came here the first time.”

Her two years in Nashville only reinforced her initial assessment of the value of what Beatriz calls “the community feeling” at Owen. “You’ll find amazing people here who are open to helping you and are ready to work with you,” she says. “I knew all my classmates by name, and that’s very important to me.” She considers the friendships she made to be a highlight of her Vanderbilt experience.

And along with those friendships, Beatriz also built the skills she needed to progress along her chosen career path. After her first year, she completed an internship in Florida with Emerson, where she strategized a cross-functional project that incorporated what she learned in operations, finance, and marketing to increase the company’s service level in Latin America. Then, upon graduation, she returned to Florida and Emerson full-time. Vanderbilt helped her get where she wanted to be. “I’ve gained business acumen,” she says.

Fun Fact: Beatriz played semi-professional volleyball in her native Venezuela.

It felt like home when I came here the first time.