Evie Evan, Inc.

Family Background: I am Puerto Rican, born on the island and moved to Houston , Texas when I was 4. Both of my parents are from a small town in Puerto Rico called Camuy and I still have a majority of my of family living there. When I first moved to Houston, I started in bilingual education and still remember not being able to understand English at the time.

Pre College Education:I attended High School at Nimitz High School from the Aldine School district in Houston, TX. I took advantage of the courses offered in my school and was able to take AP classes in English, Spanish, and advanced math and science classes. I would say that my pre college preparation was adequate due to my wanting to take advance classes in high school, but many of my peers at UT Austin were better prepared academically. Being better prepared academically does not equate to better prepared emotionally and I was able to use that to concentrate in college and succeed.

College Education:I attended the University of Texas at Austin and have a BBA in Management Information Systems. I also have an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, where I majored in Strategy and Finance.

"Aha" Moment:I did not get my “Aha” moment until I graduated from undergrad and meet my first mentor - Paul Murphy. He told me that I was very smart, had great people skills, work ethic and instinct, but that I still didn’t “get it”. He broke it down for me and helped me understand and see problems from multiple angles. How to identify the best market leader and why. How to manage complex projects. How to research to get the information needed to make the proper decision, and how to build a team. All those skills are valuable in any situation and have helped me grow both personally and professionally.

Biggest Challenge To get to College: My biggest challenge was financial. I was limited to state schools due to the cost, but ultimately felt that it was the best choice for me. I got a great education for the money at the University of Texas. However, I did see that you have to mature into an adult sooner since a large state institution will not hold your hand through school. I worked 2-3 jobs at a time to pay for school, but also found that to be in my advantage. I always looked for jobs that helped put my education to use and even landed a great paying job by bringing in samples of my university class’s programming projects. When it was time to interview for full-time positions for post-graduation, I held far more experience in my field than any of my peer students and it made me stand out to the top employers. I was offered many of the best and most competitive positions for my school.

Biggest Challenge In College: My biggest challenge in finishing college was in not taking the easy road. I had good paying jobs towards the end of school and I was tired of doing so much by juggling school and work. I knew that it would be better in the long term to focus on graduating quickly, and it was. Slowing down to relax is not a good idea. It is best to finish and move forward and not watch the others pass you by.

Favorite Mentor: My favorite and most influential mentor is Paul Murphy. He was a partner at the prestigious consulting firm Ernst and Young. He took his personal time to explain things to me and I listened gratefully. I have benefited and grown from the advice he has given me over the years and have taken the knowledge to the next level. We still talk periodically, but he is now retired and sailing the word in his boat. Having someone who wants to mentor you is important, but you have to be open to it and show the right basics, knowledge, willingness, and the pre-work that you have done on your own. Influential mentors won’t be willing to help you unless they see talent, effort, hard work, and a devotion to the details that are required to truly succeed. Going the extra mile is not beneath you. Senior people pay attention to those who are willing and able who show that they will “take the pain” when needed.

Favorite Teacher:My favorite teacher was my High School Spanish teacher, because she worked with me in creating an independent advanced AP class so that I could take the highest level Spanish AP test even though my high school did not offer one. I did most of the work under her guidance, but with that class I was able to excel on multiple Spanish AP tests and collect 22 college credits that helped me graduate early. This reduced my total cost of college tremendously. I was the only one in my high school to take the test that year and that was because she agreed to help me.

Favorite Author/Book: My favorite book is “Tearing Down the Walls -How Sandy Weill Fought His Way to the Top of the Financial World… and then Nearly Lost it” all by Monica Langley. It explained the banking and mergers world that, before, had been totally foreign to me. It also helped me develop considerable admiration for Jaime Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, and understand the intense training he had and amount of work it took for him to obtain his position. In business school he would come talk every year at Kellogg and I felt that I understood his point of view mush better from having read the book.