Today, Texas McCombs celebrates Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting some women the right to vote 100 years ago in 1920. The Texas McCombs MBA program is proud to have made strides to increase the number of women in our programs, but in both business and business education, we acknowledge there is still much progress to made toward gender parity. Meet some of our Texas McCombs women who are already leading the way below.
Susan Alvarez, Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2021
Susan Alvarez
Full-Time MBA Class of 2021
“It’s important to understand that not all populations are treated equally, and pivotal to help make a change in the right direction.”
Tell us about yourself. What led you to pursue an MBA?
I am a double Longhorn and did my undergrad at UT. Afterward, I was in the Army ROTC and then was commissioned into the army as a Second Lieutenant. I served eight years as a Logistics Officer and during that time, I did two combat deployments in Afghanistan in 2014 and Iraq in 2017. I am now happily married to my husband, Michael, who served in the Army for nine years and is also getting his MBA at McCombs.
The decision to pursue an MBA was honestly difficult for me initially. I loved being in the Army and the work I was doing but being a dual-military couple comes at a heavy price. At the time we decided to leave the Army, Michael and I had been married for five years but had actually lived together for only 18 months. We were on opposing deployment schedules and spent the majority of our marriage apart. In 2016, I interviewed for company command, got the next position in my career path, and two weeks later was on a plane to Kuwait for my second deployment. There never seemed to be a “good time” to have a child and at some point, we had to ask ourselves if what we were doing was best for our goals and our family. Pursuing an MBA would provide me the stability and reassurance necessary to grow a family without the fear of work dictating my life’s choices.
Tell us about being a woman in the workplace and in the military. What has your experience been like, and did this influence your decision to choose McCombs?
As a woman in the army or in the workplace in general, there’s always the thought of maintaining a delicate personality balance; the slight fear of coming off too abrasive, or being too nice and getting taken advantage of. My dad told me years ago, “Don’t ever let them see you cry. Excuse yourself and cry in privacy so that they don’t see you as weak.” He served over 20 years in the Army and tried his best to prepare me. I’ve learned that no leadership style is all-encompassing. You can’t expect to treat every soldier the same and receive the same level of output. You have to make quick mental assessments and be willing to adapt to changing situations.
What do you look forward to in regards to women’s equity? Have you seen change or progress being made at McCombs?
We’ve come so far from where we were and it is incredible to see the progress we’ve made. I am the President of the McCombs Texas Veterans in Business, where women make up ten percent of our student veteran population. My hope is to inspire other female veterans to take on leadership positions and normalize women in higher ranking roles. I am also a member of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, an organization dedicated to boosting the representation of underrepresented American minorities in the business sector. It’s important to understand that not all populations are treated equally, and pivotal to help make a change in the right direction.
Jacqueline Newell, Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2021
Jacqueline Newell
Full-Time MBA Class of 2021
“Women can have a complementary perspective to situations that break up group think or confirmation biases.”
Tell me about yourself and background. What led you to pursue an MBA?
I’m an officer in the U.S. Army with over 18 years of service. I have a background in logistics, but have worked in the Strategic Organizational Design and Development field for the last 10 years and was recently promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. I’m married; my husband retired from the Army in 2016. We have a daughter starting her sophomore year in high school. We were most recently stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany—outside Frankfurt—before coming to Austin for school.
The Army offers a program whereby officers can apply for full-time Master’s degrees fully sponsored by the Army. I saw this as a good time in my career to pursue a Master’s, and I believe having an MBA will not only help me be better at what I do for the Army, but also help me mentor junior officers as they progress in our field.
Tell us about being a woman in the workplace and in the military. What has your experience been like, and did this influence your decision to choose McCombs?
I think being a woman in the military is a great opportunity! Women can have a complementary perspective to situations that break up group think or confirmation biases. This can drive problem solving and innovation. While it may seem intimidating to be in a male-dominated industry, and to offer a different perspective, it is necessary.
I have also found that if I focus on building up the teams I’ve worked on— and sometimes even building teams where none previously existed— the goals were always achieved and the teams have been successful. The collaborative environment of the Texas McCombs MBA was a great fit for this type of leadership style I’ve been developing.
What do you look forward to in regards to women’s equity? Have you seen some change or progress been made at McCombs?
I think it’s challenging to separate and discern correlations and causations when looking at outcomes and women’s equity. What I think is important is the culture and environment that welcomes and promotes women. Texas McCombs has done well to encourage and promote women leaders and give women a voice.
