-Sun Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China: Bachelor of Arts Major in Economics (2018)
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
My invisible but essential journey began when I was just 10 years old. I was sent to a boarding school, which taught me independence, but unfortunately, it also amplified my reserved nature and lack of confidence due to bullying.
In new environments, I often felt uncomfortable and struggled to make new friends. It wasn’t until I went to China after high school that I discovered a completely different side of myself.
Moving to a country where English wasn’t widely spoken, I had no choice but to adapt to a new routine, culture, and lifestyle. I met people from all corners of the world who, like me, had moved to a foreign land, leaving behind the comfort of their homes. Our shared experiences of uncertainty and confusion while navigating life in China brought us together. During my three years there, I embarked on solo hiking trips to small cities like Shaoguan, worked as the only non-Chinese employee in a company in the quaint town of Wuxi, and even featured in advertisements for various international brands. These adventures instilled in me a newfound sense of confidence and independence.
When I joined ESADE, I was eager to share this multinational experience with my classmates, all thanks to my time in China. As the saying goes, “So much of who we are is where we have been,” and I couldn’t agree more. I encourage everyone to learn from and build upon their past experiences, surround themselves with loved ones, and be curious, always.
-University of British Columbia: Bachelor of Arts, Major in History & Minor in Economics (2019)
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
Ever since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by human behavior, trying to understand what drives people to do what they do and be who they are. Despite this, it was not until recently that I got to know what motivates me to become a better version of myself, so I’ll share my story:
As a child, I was reserved but had no trouble building meaningful connections with others. Making new friends and trying out new things has always helped me get a sense of what I liked (and disliked). As I progressed through my school years, I also became aware of some of my strengths and weaknesses. However, the idea of deciding who I wanted to be or what I wanted to do seemed fairly distant.
Unfortunately, life goes by very fast, and as you grow older you have to take decisions that will shape who you become. I have always enjoyed travelling and learning about foreign cultures so when it was time for me to go to university, I was happy to have the opportunity to study abroad in Vancouver, Canada. Throughout my undergraduate years, I met some amazing people from all over the world and learned a lot, but I still didn’t know where I wanted to be when I concluded my studies.
At my family’s suggestion, I moved back to Peru and became involved in the family business. I wasn’t very excited about it at first, but soon I became immersed in the world of business and construction.
Every construction project is like a puzzle; unique and challenging. It brings together people from different disciplines and backgrounds to complete a single objective. Success in a project doesn’t come in a single day but is achieved through the persistent effort of many dedicated professionals. Finally, there is a sense of satisfaction that comes from completing a project: whether it’s a house, a road, or a hospital, new infrastructure always brings new opportunities to society.
My experience in the family business helped me realize what I was capable of and what I wanted. I learned that motivation is important to achieve success, no matter how big the challenge; what motivated me throughout those years in the family business was knowing that I was helping to build a better future for those around me. To this day, I continue to challenge myself to achieve that same objective by pursuing an MBA at Esade.
So, if you ever find yourself in the face of uncertainty, be open to new opportunities and follow your heart. You’d be surprised to see what you can find!
VP of Marketing & Communications, Esade MBA’s Blacks in Business & Allies Club
First woman in the family to pursue an MBA
First person in the family to study abroad
Academics
-MBA Batch of 2024
-Bachelor of Arts in Advertising – Public Relations from the University of Central Florida
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had to temporarily say goodbye to my fellow classmates and as I settle in to a summer in the States, I’ve spent some quality time reflecting on my MBA experience so far. While there were many high-highs and low-lows, I can confidently say the highs outweigh the lows. When I had decided to pursue my MBA abroad, I was looking to have my mindset and lived experiences as an American challenged. I wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone and immerse myself in an environment where English wasn’t the main language and the culture was completely different. Now that I have had a month to relfect, I can comfortably articulate what makes me Invisible but Essential. To simply put it, privileged, something I never considered myself to be prior to moving to Spain.
Growing up in the United States as a Black woman, there’s many trials and tribulations one faces as part of the Black community within our own country. Whether it be the Black tax, cultural appropriation, socioeconomic inequality, racism and even unconscious bias, many aspects of being a Black American are deeply systemic and it can be hard to even put into words the effects that this has on individuals, even for myself.
