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Named the "Outstanding Student" by the Barowsky School of Business for the 2020-21 academic year, Marissa Vang '21 plans to enter BSB's new Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program this fall, but not before adding another summer internship to her impressive resume.

Marissa has secured a summertime position as a global tax intern at Tanium, a cybersecurity and systems management company based in Kirkland, Wa. She is grateful for the support she has received from BSB, which in April earned AACSB accreditation.

As a 4 + 1 MBA student in the BSB, Marissa, who has been minoring in computer science, feels well equipped to handle her duties this summer after a strong internship experience last summer with The Charles Schwab Corporation.

“The impact that this Schwab internship made is incredible. I’ve been able to gain a deeper insight and understanding of the financial services industry and better my own understanding of personal finance,” says Marissa, who was a member of Schwab’s Digital Services team, specifically the Digital Cross-Enterprise Platform team

“It also exposed me to the world of product management and the critical skills needed to create solutions with team members from around the globe. The impact that I imagine this Schwab internship continues to make on my career goals revolve around sharing and improving financial literacy in communities, expanding my network, and continuing to see the value and impact of the knowledge and understanding at the intersections of disciplines and life.”

Marissa was first introduced to Schwab at a career fair on campus by Schwab Talent Advisor, Ami Arroyo, who earned an MBA from Dominican in 2016. Dominican’s Director of Internships and Professional Development Courtney Budesa, who helped get Marissa an internship last year with Ghillotti Bros. Inc., and business professor Dr. Christopher Leeds led Marissa to the Schwab internship opportunity.

A valedictorian at Edison High School, Marissa continued to exhibit her leadership skills at Dominican. She has been a resident advisor and is currently director of diversity and inclusion for the Associated Students of Dominican University (ASDU) and president of the Barowsky Student Association (BSA). Her goal is to go back to her hometown of Fresno and, in her words, “help cultivate and retain the talent that we have there. The California Central Valley suffers from a brain drain when talent leaves because of the lack of opportunities thus seeking others elsewhere.”

Marissa came to Dominican with a sense of purpose seeking a business sense.

“One of the biggest reasons I enrolled in Dominican was because of the 4 + 1 MBA program. As a Hmong-American student, coming from a family that sought refuge in the United States from the Vietnam War, money wasn’t ample and I’ve always looked for ways to gain the most money for my value. Along with this, I was also always taught that education is the key to a successful life here in America,” Marissa says.

“This 4 + 1 MBA program acted as the marriage that would allow me to gain immense value for my money and pursue graduate school. It made graduate school that much more attainable and will allow me to enter the job market with my graduate degree faster.”