Lola Sholola, Texas McCombs Class of 2020
Lola Sholola
Full-Time MBA Class of 2020
“I am mostly looking forward to experiencing a complete shift in mindset with respect to how women are perceived, and for women to be considered equal to their male counterparts.”
Tell me about yourself and background. What led you to pursue an MBA, and why McCombs?
I consider myself an “East Coast girl” since I grew up in the D.C. area, though I was born in Lagos, Nigeria. I always had a knack for numbers, so I majored in Actuarial Science at Morgan State University, an HBCU located in Baltimore, MD. Upon graduation, I accepted a role at Liberty Mutual and was relocated to Seattle, WA to join their Analytics Development Program. I stayed at the company for about four years, moved through a variety of roles and gained product management expertise. However, I wanted to explore business more broadly and gain a better understanding on how to lead and run a business unit; hence, my reason for obtaining an MBA degree.
McCombs sort of fell on my lap, to be honest. I started my MBA application process two years into my job at Liberty Mutual and knew I had to attend as many MBA conferences and recruiting events as possible in the Seattle area. As it turns out, an organization called the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM) hosted a webinar on “Why MBA” and “Why CGSM” and almost half of the CGSM alumni hosts were Texas McCombs alums. After the session, I stayed back to chat with a few of them and fell in love with their personalities. I made up my mind to do more research about the program; from there, things took off. I graduated this past May and I’m currently working at Walmart in a Finance and Strategy role I love.
What has your experience been like as a woman in the workplace and at McCombs?
Broadly speaking, being a woman is tough in the workplace. I like to consider myself a feminist: I wholeheartedly believe in equal opportunity and treatment for all. Unfortunately, that has not always been my experience and there is still a large pay gap between men and women in the world.
At McCombs, I joined GWiB (Graduate Women in Business) because of its mission to lead toward equality. It provides a space for women to develop their skills professionally and personally. It was an opportunity for me to support organizations working to empower women.
What do you look forward to in regards to women’s equity? Have you seen some change or progress been made at McCombs?
I am mostly looking forward to experiencing a complete shift in mindset with respect to how women are perceived and for women to be considered equal to their male counterparts. There is still a pay gap between men and women in the world. Will this perception ever change? I certainly hope so. Presently, it is difficult to find women CEOs, not just in the U.S. but globally. I think we need to see more women having a seat at the table. Have I seen changes at McCombs? Yes, certainly from a recruiting perspective. McCombs is also a member of Forté Foundation, an organization that provides women with higher education and professional development opportunities. Overall, it is a work-in-progress and McCombs is aware of this and consistently working with GWiB to increase male allies and support.
Clara Kraft Borges, Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2022
Clara Kraft Borges
Full-Time MBA Class of 2022
“You’ll see that a lot of amazing powerful women out there who are willing to talk, help and just uplift one another.”
Tell me about yourself and background. What led you to pursue an MBA, and why McCombs?
I’m a returning Longhorn. After graduating from UT Austin’s Moody School of Communications, I started a career in Digital Marketing. Prior to MBA, I was working as a Marketing Manager at a startup that was founded in my hometown in Brazil. What led me to an MBA was a desire to learn and help others. I saw that with an MBA I could advance my career, and by doing so, help other people who didn’t have the same opportunities as me. I chose McCombs because I know first-hand about the quality of education at UT Austin, as well as its diverse environment.
What has your experience been like as a woman in the workplace, and what are you looking forward to at McCombs?
In my experience, being a woman in the workplace means having to put in more work and energy to achieve the same results as your male counterparts that are usually the majority at companies. This is the case not only with women but other minorities as well. While this can be frustrating, I’ve also found that women have supported each other, both in the workplace and outside. We’re shifting from a time when women were seen as jealous of one another to a culture where women support and speak up for each other, which makes me very hopeful for the future.
I’m a proud Forté Fellow. The possibility of joining Forté was one of the biggest points that influenced me to choose McCombs. I’m looking forward to being part of a network of amazing women and being able to pay it forward during my lifetime.
What do you look forward to in regards to women’s equity, and what words of advice would you give women considering getting their MBA?
I mainly look forward to seeing an increased awareness of the inequalities that affect women in the workplace. I spent several years of my career without perceiving workplace situations that favored men, or situations where a woman’s opinion wasn’t heard. It’s painful to acknowledge that this happens, but I believe it’s the first step to bridging this inequality. The second step is speaking up. To women considering getting their MBA, I’d advise you to reach out to other women that you admire or would like to meet, and you’ll see that a lot of amazing powerful women out there are willing to talk, help and just uplift one another. Work on creating a network of women that you admire and you’ll go very far!
