Daniela Valero
Pathway(s): MBA in Leadership
Location: Aurora, Colorado
Undergraduate Degree: B.S. in Biomedical Engineering (University of Florida)
Occupation & Company: Human Factors Engineer 2 at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies
Years of Work Experience: 5
Why did you chose the UW MBA Consortium? I chose the UW MBA Consortium because the classes offered as part of this program were more focused on leadership than other programs I looked into. The program is also made up of relatively small cohorts of students, which I love because this allows for more interaction amongst students than larger programs would.
What has been the best part of your experience thus far? The material I am learning that has been so eye opening and helpful for all areas of my life. I find the concepts challenging to my traditional way of thinking and help inspire better and more innovative ways for leading.
What advice do you have for prospective and/or new students? Read all of the material, take your classes seriously, and take time to reflect and deeply breathe in all the concepts. I find that when I reflect upon the new material I am learning, seeing how that challenges old schools of thinking I was taught, and seeing how I can apply it in my daily practice has been the most helpful for me. That being said…if you do not think you will have time to thoroughly engage with the material and take your time to understand it, then you might not be ready for embarking on the MBA journey. You need to be mindful and really consider what you are learning in your classes to make the most use of it.
Please share a fun fact about yourself: I always find ways to continuously learn and improve in everything I do. I find myself getting “bored” often and finding new ways to improve my skills by taking courses, embarking on new journeys to learn new material, and finding ways to challenge myself. I am a very time efficient yet busy individual that has a genuine curiosity for exploring other cultures and including diversity and inclusivity in everything I do. So I love to travel and find ways to see the world through different lenses.