Journey to New York Internship: Daniela Blanco ’20 BSBA (Business Management)

Born in Obregón, Mexico, Daniela Blanco ’20 BSBA (Business Management) moved to the United States when she was 12. The transition was difficult—she didn’t speak English and struggled to connect with her classmates—but by the time she entered high school, she became more comfortable with life in a new country. “I saw the opportunity to become a new person,” she says, “From then on, I wanted to be the best version of myself.”

For this, she leaned on her brother, Juan Pablo Blanco ’18 BSBA (Finance), who helped guide her leadership development. He also exposed her to college life, inviting her to sit in on Eller Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) meetings, of which he was president.

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After she enrolled at Eller, Blanco herself became an active leader in ALPFA as advisory chairwoman. Her duties are to introduce the association to new concepts as well as collaborations with other campus organizations. This involvement also ignited her aspiration to find a summer internship: “So many people in ALPFA get internship offers,” she says, “and even full-time offers, during their junior year. I wanted to be one of those people”.

During her hunt, Blanco discovered a private banking analyst internship with Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) in New York City. The position immediately attracted her, since her father does private banking. The first interview required her to create a video answering a series of interview questions—but she received an email back saying there was no sound on the video.

“I almost lost my chance,” she says. “Fortunately, they offered to do a phone interview, and I was able to move onto the next round.”

Meanwhile, she was invited to interview with JP Morgan. Since she was going to be in New York, she scheduled an interview with BBH for the same day. All told, Blanco went through a total of seven interviews between both firms.

And opportunities continued to arise. She also took an interview with Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina. She received an offer, but was holding out for BBH before accepting.

Towards the end of December, finally an update from BBH came: “I received the offer and I accepted it,” Blanco says, “I finally reached my goal, and I am super excited to start this summer.”

Blanco’s next big challenge is to prepare to attend law school in the next few years. In the meantime, she is proud of the transformation she has undergone and of the person she has become.

“Eller has taught me the benefits of planning for the future,” she says. “I am a completely different person than that uncertain 12 year old in a new country. I enjoy life more when I live with intention and work on myself.”