We recently connected with Samantha Martinez to talk through what her experience has been like as a Chicago Business Fellow. Read on to gather insights from Samantha about tackling an MBA early on in her career.
- By
- February 13, 2024
- Booth Women
Get to Know Samantha Martinez, Chicago Business Fellow and Evening MBA Student
Our Chicago Business Fellows Program is specifically designed to enhance the MBA experience of students with three years or less of full-time work experience. Read on as Chicago Business Fellow (CBF), Samantha Martinez, shines light on her path to Chicago Booth as an early career professional.
Samantha Martinez is a Chicago Business Fellow and Evening MBA candidate at Chicago Booth, originally from New Jersey. Before Booth, she went to George Washington University for undergrad, and she recently graduated from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with her master’s in public health, specializing in health policy and management. Samantha is fascinated by the intersection between health and business and looks to find new ways the two industries can interact in the future. Currently, she works at UChicago Medicine as an administrative fellow. In her role, she focuses on operations and strategy in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department, and builds the connection between inpatient and outpatient services.
Samantha knew she wanted to pursue an MBA early on. She saw the value in obtaining a business degree and wanted to understand operations and strategy from a business vantage point. Samantha began her time at Booth during the Spring Quarter of 2023. She’s excited to see what will come from her Chicago Booth experience and looks forward to making an impact within healthcare and business across various communities.
Interest in Chicago Business Fellows Program
Samantha was attracted to the Chicago Business Fellows Program because it gave her the space to evolve and develop as a student and leader. With more educational experience than professional, Samantha wanted to be surrounded by like-minded people and get support from professors, colleagues, and fellow students. It was important for Samantha to get an MBA early on in her career because she understood that a business mind in the healthcare industry would allow her to assess and develop healthcare strategy as the world changes. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Samantha saw that healthcare institutions and hospitals needed assistance in their operations to better support the public entirely. As a result, she wanted to learn the skills to facilitate that growth in the industry and help patients in underserved communities. For her, being at Chicago Booth and part of CBF is a fantastic opportunity that allows her to learn not only from classes but also from those around her. She values learning about fellow classmates’ experiences and appreciates being able to build on those interactions to further her professional and personal growth.
Career Aspirations
Samantha’s long-term career goal is to work on health initiatives that create accessibility for all people across the globe. As a first-generation student and daughter of immigrants, Samantha learned the importance of healthcare through its absence in many nations around the world. As a result, Samantha has been searching for innovative and business-focused solutions that can support different communities and their needs.
An MBA from Booth is important to Samantha as it will give her the knowledge to understand business perspectives, experiences to build out ideas in an international setting (IBEP), and a community of students and faculty from many backgrounds that can broaden her perspective on the world. Luckily, Samantha has already interacted with a vast amount of people across different nations and created a network that has allowed her to understand real-life problems and operationalize solutions. She’s looking forward to building upon her network and career goals as she continues to embark on her MBA journey.
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Favorite Class at Chicago Booth
Samantha’s favorite class at Chicago Booth has been Consumer Behavior with Professor Kristin Donnelly. As someone interested in understanding people’s thoughts and decision-making, Samantha felt excited to learn more about how consumers choose different products. With a science background, she also really loved the psychology behind it all and is interested in using those concepts and themes more as she continues throughout her MBA. Professor Donnelly was an asset as she shared her real-life experience with the concepts learned in the classroom – Samantha valued the personal anecdotes and real-life experiences Professor Donnelly brought to the classroom.
Community Involvement
Because Samantha saw the value in Chicago Booth fellows and enjoyed her experience thus far, she joined the Chicago Business Fellows board and looks to plan more events for the community in the future. In addition, Samantha is also a member of the Student Advisory Council, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Board, the Student Admissions Committee, and the Graduate Women in Business, and the Coalition of Minorities in Business.
Fun Facts about Samantha:
- Samantha is a photographer in her free time and loves taking pictures wherever she goes!
- Samantha is an avid traveler and loves to explore new destinations. With every new city or country, Samantha dives into new areas and captures them with her cameras.
- Samantha has visited six out of the seven continents and looks to visit Antarctica one day soon.