Interview with Juvenal Maciel Lopez

March 2023

My name is Juvenal Maciel Lopez, I graduated from the MSBA program in Summer 2022 and also obtained my undergraduate degree from CPP in Technology and Operations Management in 2019. I was a transfer student from Rio Hondo Community College and a working professional all through out my academic journey. After more than a decade of working in the manufacturing industry, I made a career switch after entering the MSBA program. I currently work as a Continuous Improvement Project Manager for Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel as part of the Casino Project Management Office under the Financial Planning and Analysis Department. I chose the MSBA program because I wanted to utilize data analytics to enhance my skills in my position. What is unique about the MSBA program is that we utilized different methods, tools, and theories to analyze various types of data and create a presentation on the findings. Other programs I explored only focused on the technical side of data, but the MSBA program focused on creating models and developing meaningful results that impact the bottom line utilizing technical skills. As a continuous improvement professional, I observe various types of data to clearly identify areas to improve processes utilizing the skills I learned through the MSBA program.

Advice

I would advise any student to come into the program with a purpose of applying what you learned to different scenarios. This program offers various opportunities to learn through real world projects and collaborate with professors and program peers who are experts in their fields. During the program, I was applying what I learned on work related projects which helped me understand the power of the tools. I was able to learn theories but most importantly how to apply them to get meaningful results. Business analytics is very powerful, and learning how to leverage data to make business decisions is vital in today’s business world.