Forté Impact: Maria Paulo Osorio Marin

“My mentor encouraged me to be myself throughout the process,” Maria said. “I was obsessed with looking at profiles of people at Harvard Business School, googling what is the right recipe to get in. Then I realized they’re looking for authentic people, and I needed to own my experiences and what I brought to the table. She brainstormed with me about those important aspects of my life.”

She didn’t need convincing that an MBA would accelerate her career. But she relied on MBALaunch to put her best foot forward because she was applying to the top MBA schools.

“MBALaunch was my next step to do the best application possible,” Maria said. “The resources were great — discount codes for GMAT prep materials, coaches, meetings with admissions officers from different schools who helped me grasp what to expect in their individual application process.”

The Forté connection

Now an MBA candidate, Maria is building important relationships that open doors for her career. At Forté’s MBA Financial Services FAST Track Conference, she met the managing director of PIMCO’s New York office just before starting an account manager internship at the investment management firm.

“After speaking with her at the conference, I reconnected with her in New York during my internship and built up that connection,” Maria said.

After graduation, she’ll start a full-time account manager role with PIMCO, where she’ll be strengthening the client relationships she built in Latin America during her internship.

“Forté connects women with similar aspirations and dreams,” Maria said. “It bridges that gap of women looking for important roles and companies looking for top talent.”