Biography
After working as a talent acquisition professional for several years, Betzaira Herrera was ready to take the next step in her career. While she enjoyed working in human resources, Betzaira wanted to learn more and expand her network of opportunities. “I knew that an MBA was going to give me the business acumen to understand more of the business and see different areas of HR, while also helping me grow in my leadership abilities to continue growing within the HR function.”
Upon entering the program, Betzaira saw firsthand Goizueta’s small-by-design community, which allowed her to not only easily connect with her cohort, but also open new doors and resources for hands-on experience. “Having a smaller program allowed me to build more impactful relationships that I've been able to leverage as I'm trying to figure out my career path post-MBA.”
Betzaira enjoyed taking her classroom experience and applying it directly to the real world. She had the opportunity to work a 12-week HR MBA internship at Chevron in Houston, TX that focused on planning and strategy.
With no experience in the oil and gas industry, Betzaira first met Chevron at a Consortium recruiting conference and then again at Forte. “I've been a big supporter of these conferences that help connect Emory students with great employers like Chevron. I had that chance to own three different projects across the summer within one business unit. Each project involved a business issue that HR was seeing at the time, and I got to come in and analyze what the problem was.”
Her internship gave her the opportunity to build relationships across the company, as well as build relationships with other interns from various MBA programs across the country. “At the end of the summer internship, I had the opportunity to present to a group of leaders on what my projects were, the recommendations that I had, and the impact that I made within my business.”
Her hands-on experience set her up for success as she will be going to work full time at Chevron post-graduation in its HR rotation program. “It’s been tough taking the time off from work to really invest in myself and explore the areas that I have to work on. But it's given me the chance to receive feedback along the way and help me understand my role as a leader.”