Karla’s MBA Qualifications

Coaches professionally

200+ people coached for MBA

Open to working with clients outside the U.S.

Karla has helped clients get into these schools:

Top-rated admissions coach at elite Ivy Advisors MBA consultancy, the Harvard Kennedy School Admissions Office, and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Career program. I am a good fit for deferred, dual / concurrent degree, underrepresented / BIPOC, investment banking-focused, and traditional profile candidates (e.g., consulting, banking) looking to differentiate themselves in a crowded field. By leveraging the introspective nature of MBA applications to effectively convey each client's unique narrative, I have gained recognition as a highly-skilled coach. In my 10 years of coaching, some big wins include helping an individual with a 3.2 GPA and 145 (Quant GRE) / 158 (Verbal GRE) secure admission to a top 5 MBA with 60% tuition scholarship and negotiating another candidate's M7 waitlist offer to admission with 100% tuition funding. Given my client-facing experience, I am extremely responsive and usually take no more than 24 hours to turn around materials. My coaching approach is guided by extensive admissions committee work and the fact that I went through this process myself. I was personally accepted to 5 M7 MBA programs with over $1 million in scholarship offers. Some of the fellowships and scholarships I've participated in include: Forte Foundation MBA Fellowship, MLT MBA Prep, Toigo MBA Fellowship, LunaCap MBA Scholarship, SEO Career, AmeriCorps, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and Upward Bound. I am especially helpful to: ◉ applicants from established pre-MBA careers (e.g., consulting, banking) hoping to differentiate themselves in a crowded field ◉ international applicants looking for guidance on the U.S.-specific nuances for MBAs ◉ non-traditional candidates without cookie-cutter GPAs or test scores looking to highlight strengths in other areas ◉ deferred candidates looking to show their future *potential* through storytelling ◉ candidates seeking scholarship funding ◉ underrepresented minorities, especially Queer BIPOC, who want to work with someone with a shared lived experience ◉ joint / concurrent degree applicants ◉ candidates who want to make a great impression during interviews. I take special pride in one of my interviewers saying I was the best-prepared applicant he had seen in 10 years :) ◉ waitlisted or rejected applicants who want to make a compelling case for their candidacy through informal channels

Karla can help with:

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Editing

Recommendations

Interviews

Ding Analysis

Waitlist Strategy

School Selection

Secondary Review

Application Strategy

Essays

Resume

Karla also coaches for Master’s Programs, Investment Banking, and Management Consulting. View all.

Why do I coach?

As an admissions and career coach, I am driven by a steadfast belief that individuals have the potential to achieve their goals with the right skills and guidance. My own background as an immigrant from a resource-constrained but determined family has given me perspective on the barriers that many people face in achieving their goals. Despite my humble beginnings, I was able to earn admission to five top MBA programs and the Harvard Kennedy School, receiving over $1 million in scholarship offers along the way. I am passionate about helping others overcome obstacles and achieve success without having to rely on luck to lead meaningful lives of consequence. My belief in the potential of every person has shaped my coaching journey in a number of ways. I have worked with clients like Sarah, an Australian with all the "right" credentials who was finding it difficult to make herself stand out in a crowded field. Leveraging her distinct training as a scientist, I was able to help Sarah craft a compelling narrative that set her apart from the scores of other business consultants applying to graduate school. Or Rozalyn, a first-generation student who worried that her rural Oregon farm background and lack of an Ivy League pedigree would hold her back. Working together, I was able to help her turn her unique background into an opportunity for differentiation. Through my personalized approach, I help clients capture the essence of what makes them unique, understanding that test scores and GPA alone are not enough to get into top programs. Just like metrics alone aren’t enough to gain admission, I understand that this also applies to the management consulting and banking recruiting processes. I have worked with clients like James, who had an impressive investor relations background but was told time and time again that he wasn’t the “right” fit for investment banking. James and I were able to reshape his resume and narrative to make a compelling argument for why he would make a great addition to a technology coverage investment banking group. This helped James break into a field that had previously seemed out of reach. In addition to my coaching experience, I have also worked closely with the HKS admissions committee to expand opportunities for prospective applicants to interact with the school. This included developing new programs and initiatives to help students from diverse backgrounds learn about the school and its programs and better position themselves for success. My belief in the potential of every person has allowed me to guide my clients toward success. By helping them to see the value in their experiences and backgrounds, I have been able to help them differentiate themselves and achieve their goals. This belief has been a driving force in my coaching journey and continues to inspire me to help others reach their full potential.

Work Experience

Investment Banking Associate

J.P. Morgan & Co.

June 2021 - Present

• Former UChicago and Harvard school Captain for on-campus investment banking recruiting • Participate in interviewing and onboarding new Analyst and Associate classes

MBA Admissions Coach

Ivy Advisors

June 2019 - Present

• Top-rated coach specializing in deferred, dual degree, underrepresented, and traditional profile (e.g., consulting) candidates • 7 admissions rounds helping candidates with end-to-end application strategy

Career & Leadership Coach

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity

August 2013 - Present

• Coach hundreds of BIPOC applicants through consulting, investment banking, and MBA admissions processes

Racial Equity Analysis Research Assistant

Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative

November 2020 - June 2021

• Conducted racial equity audit to provide 30+ recommendations to foster equity and inclusion

Applied Researcher

LinkedIn

May 2020 - May 2021

• Harvard master's thesis for LinkedIn client, *High Pass*: “Closing the Network Gap for Black Women and Latinas”

Senior Consultant

EY

May 2015 - August 2018

Karla was also given offers to work at

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  IBM

Education

Harvard University

Master in Public Policy, Government

2019 - 2021

Admissions Committee Experience

• Collaborated extensively with the head of the Admissions Office on revamping the AdCom process • Hosted a 3-part admissions series attended by over 500 applicants: 1) The Classroom Experience in a Tri-Sector (private, public, and nonprofit) Environment 2) Navigating HKS as an Underrepresented Minority 3) Latinxs and Public Policy • Founded the Essay Buddy Review Program, pairing 100 current students with prospective applicants and *doubling* the number of Black and Latinx admits after 10 yrs. of stagnation

Chicago Booth

MBA, Business

2018 - 2021

• Concentrations in Finance and Accounting • Selected Honors: J.P. Morgan Early Advantage Fellow ($90,000 scholarship), Forte Foundation MBA Fellowship, MLT MBA Prep, Toigo MBA Fellowship, LunaCap MBA Scholarship • Selected Involvement: Graduate Business Council Representative, Hispanic American Business Students Association (HABSA) Co-Chair and Admissions Liaison, Investment Banking Group Member

Karla was also personally admitted to

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  Tuck School of Business

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  Darden School of Business (UVA)

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  Yale School of Management

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  Duke's Fuqua School of Business