A native Spanish speaker from Cali, Colombia, Monica Belalcazar is a first-year student in the Illinois MBA concentrating in Marketing and Operations Management.  The MBA program came as a blessing to her life, and it has been an incredible experience from the first day.

Although Monica was accepted to another top MBA school, she joined the Illinois MBA because she felt at home the first time she visited campus, and she continues to have this feeling when she is around staff, faculty, and classmates. “Some of the most valuable things that I have acquired during the Illinois MBA are exposure to the worldwide knowledge from my classmates and the great attitudes of students who share their cultures and values.”

With an undergraduate degree in business administration and three years of experience with a Colombian agribusiness company as a marketing analyst, Monica is applying her experience in activities related with the MBA. Recently she has been involved as a member of the Academic Council and is working with Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) on the coordination of a consulting conference to be held in Chicago in the spring of 2006. In addition, she is the Executive VP of the Latin American Business Society, an IBC Junior Consultant, and a Student Recruiter for the admissions office.