I grew up in a single family home raised by a mother who instilled a hustler mentality in me from a young age. My mother often worked two jobs to ensure I was able to attend private school up until age 12 and live in school districts that had some the best public schools in the state. From a young age, I was inspired by her hustle and sacrifice and made it a point in my life to work hard not only set myself up for success, but to make her proud. From working as a grocery store bagger at 14, I’ve at times held multiple jobs at once in effort to support myself throughout my undergrad and even now within my MBA journey. Because of this upbringing, I never considered myself privileged, but solely a hard worker. I knew that if I didn’t hustle and figure out how to advance on my own, my family nor the country where I was raised could support me.
People look at America as the land of opportunity. And while that may true, people of color, whether that be Hispanics, Blacks, Asians or Native American, as well as those within the LGBTQIA+ community, often have to work twice as hard as their Caucasian counterparts. This has been made even more relevant in 2023 considering LGBTQIA+ marriage, affirmative action, legal abortion and student loan forgiveness has all been struck down by the US’s Supreme Court.
Part of the reason I sought out to live abroad is due to this idea that my social rights may not remain intact. It’s a scary time being a minority in the States, especially as a Black woman. I remember doing my research before moving to Spain and seeing minorities in Europe being treated well and overall feeling safer. The complete opposite to the uneasiness i felt growing up in my own country. But when I arrived in Spain, I never thought people would consider me privileged.
I must say I felt ignorant when I learned of the trials and tribulations my peers go through from a visa perspective. I didn’t know the extent passport strength played in someone’s life until I moved abroad and I admit, that’s the American privilege I hold. But what has made me feel invisible is the lack of identify I felt at times because I am considered “just another American”. In reality, my experience as a minority within America is completely different than to some of the peers I share a Nationality with.
As I’ve edited and rewritten this article in the past month and thought about my MBA experience, what makes me invisible but essential is my upbringing and the fact that I am the only Black American woman within the cohort. I am appreciative of everything my passport affords me from a global perspective, but I want my voice and experiences within my home country to be known. I’m seeing this next phase of my experience as an opportunity to speak more openly about the things I’ve faced. I no longer want to see these types of discussions as a tokenization of my background, but more as a way to educate my peers of the not so beautiful side of America. Although I may feel invisible at times, I know what makes me essential.
Advanced to a national table tennis tournament in Japan’s junior high school
Academics
-MBA Batch of 2024
-Bachelor of Law at Keio University, 2007
Activities
-Volunteer (Cleaning up Tokyo rivers)
-Toastmasters club
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
Believe in myself
When I took my first high school entrance exam, I felt so nervous and became sick from the intense pressure. I even puked during the exam. Needless to say, I failed to pass the exam. That was one of the most embarrassing moments in my life. I totally lost my confidence and thought of changing my second exam to that of another high school which was easier to pass. I told the idea to my mother. Then, she said, “Don’t do that. If you give up, you will do that for the rest of your life. Believe in yourself.” Her words inspired me with the importance of self-confidence. With my mother’s encouragement, I studied hard until the next entrance exam and earned a high score that enabled me to enrol in my top choice high school. This experience has helped me a lot to believe in myself and continuously work on even in the tough time for my study or job.
20 years after this experience, I encountered a YouTube video on which Mr. Jeff Bezos, made a commencement speech at Princeton University. He concluded his speech by saying, “In the end, we are our choices.” My interpretation was that people tend to become complacent, so it’s precious to try new things with our choices. His words encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and apply for Esade. It may sound ridiculous to decide to pursue an MBA degree by watching a YouTube video, but I followed my choice by believing in myself.
Life is a Relay
The former CEO of my organization once compared running a company with a relay. As a runner passes a baton to the next teammate to continue the race, in a company we inherit a baton (visions and values) from those who came before us and advance it forward with the hope of passing our baton on to a future generation.
I think life can be compared to a relay as well. In life, the baton symbolizes experiences and values passed down from one generation to another. My grandfather researched local history in Japan at university. His passion for learning was passed down on to my father who became a book editor and was eager to learn about different cultures. I inherited my passion for learning new things and my love of books from them. This was another key factor to make me challenge an MBA. I really look forward to seeing how my daughter will inherit my baton in the future as she is growing day by day by interacting with her classmates coming from different countries. Hopefully, I expect her to join Esade 20 years later. To better pass my baton, I want to continue improving myself by working with this amazing cohort!
Partner and VP of Communications in an import/export consultancy
Academics
-MBA Batch of 2024
-Marcromedia University of Applied Sciences, M.A in Media and Communication, 2015
-Beijing Normal University, B.A of Management, 2011
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
My story started with a sudden burst of athletic talent and the recruitment into the school’s track and field team.
