#MyMBAStory - A day in the life of a Global MBA participant

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Interviewer: Today we are in Nice to meet Karla, a participant of EDHEC Global MBA. Let's meet her on campus. After one of her classes, Karla takes a break on one of the campus terraces. 

Why did you choose to work in the field of finance and economy? 

Karla: So ever since I was in school and during my bachelor's, I've always been interested in finance and analysing the companies through a finance perspective. I also have good Excel abilities to work my way through financial statements. That's one of the reasons why I really like the Finance track.

Interviewer: Many courses in sustainable finance and ESG investing are offered within the global MBA programme. Why are these topics important to you? 

Karla: Before coming to the MBA, I knew that ESG was important. But after having more classes about it and having discussions with my classmates. I have realised that we're at a critical point if we want to reach the Net Zero emissions by 2050.  

Interviewer: Karla left the campus to go to Nice. Let's go see her. 

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Interviewer: Karla, you have been living in Nice for a year. What do you like the most here? 

Karla: There are many things I like about Nice. We got great sunny days. I like going to Old Nice and roaming around, finding some good restaurants and spots to get a drink with some friends. I also like to go to the promenade and see the sea. I've also found out that it's a great spot to explore the French Riviera, including Menton and the rest. These are some of the things that I really like doing here.

Interviewer: You came to the city to join the EDHEC Global MBA, what will you do after this programme? 

Karla: For the last two months of the MBA, we have to do a project and I've decided to do a thesis. After competing in the Monaco Protection Challenge, I want to deepen my knowledge in the blue sustainable economy and I think two months doing the thesis in May and June are going to help me do that. 

Interviewer: After our Nice tour, Karla went to meet Plinio Herrera, Global MBA alumni, founder of EO2, a start up focusing on green digital assets. 

Karla: Hi Plinio, how are you? 

Plinio: I'm good, and you? 

Karla: Yes, I’m good. Can you tell me how your entrepreneurial journey has been? Maybe some highlights that you've had so far? 

Plinio: This journey started a few years ago when I was researching for my MBA graduation project. It was about a market-based mechanism to protect primary forest. We realised that the problem with the offset market was that it was not very transparent and there was a big issue with the underlying carbon credits. This is why we decide to look for a solution for this problem and the solution was EO2. 

Karla: Do you feel that EDHEC, the MBA, the professors, and everyone has helped you to be where you are today with your startup? 

Plinio: I have a big list. I have to say that I'm very thankful for all the help that EDHEC has given me so far. Before coming to France, I had no idea that there was a whole industry behind sustainability. Professor Gianfranco Fianfrate helped me set up my business idea and business plan. 

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Plinio: I was lucky enough to work with you in a sustainability project for EDHEC business school, where they do research about the impact of opening this regulated carbon market to people. So I would like to hear your opinion. 

Karla: I learned a lot from it. I think it’s a great idea what EO2 is doing. It’s actually gonna make an impact and help reduce the emissions. 

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Interviewer: Karla grew up in Guatemala. That's where she went to school and started her career.

Karla, why did you decide to go back to school in France what motivated your choice? 

Karla: I wanted to boost my career and have an international experience. So that's when I decided I wanted to do an MBA and I wanted to do it in Europe, specifically in France, because it is worldwide recognised for the academic excellence and I also wanted to be exposed to other languages. That's why I came here. 

Interviewer: What do you think are the benefits of an international learning experience? 

Karla: From an international learning experience, you get a lot of personal growth because you are getting out of your comfort zone, you're moving to another country. And here in the MBA, you get to be around people from all over the world who have different backgrounds, different points of view, and different ideas. In the end, this helps you get a global perspective that will help you in the future. 

Interviewer: Next week is the final week of Global MBA classes. What do you think of this year that is coming to an end? What are your best memories? 

Karla: The classes are coming to an end. It went by too fast. What I will definitely remember is the learning in the classes, all the group work, how we managed to get second place in our marketing challenge, how we actually won the best pitch award in the Sustainability Impact Challenge. But the best memories I'll take with me is sharing time outside of campus with my cohort, all the gatherings, all the trips that I really enjoy with them all. 

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