Luis Gomez

Home City: Katy

Home State: TX

Home Country: United States

Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston

Undergraduate Degree and Major (and minor, if applicable): Supply Chain and Logistics Technology

Pre-MBA Industry: Technology

Pre-MBA Company: HPE

Pre-MBA Title: Product Owner

Desired industry post-MBA: Entrepreneurship

Desired job function post-MBA: Founder

Student Organization Membership: Beer Club, Entrepreneurship Association, Technology Association

What has been the most surprising part of your Rice MBA experience? I expected the coursework to be intellectually challenging. What I didn't expect was how immediately I could apply it. Within weeks of starting, I was using concepts from my classes to rethink how I price contracts, and operations frameworks to identify bottlenecks in my current processes. The classroom became a consulting bubble that I am able to apply in real time.

On top of this, my cohort is full of people with very different backgrounds than myself. I have the privilege to learn and have discussions with people knowledgeable in very different backgrounds and practices.

What has been your favorite thing about your MBA experience so far? The wide array of knowledge I have acquired in different sectors. The MBA has forced me to think like a marketer, a financial analyst, an organizational designer, and a strategist, sometimes all in the same week. This versatility has helped me win contracts and expand my clientele in real-time.

What is one piece of advice you would share with a prospective student – one sentence? Stay organized, keep an open mindset and trust that even when you feel overwhelmed, you are growing.