I was 13, won the first place in the high jump and long jump events at school sports day and started my eight-year-long track and field journey. My days were packed with training sessions on top of my academic schedule. But all the hard work paid off, I was the school record holder for years, represented the school in many competitions and won many medals. With the results I had, I was offered a chance to enter a selection process of a prestigious university when I was 17. So I pushed myself even harder, dedicating my time and energy to training outside of studying, even sacrificing sleep for late-night video analysis of professional athletes.
All this effort was shattered by a car accident, and I was diagnosed with a serious neck injury that could lead to paralysis. The treatment was painful, and I needed to lie flat on my back most of the time as my neck was being pulled by very heavy weights. When I finally got discharged, the doctor warned me that high-intensity sports training was out of the question, because that could easily cause severe re-injury. It was a tough decision, but I chose to give up the chance to be selected for the university and take care of my health. I didn’t give up training completely and competed for the next year, but I only got average results because of the reduced training intensity.
Well, there is no twist that you expected in my story. But I learned a lot from this experience, so much so that a large part of it has become my standard of behavior in school, work and life in the years to come.
First, be patient and persistent. Despite my love for sports, training was tough and often dull. The temptation to quit was always present, and the relationship between training time and results wasn’t always aligned. But by remaining patient and persistent, I was able to learn from my mistakes and bounce back from failure. This process allowed me to gain valuable experience and expertise in my chosen discipline, and it’s a vital lesson that can be applied to any task I undertake in life.
Second, remember to celebrate success and appreciate other’s contributions. A member of the track team once said, “The best part is the celebration!” we all just scoffed. But then we realized that celebrating together after a victory is important, even if it’s just high-fiving each other, to share the joy of the accomplishment and to show our support to each other. This team spirit and appreciation for each other’s contributions also carried over into my work life. I always encourage my team to celebrate success together and to recognize each other’s efforts. It creates a positive work environment and fosters a sense of community and support.
Finally, it is alright to stop and let go when it’s time. Giving up is sometimes a difficult decision, but ultimately it was the right one for my well-being at the time. Releasing things that no longer serve us can make room for new opportunities and experiences that can bring more fulfillment to our lives. Through my own experience, I learned that sometimes the best way forward is to let go and allow ourselves to embrace what comes next.
Thank you for reading my story and hope you get inspired a little every day!
-Universidad Veritas, Costa Rica, Design Thinking & Marketing 2017
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
I could talk about my family background and life stories, but I’ll dig deeper.
As one of the quietest people in the classroom, it’s hard to know what I am feeling, what am I thinking. When I was growing up, I used to think the world was a complex and empty space that would never be aligned with my emotions. Being so sensitive to energies and people around me would keep me isolated from the world regardless of the outcome, almost as if I was trying to protect myself from something that was not even real. I didn’t really understand the meaning of my behavior and emotions until I became older and decided to work on my consciousness and self-awareness as part of my daily life.
By the time I was in college, I realized how easy it was to get distracted and redirected away from your center. Most of us would do life in autopilot without actually trying to understand the reason behind our own triggers, intentions, and desires. I took my first steps in this journey when I decided to study the topic of Neuroscience through Mindful Living. The choice of becoming self-aware is a never-ending process that will show you a whole different perspective of yourself that you didn’t even imagine it was there. I consider this process as a self-awakening practice that involves sacrifices that eventually will add up to a meaningful outcome.
Based on my own experience, I learned how to use what I thought was ‘wrong’ with my personality as a tool to engage with the world around me. For instance, I invested my time in articulating and understanding the why behind my triggers and specific emotions that didn’t made sense in the moment. You train your mind into knowing how and when to pinpoint certain patterns and behaviors that will only give you more insights on your self-awareness mechanisms. I also introduced a writing practice as well as meditation into my routine that supported me in the journey towards understanding my thoughts and emotions. At the beginning its uncomfortable to embrace parts of you that you were used to ignore for most of your life, however, consistency makes you stronger while life starts to pivot towards a whole new perspective without you even noticing it.
Along the way, you’ll notice how real connections around you start to flourish. You become better at filtering, and yes, you will have to let go of people and situations that no longer align with your intentions. It will hurt, but eventually it will make sense. Suddenly you have more space to receive what your destiny has in store for you.
I encourage everyone to choose this path and work towards becoming a more conscious human being. Self-awareness will not only impact your life but also the world around you.
A meditation & sports enthusiast who loves Trekking (walk 3 million steps a year).
