Question: Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it?
When I was 16, I made a decision that would forever change my life. I was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain by my Spanish father and Filipina mother. At home, we would only speak Castillian and for some reason I wasn’t taught my mother’s native tongue. Throughout my life, I have been quite the introvert as I couldn’t seem to fit with any group. To make up for my anti-social lifestyle, I would focus my time on my studies and would be very good at it. I would soon feel quite empty and question what more the world could offer me. When I was 15, I was able to watch an American television show that would inspire me to research on the life in the United States and the opportunities waiting. A year later, I moved to the US without knowing a single word of English. It was quite a challenge throughout the remaining years of my high school life but then I persevered in spite of the adversity I had to face. I took English classes, a series of speech classes, and soon practiced the language by conversing with my classmates. The small step of trying to communicate with other people ignited a quality that I never knew I had.
In college, my English was already quite excellent and even better than some of my peers. I joined a Foreign Affairs organization because I wanted to act as an ambassador of my homeland, Spain. I would engage in a lot of talks, speeches, and debates. Soon enough, I would find myself in leadership positions in every team or group I would be a part of. This made me think of running for president of the student council which led to a landslide victory.
After college, I took a job at a large banking firm as part of a financial strategy team. My years of experience in leading our team to success confirmed that indeed, leadership was a central quality I had in me all along. Still, the world is rapidly changing and new trends arise with every beat of the heart. My college experience was a key factor in the growth of my leadership skills, especially my ability to exchange ideas with people of different backgrounds, and I am confident that this is what an MBA would provide. A continued education would only strengthen this characteristic of mine and soon enough success is to surely follow. The environment at ______ University with its collection of top notch students and faculty would be a great avenue for me to explore my key attribute. I know that when I finish my MBA, a steady climb to the top awaits me.
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