Personal Statement for College Application and MBA Admissions

My past jobs may seem surprising at first glance but these jobs have aided me significantly in reaching my career goals. Through these selective jobs and my community I’ve begun to forge myself into the confident, client oriented, team based leader that I aspire to be. Post MBA I plan to become a socially responsible leader specializing in small to medium sized businesses and startups. Over the course of my experience I’ve come to recognize the importance of communication. The most important of these communication methods are in-person-meetings, phone calls, and emails. My past experiences have allowed me to build on these skills and ultimately my post MBA goals. I intend to reach my career goals with an MBA from Leeds business school

It began with a tiny piece of paper passed to me during class at San Diego State, which read, “For more information regarding a college internship please provide your name and contact information.” I was reluctant at first but, after a good internal laugh over receiving this during my marketing class, I grasped my ballpoint pen and provided my details. It conspired to an internship with College Works Painting. The entrepreneurial spirit of the internship encompassed my desires to learn a business inside and out-, my own business. I first became a painter to learn the trade though I soon hired people to do the painting.

That let me focus on business development. I was included in the top interns who were rewarded the opportunity to follow through with production. My experience as a branch manager made me aware of my passion for leading and it provided me the first hand experience needed to run a business. At the end of the internship I asked myself, “How could I have done better as a leader?” I knew I wanted to become better in conveying messages to my employees and my clients. I found a job that provided just that while allowing me to teach a favorite activity. Mission Bay Aquatic Center accepted my application as a Wakeboarding Instructor.

That position made me a better leader. Through practice of thoughtful and compassionate communication I developed the ability to tailor my teaching methods to individual needs and concerns. My successes led me to receive an award as the top Wakeboarding Instructor in 2010. I became more confident as a leader. I began to realize the role adversity has played in helping me reach my goals. So I asked myself, “How can I further develop my communication skills?” Then I applied to become an Admissions Counselor at Ashford University.

There were many challenges as an Admissions Counselor. That is actually what drove me to apply for the job in the first place. The majority of my work was done on the phone, an area I needed to improve. I also noticed my biggest area for improvement was increasing my student retention. I stringently needed to adapt to new practices so I asked my teammates about their successes. I found a few that worked for me and implemented them. I never shied from asking or providing assistance to our team. As my retention increased, I went on to help people develop roles within our team.

The roles helped boost efficiency and camaraderie. I went into this job specifically to develop better practices in communication; I received more than I had expected. Over the course of my tenure, I worked on two different teams and experienced working with three different managers, two interim managers, and no manager for a month-long period. This could be considered unfortunate but I side with the contrary. I witnessed firsthand a wide range of managing styles and was able to identify with a few of them. As my employment commenced I knew it was time to make a career change, move into finance, and pursue a graduate level education.

So I made a few phone calls, received an internship at AEquitas Capital and started my research on business schools. Although my experience at AEquitas has been incredibly challenging, the true opportunity of this internship is the possibility to experience an IPO. Through my team efforts and clear communications between counterparts I am fortunate to say the Chief Portfolio Developer has acted as a mentor to me.

I remember my graduation from San Diego State as if it was yesterday. The ear-to-ear grin on my face is unforgettable. But there was one thing I knew prior to that day, I will be back, maybe not at SDSU, but I will be back to receive my MBA. It was then I acknowledged my current level of ability and maturity, and devised a plan for personal growth. So I began the career path I just traced out. It was not the conventional path for a position in finance but each job served its purpose. These jobs worked on areas I needed to improve. I developed leadership qualities I might not otherwise have gained behind a desk in finance. Now, I am ready for my MBA and I know I would be a great addition to the dynamic culture that Leeds offers.

Leeds was among dozens of schools I researched. What differentiated Leeds was its encouragement for the entrepreneurial spirit. My friends can attest to my passion for innovation and the Leeds Deming Center for Entrepreneurship offers opportunities to work with executives in entrepreneurial environments along with experience in startup ventures. I am highly interested in both of these, as well as the course curriculum, the elective course work in the finance portfolio and the option to study abroad in the Financial District of London.

These are all great qualities I seek in my MBA program, an alignment with Leeds vision and the curriculum. Studying abroad will allow me to widen my global mindset, something important to succeed as a leader. Boulder, Colorado offers one of the most startup friendly environments in the country and I am confident Leeds will provide me with the foundation I need to be successful in a finance leadership position at one of the many startup opportunities in the state.