Andrea Hayem, MBA’16, from El Salvador, is walking into her dream job next May.
“I still can’t believe it,” she says. “I’ll be starting as an investment banking associate at Morgan Stanley in London after graduation.”
This is the culmination of years of hard work and consolidated effort. “I graduated with honors from college in the U.S. I was a manager at a top financial services firm. I was also highly involved in extracurricular activities,” she says. “An MBA from IESE was the next step for me.”
However, it was not an easy option, she says.
“Even with savings and help from my parents, the MBA was out of my reach.” By completing the two essays in the scholarship section, Andrea brought her dream closer.
“I took a chance and applied. I was over the moon when I received the news that I had been granted a scholarship.”
IESE recognized Andrea’s potential and backed her from the start, she says. “The scholarship is a means of accessing the program and reaping the benefits. Education and scholarships make a transformational combination.”
Supporting Talent at Every Stage
Andrea is one of the many students around the world who have received a scholarship from IESE, and taken a step forward in their career.
“So far, in my business career, the most important issue that I have faced is making the transition to manager. IESE helped me do this successfully,” says Rodrigo López, EMBA’17.
This support has also meant the opportunity to study while working on his startup.
“My SME marketing and strategy company is in the early stages. As an entrepreneur I was aware of the financial burden the cost of the EMBA would have on this project.”
The IESE EMBA admissions team recognized Rodrigo’s talent –
and the potential impact an EMBA would have on his plans.
“From the beginning, IESE supported my candidature,” he said. “They understood my situation, the scope of my business projects, and helped me with the whole process.”
This included awarding him the Mitsubishi Electronics Entrepreneur Scholarship.
Having the opportunity to follow your dream and apply what you are learning to your own business is life-changing, he says.
“The EMBA changes you in more ways than one. It gives you a new way of thinking, and focusing. Your professional and personal outlook on life changes. I believe our lives are marked by our decisions. The EMBA helped me to transform my capacity to make decisions – affecting me, affecting my company.”
Supporting Career Change
Across the globe, IESE supports talent at every career stage. Scholarships are available for a broad diversity of profiles.
“The GEMBA was tremendously influential in helping develop the framework for my transition out of military life,” says Leah Wicks, GEMBA ’17.
“I’m capitalizing on both my GEMBA and previous military experiences to help business leaders solve challenges and create opportunities,” she says. Wicks, a U.S. citizen, is keen to build her own “positive social impact. I’m focusing on expanding my veteran's non-profit from a local to a national non-profit.”
The admissions team helped her take a first, decisive step, she says.
“They encouraged me to apply for a scholarship. Then they guided me through the process and kept me informed throughout both the admissions and scholarship timelines. They were a critical part of my decision to go to IESE and compete for the scholarship.”
This extra support from IESE was decisive for Leah. “The scholarship made the GEMBA financially available to me.”
“It also opened doors to business opportunities I had not previously considered, providing a peer group, network and experiences that helped me better understand the business world.”
“As well as an education that prepared me to take advantage of opportunities moving forward.”
Andrea, Rodrigo and Leah are just a few outstanding people who have been impacted by scholarships. Working together with sponsoring companies, IESE is committed to building opportunities for exceptional students to become excellent leaders.
As Rodrigo puts it, “IESE believes in candidates who want to create value, improving the everyday life of people and companies in the business world.”
Find out more about IESE Scholarships and programs.
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