QS Community Scholarship Winner: Luis Richard Larrea

We’re pleased to announce that Luis Richard Larrea is one of this year’s recipients of the QS Community Scholarship. The QS Community Scholarship is awarded to five recipients, MBA applicants who demonstrate exceptional levels of socially responsible leadership and an ability to motivate others. The scholarship is worth US$2,000.

Luis will be undertaking his MBA at Washington University’s Olin Business School. Luis has decided to do an MBA to help him change his career path, which to date has been working as an attorney. However, Luis wishes to pursue a career more closely related to business:

“Business, and specifically business strategy, are long-held passions of mine and my legal career has not challenged me to be on the forefront of influencing business strategy to the extent that I had imagined.”

The values that Olin espouses were vital in Luis’s decision to attend, as he feels they’re in line with his own personal value alignment:

“The experiences of my refugee, immigrant family have given me an appreciation for diversity and Olin seeks to ‘embrace the diversity of individuals, cultures, ideas, and opinions.’ I have been active in collaborative organizations and Olin aspires to foster a collaborative community.”

Luis hopes to work for a consulting firm in business strategy once he has completed his MBA, allowing him to develop the skills he has mastered as an attorney and use the new skills he will learn as an MBA student, such as quantitative analytics and technology proficiency.  As you might expect from a QS Community Scholarship winner, having an impact on the world at large is of utmost importance to Luis:

“To make an impact, I want to drive a company’s strategy; add real value to companies; and have a positive, lasting impact on the businesses of my clients. My highest aspirations are to shape the future of business, society, and technology and have a real-life impact that matters.”

Luis attended the QS World MBA Tour event in Minneapolis in October 2017. He enthuses about the opportunity he had to see two of his target schools as speakers at the event (Washington University and the University of Minnesota), which enabled him to get an insight into the individual attributes of the programs and the application process. During the exhibition portion of the event, he was also able to interact directly with some of his target schools and ask them questions.

Luis has some wise words for MBA applicants considering attending one of QS’s events:

“I would recommend for future attendees to research schools prior to the event and try to have as in-depth of conversations with the schools as possible. Asking basic questions is appropriate for the event, but future attendees will get more out of the event by coming prepared. I also would recommend taking notes during the information sessions, as I used those notes while I was completing my applications.”

Luis says that the QS Community Scholarship will allow him to more closely pursue his passions and interests with less worry about repaying for the costs of his education:

“I have a long-held interest in business strategy and this scholarship makes it more feasible for me to pursue an MBA degree with a concentration in consulting. I have also appreciated the opportunity to share my story and ambitions with organization that are structured to support my aspirations.”

Advice for other applicants

“My advice for other prospective MBA students applying for scholarships is to be organized in identifying scholarships that align with your personal and professional values and goals and allow yourself extra time to complete the applications.  I would suggest going through a deep self-reflection process and really being authentic about yourself and your values and your goals in presenting yourself for scholarships.”