Academics
-MBA Batch of 2024
-Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology, Gautam Buddh Technical University, 2010
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
Every story starts with a “once upon a time……”, my story starts with a “there will be a time……..”
There will be a time when we must look beyond our own existence and consider the legacy we will leave for future generations. For me, this realization came early in my childhood from my deep love and appreciation for the natural world, and a burning desire to make a positive impact on the world around me.
As I pondered my role in the grand scheme of things, I couldn’t help but question whether simply accumulating material possessions, doing some social service, and fulfilling worldly duties was enough. It was then that I came across the words of the revered Indian saint, Sadhguru, who stated that the true test of civilization is whether we leave the world a better place for those who come after us.
After arrival of my beautiful child, this thought became even stronger and I made the difficult decision to leave behind my beloved family, disrupting their and my life for a better world.
It was this sentiment and a need for more awareness on environmental impact in business world that led me to choose Esade for my MBA, as it offered me the freedom to explore my passion, align my values, and find a career that would truly make a difference. Yet, as I soon discovered, this was no easy feat.
The quest to find a purposeful career, one that would allow me to make a real impact, is filled with challenges and obstacles. But I refuse to give up, and instead, continue this journey with a steadfast determination.
If you too dream of a life that transcends the mundane, that seeks to make a meaningful impact on the world around us, then I invite you to join me on this journey. Let us strive for a more purposeful existence, one that enriches our own lives and leaves a lasting and positive impact on the world for generations to come. For as the famous saying goes, “we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
Inspire ! Grow Sustainably! Care for natural resources!
The first member of the family who went to college.
The first engineer in the entire village.
The first person in the village who travelled abroad.
Co-founded a software consulting company, Rolaface Softwares, in Zambia, Africa. Score 333 on the GRE examination
Activities: Mentoring, Travelling (more than 50 countries on all inhabited continents) Trekking, Scuba Diving
Academics
-MBA Batch of 2024
-Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute 2021
-Oracle Certified Professional Java Programmer 2014
-Bachelor of Technology in Electronics & Communication Engineering, Kumaon Engineering College, 2010
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
My name is Vineet Saurabh, but my second name is not mine at all!
A few days after my birth, my parents replaced my original surname with a random one. It had nothing to do with me or even them. In India, the second name defines the caste. During the 80s, discrimination and violence against caste were prevalent in the region of India; I was born and grew up. You could be educated and successful, but you can’t escape the vortex of caste. Except by changing your name.
During graduation, I experienced a series of dichotomies, none related to anything I did, but all related to who I was. I couldn’t speak fluent or accented English then, which made my life hell in a country where less than 10% of people speak English. Once, I was asked to take ‘the podium’, a makeshift 2-feet platform created to shame freshmen, and asked by seniors to make a 10-minute English speech. I doubt I would have elicited so many laughs had I been India’s top stand-up comedian. Ironically, in a country of coloured people, I was bullied for being dark-skinned.
During my first trip to Africa in 2013, I saw Africa’s corruption and learned about its people. I found myself surrounded by people who were, like me, desperate to be somebody. They were underdogs. I even invented a visa type in Africa – the $100 ‘instant’ bribe visa – at Malawi border control. Even though the corruption was rampant, at least it wasn’t discriminatory. I had borrowed money to make that first trip abroad, but after I returned, what had initially seemed like an expenditure now appeared like an investment.
For the next 3 years, I travelled to Europe many times for work, but to me, Africa was the underdog, and that is what I wanted to serve. In 2018, I resigned from Addnode, co-founded Rolaface Software, and moved to Zambia. For the next 2 years, I was the underdog coach. I served small businesses that often couldn’t afford us, offering generous payment terms at Rolaface because the money wasn’t my reward; the opportunity was. I implemented banking software in Africa and enabled digital transformation in Latin America. I travelled every other week and saw life and success happen in unlikely locations. In the Siwa Oasis in Africa, I saw salt-water fishing in the middle of the desert, and in Puerto Nariño, 2 hours from civilization in the Amazon, I saw people live even today like Neanderthals. I also saw how African countries grew faster than South American nations, though the former had been independent for only 50 years and the latter for over 200. Growth and progress, I saw, is a function of effort, not just the environment.
I brought the same message of hope back to the dusty lanes of Bihar I originated in. I have conducted over 20 workshops on technology careers, education, and career guidance. I continue to root for the underdog; every time I visit, the youth there don’t refer to me by name. They call me ‘Computer sir’.
