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Named the "Outstanding Student" by the Barowsky School of Business (BSB) for the 2020-21 academic year, Marissa Vang '21 has entered BSB's new Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program this fall, but not before adding another summer internship to her impressive resume.

Marissa last summer secured a position as a global tax intern at Tanium, a cybersecurity and systems management company based in Kirkland, WA. That internship in August 2021 evolved into a full-time job as an analyst at Tanium. Looking back now, she is grateful for the support she has received from BSB, which in April 2021 earned AACSB accreditation.

“As a 4+1 MBA student, this is what I had initially wanted to pursue at Dominican since my first year. However, after giving it more thought about the skills I have and the demand from the workforce as well as the impact it would make on my career, I decided that the new MSBA would be a better fit for me,” says Marissa, who, at Dominican’s virtual commencement on May 15, was named the recipient of the Veritas Cup, given annually to the undergraduate most considered “a friend of the class.”

“As someone who is passionate about technology and business, I found that having a specialized graduate degree may be a better fit at this point early on in my career. Also being able to take part in the first cohort of the Computer Science (now known as Coding & Software Design) minor presented by Make School for Dominican, it felt like so many things aligned within the MSBA program.”

Marissa was contacted via LinkedIn by a Tanium recruiter with the Global Tax internship opportunity. She was impressed that they listened to her interest in analytics.

“My goal with getting the MSBA is to be able to grow my knowledge of industry skills, tools, and acumen,” she says. “Along with that I believe the MSBA will help to make me stand out as a candidate in the competitive job market.”

Marissa is confident she can handle her duties after a strong internship experience last summer with The Charles Schwab Corporation.

“The impact that this Schwab internship made is incredible. I’ve been able to gain a deeper insight and understanding of the financial services industry and better my own understanding of personal finance,” says Marissa, who was a member of Schwab’s Digital Services team, specifically the Digital Cross-Enterprise Platform team.

“It also exposed me to the world of product management and the critical skills needed to create solutions with team members from around the globe. The impact that I imagine this Schwab internship continues to make on my career goals revolves around sharing and improving financial literacy in communities, expanding my network, and continuing to see the value and impact of the knowledge and understanding at the intersections of disciplines and life.”

Marissa was first introduced to Schwab at a career fair on campus by Schwab Talent Advisor, Ami Arroyo, who earned an MBA from Dominican in 2016. Dominican’s Director of Internships and Professional Development Courtney Budesa, who helped get Marissa an internship last year with Ghilotti Bros. Inc., and business professor Dr. Christopher Leeds led Marissa to the Schwab internship opportunity.

A valedictorian at Edison High School, Marissa has continued to exhibit her leadership skills at Dominican. She has been a resident advisor, director of diversity and inclusion for the Associated Students of Dominican University (ASDU) and president of the Barowsky Student Association (BSA). Her goal is to go back to her hometown of Fresno and, in her words, “help cultivate and retain the talent that we have there. The California Central Valley suffers from a brain drain when talent leaves because of the lack of opportunities thus seeking other opportunities elsewhere.”

Marissa came to Dominican with a sense of purpose seeking a business degree.

“One of the biggest reasons I enrolled in Dominican was because of the 4 + 1 MBA program. As a Hmong-American student, coming from a family that sought refuge in the United States from the Vietnam War, money wasn’t ample and I’ve always looked for ways to gain the most value for my money. Along with this, I was also always taught that education is the key to a successful life here in the United States,” Marissa says.

DOMINICAN UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND PROGRAMS
“I saw that this 4 + 1 MBA program acted as the marriage that would create an opportunity for me to gain immense value for my money and pursue graduate school. It made graduate school that much more attainable and would allow me to enter the job market with my graduate degree faster.”

Marissa is now in the process of building and enhancing her resume. Dominican has helped her prepare it.

“Up to this point, my Dominican experience has been incredible in terms of growth, personally and professionally,” she says “College is an opportunity to own your experience, journey, and time and that's exactly what I had the opportunity to do at Dominican. From gaining more experiences through part-time jobs, internships, and work-study, to informational interviews to learn more about my career path and taking part in contributing to the Dominican community through leadership positions.

“I'm so grateful for the faculty and staff around me who encourage this involvement and even more, understands the multiple hats that Dominican students wear. I could not have been able to have these experiences in these roles had I not had a supportive community around me.”