“Wanderer, there is no road, you make the road as you walk”. This is not only one of the most beautiful and well-known verses of the famous poet Antonio Machado, but also a great truth. When the time comes for us to decide what we want our future to be like, nothing is written. But we move forwards knowing that, with each step that we take, we are defining our destination.
That’s why we wander, as the poet says, aware of the fact that every decision that we make is decisive, but not definite — that we have the choice to get it wrong, go back and start again and this is always a good opportunity to learn.
When it comes to learning and moving forwards, Óscar Alonso and María Micaela Caldeyro are quite the experts. What do they have in common? Their desire to take on the world, a never ending intellectual curiosity and, of course, their fierce determination to fulfill their dreams. They are both EAE students: María Micaela from the Máster en Bolsa y Mercados Financieros (Spanish Master in Stock and Financial Markets) and Óscar from the Máster en Dirección Comercial y Gestión de Ventas (Spanish Master in Commercial and Sales Management); and they are both the winners of EAE’s Master’s Thesis Award — a test that students must pass when the year comes to an end as a sort of final stretch of the programme.
But that’s not all! Among their achievements, there’s a very special one: they are both members of our Dean’s List — an award that we present at EAE and that acknowledges our student's academic excellence.
We spoke with them about their dreams, passions, concerns and challenges that they’ve overcome. We want to follow their footsteps and have them tell us the story that they are writing with each of those steps. Well… seeing how fast they’re moving, it’s going to be tough to keep up!
What drove you to choose your careers?
Óscar Alonso: Since I was a little kid, I’ve always enjoyed seeing how things worked. If I had a toy in my hands, I was much more interested in opening it up and seeing how it worked than playing with it. That’s why I’ve always been fascinated and amazed by how everything around us works. This, throughout my childhood, forged a desire to study some sort of engineering — and I ended up studying Automation and Industrial Electronic Engineering. It was a wise choice, for it’s a very versatile career that teaches you the physical principle of things and how they work. In this era where technology rules, it’s an amazing thing.
María Micaela Caldeyro: I was always interested in understanding the things around me, how the different economies work and which are the factors that affect development. That’s why I chose to pursue a career in Economics in Uruguay. After having worked for some years in the financial sector —and, more specifically, in financial markets—, I decided to continue with my education and sought specialisation. That’s how I came to do a Máster en Bolsa y Mercados Financieros at EAE.
What’s your biggest dream and what do you think can be done to see them through?
O. A: My biggest dream has always been to start a family and have kids — a dream that came true four years ago and again almost two years ago, one month before starting the Master. Regarding my professional career, I already do what I love the most, technological consulting and design for electric R&D labs in Iberia. The only way to see your dreams through is through knowledge, education and training. Continuous education, passion, resolve, determination and proactivity are crucial elements for any person to achieve any goal they set for themselves. Also, taking defeats as ways of learning in order to come out better than before and strengthening your learning capabilities on your way to your goal. The journey towards your goal is far more enjoyable than actually achieving that goal.
M. M. C: My biggest dream, since I was a little girl and thanks to my experience as a Scout —that has been so important in my life and in the values I hold—, has been to build a better world, leaving the world better than I found it. It’s a great dream for which I’ll always continue to put in the effort, in which millions of people are with me and in which you have to work every single day. Regarding my professional career, I dream about starting my own business or start a project that takes relevant content from the financial markets and helps people understand how it works, giving them the opportunity to save and invest based on their different possibilities and goals.
What’s success for you?
O. A: Success is getting anything you set your mind to and feeling fulfilled and proud to have gotten it yourself, with your own resources, skills and knowledge. Success has nothing to do with your financial capacity. Success is closer to those who are capable to carry out everything they set up to and are happy to have done it themselves.
M. M. C: For me, success is living according to your goals, putting in the effort and working hard in order to achieve them. But we must not forget that, even if the goal is important, the journey is also a learning opportunity through which we discover and enrich ourselves.
What’s the hardest obstacle you’ve encountered in your career?
O. A: Since I was in school, I had gotten used to having very good grades without having to study much. But, when I started Industrial Engineering, everything changed. One of the obstacles or barriers that you must overcome is knowing how to manage your time and how to prioritise. Choosing which courses to take and which ones to leave for future calls, prioritising passing the hardest ones at the beginning so that you can keep on moving forward.
M. M. C: Balancing your personal life with your studies. I think of myself as an active person with diverse interests. This has made it hard for me to choose in certain moments — finding balance in order to share with friends and family while studying two careers and being part of the scouts and other activities. A lot of organisation was needed for this. It’s important to understand that we can’t do everything and we must understand the importance of decision making.
What would be your advice for someone who is currently studying a career? And for those who are about to start their higher education?
O. A: Enjoy it! And learn all you can from it. See it as your training for the professional world and create a good network of friends and contacts!
M. M. C: Make the most of it and be open to learning new things! Enjoy the experience! My experience studying a master abroad was a great challenge but I was able to meet people and exchange ideas with students and professors from all over the world. I ended up making great friendships, learning from them and developing team-work and cases-solution abilities that have contributed so much to my life.
What were your respective Master’s Thesis about? Where did the idea you later turned into a reality come from?
O. A: Our Master’s Thesis is called “Mobile Delivery” and its purpose is to cover the need to repair mobile phones in your own place while also covering the main demands from clients: speed, safety and quality-price, in less than 20 minutes.
We knew we wanted to set up a services E-commerce, because the Amazon effect has changed the world of shopping and logistics in general. And an increasing amount of people trust online shopping thanks to the evolution of internet security.
One of the group members suggested doing something like “Mr Jeff”, a door-to-door laundry service that ended up setting up its own laundry stores. Then, the idea of door-to-door mobile phone repairs started to take shape — a service that would get stores in contact with the final user. The idea gained strength the moment the Covid-19 lockdown started in March 2020, since people, in their houses, started using the phone more often, increasing the chances of the phone having problems and not being able to go out and getting it fixed.
M. M. C: In March 2020, we started working on the Master's Thesis. Right then, financial markets were affected by the Covid-19 crisis. In this context, we decided to look for investing opportunities. Our thesis consisted on an investment portfolio in the American market for an aggressive risk profile for small investors.
The idea came up as a team. In the first place, a classmate expressed an interest in creating an investment portfolio that could be replicated at this moment. Then, each of us started putting ideas forward from our experience and knowledge so as to concretely define the idea, give a structure to the general and specific goals and to decide the different methodology proposals that started rising in order to tackle the issue.
The methodology for the composition of the portfolio gained vital importance, as did the quantitative and qualitative analysis that was carried out. The selected values are the result of an exhaustive study of the Standard and Poor’s 500 through GICS structure, which is based on the selection of sectors, then, the classification of industries and sub-industries and, finally, the identification of those companies whose quality is above the index in different aspects and show growth opportunities.
Óscar and Micaela give us the keys to achieve the recognition of being in EAE’s Dean’s List. “Determination, passion and proactivity are the key to reaching any goal”, says Oscar. “Having a proactive attitude, being open to learning new things, putting in the effort, getting involved, putting in the dedication and trying to always do better. This will get you to reach the goals you set up for your career. Being open to the exchange of ideas, to working with a team... Exchange of ideas boosts learning”, says Michaela.
We need to catch some air! That was hard to keep up with! It’s clear that these students never grow tired and that there’s no obstacle that can bring them down. After having walked their steps along with them, we can assure that their stories, even if they’re still in the writing, will give us a lot to talk about.