In that sense, I may have lost a name because of my caste but gained an identity because of my work.
Academic: ESADE MBA Women in Business Award and VP of Networking & Communication – Finance Club
Activities: Sponsorship for a EMBA in Finance by Itaú BBA (performance award)
Others: First family member to do MBA (local and abroad) / volunteer as care clown at an NGO (pre-Covid)
Academics
-MBA Batch of 2024
-EMBA in Finance at Insper (Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa) – São Paulo, Brazil | EMBA in Finance (sponsored by Itaú BBA) (2017)
-Bachelor of Business Administration at Escola de Adm. de Empresas de São Paulo, Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) – São Paulo, Brazil (2008)
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
Born and raised in Brazil, soon in life I started to experience, the challenges of growing-up in a developing country and more specially in a more female dominant environment due to my specific circumstances in life. At that time, little did I know about the meaning and life impact of all typical challenges regarding education, financial stability, and opportunities. But luckily, I was surrounded by strong and hard-working women who taught and inspired me so much, especially two which I want to introduce.
One, a primary school teacher, who was abandoned by her husband and migrated with four children from the Northeast of Brazil to São Paulo in search of work and better living conditions. From selling encyclopedias door-to-door, this woman ended up running her successful own business for many years. Her example of strength and dedication was marked in her crooked backbones, and she was also my grandmother. The other, also a public-school teacher, faced the death of my father at the age of 32, with a 4-year-old girl and a 5-month-old baby boy. Throughout her life, my mother struggled to support my brother and me, always prioritizing our education to ensure we could have a good future. Overcoming all challenges (personal losses, financial instability, gender, etc), her example taught me that education, hard work, perseverance, and faith can lead us to achieve our goals and dreams.
It didn’t take long until it was my turn to experience some of these challenges myself. Despite my family’s lack of financial means, my dedication to studies and my determination to change my future led me to a personal sponsorship for my studies in a top private school. I took the opportunity to challenge myself and prepare to enter a very prestigious business school in São Paulo, financed by a student loan. This and the commitment I had mentally to be a changer in my family pushed my dedication at work. The results didn’t come as fast as the challenges in the male-dominated environments of business school, consulting, and financial market. Long working hours, facing intimidation or disfavoring from some people, harassments from others, but I knew I had reached amazing opportunities for learning and developing professionally. I pushed and challenged myself, outperformed, achieved my goals, and helped others on the way as my role models taught me.
Thank you to the women of my life and to all the people who contributed in many ways to show that we can achieve our goals with collaboration, in addition to education, perseverance, hard work, dreams, and faith.
Social Impact, Women in Business, Energy and Sustainability promoter and club member
Volunteer at Alfamed Joven and Kulmentor with the goal of the democratization of education and empower young people
Academics
-MBA Batch of 2024
-Diploma in Digital Marketing and Communication Strategies 2.0 from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2020)
-Degree in Communications from Universidad de Lima (2018)
What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?
Since I was younger I’ve always been very expressive, but instead of seeing it as a strength, I used to want to hide it. When I wanted to talk, no matter how relevant the topic was, I used to make everyone laugh. So at those moments I felt dumb and stopped feeling confident about speaking out loud. This, unfortunately, lasted till I was at university.
However, when I started to work everything changed. I realized how important it was to ‘speak up’, to share your ideas, to expand some debates and also to make questions. I needed to push myself to overcome my fear, which was challenging, but it is so worth it. Now, I try to do it not only for myself but also for those who are as scared as I once was. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to ‘not be afraid of your own light’, it will surprise you.
I understand the importance that “fitting in” and not attracting too much attention can have or seem to have, but sacrificing what we like or who we are to achieve it is really not worth it. I’ve learned a lot about myself and there have been moments in this journey that truly marked me: when I decided to bet on my dreams and my future and apply for an MBA at ESADE and when during the pandemic, in my eagerness to do something about the increase of domestic violence in Peru, I created “Hazlo por Ti” (Do it for Yourself). A program of free psychological and psychiatric help from specialists at a national level. In the beginning, I thought that no one would want to join the idea, but I had to believe in myself and with a lot of drive I managed to get it off the ground and it is something I will always be proud of.
By respecting and accepting ourselves we are also strengthening our empathy towards others. But to achieve this we have to take the time to get to know ourselves and not put external opinions above what we want to be or accomplish. I am still on this learning path, but every day I reassure myself that by being authentic I can build bridges and unlock benefits for myself and others. I invite you to give it a try.
Invisible but Essential 