Interview with SIPA MIA Candidate, Dario Martinez COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Interview with SIPA MIA Candidate, Dario Martinez COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Dario Martinez Brief Background: I am originally from Honduras and I have a Bachelor in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration, both from Loyola University New Orleans. Prior to enrolling at SIPA, I was a Senior Territory Manager for Loyola University and I was in charge of the recruitment and marketing efforts for the university in Latin America, the Caribbean, Mississippi and Florida. During my time at SIPA, I have been involved in the SIPA Consulting club and assisted them in organizing the Case Competition last fall. Also, as a member of the Columbia’s Impact Investing Initiative (CI3), I was part of a four person team that developed a strategy for Habvita Mexico’s entrance into the microfinance housing market in Mexico. Finally, this summer I was an intern in the Renewable Energy Research Department for ThinkGreen Global Advisors and I assisted my manager with client pitching, managing interns, due diligence and research on clean energy topics. What attracted you to SIPA? What attracted me the most to SIPA, was its rigorous curriculum. I had a strong foundation in Finance and Business prior to coming to SIPA but I wanted to further my quantitative and analytical skills further. My professors are not only knowledgeable and highly regarded in their field but where accessible and invested in training tomorrow’s leaders. Moreover, undertaking classes such as Accounting for Public Affairs, Economic Analysis II or Capital Markets definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and prepared me to pursue a career in the private or public financial sector. All of this while attending a school that has a strong focus in policy, which I am very passionate about, and an unparalleled international focus. What experience prepared you to attend SIPA? I think that the two experiences that have helped me the most are: work experience and multicultural awareness. As a Territory Manager, I had to learn to work in a fast pace environment, to develop strong multitasking and time management skills, and to interact in a professional setting with people from different backgrounds and cultures. My prior experience also allowed me to develop a better understanding of the concepts and tools discussed in my classes and their applications in the real world. While at SIPA, I have also been surprised with the diversity of our student body and the wealth of knowledge the students bring to the classrooms. I have classmates come from all over the world, SIPA has 51 countries represented on campus, and from very interesting and unique backgrounds. My classmates are former marines, Peace-Corp participants, full-bright recipients and international development consultants. This opportunity has definitely allowed me to learn about my classmate’s countries, their customs and their personal and professional experiences. What kind of work do you want to do when you graduate? Upon graduation, I intend to work in the finance sector. My goal is to join a rating agency or a financial institution and use the knowledge and skills that I acquired at SIPA to provide world-class financial, strategic solutions and research to their sovereign and institutional clients.