How 5 students will use their Master in Strategic Marketing & Communication to change the world

4 min read

This melting pot of ideas and potential is what makes the IE University ecosystem so exciting. Every one of us has a vision for tomorrow. We are all fired up and ready for change. But how exactly? I spoke with a few fellow comms students to get a feel for who they are and how they plan to change the world.

Q1.      How would you like to change the world?

I believe in the power of quality education and would like to help improve education in my country or any country I live in. With education, I can help develop environmentally conscious global citizens with a socially responsible mentality. I also want to help people to achieve their dreams and improve their quality of life.

Carlos Wong

Since my undergrad, I‘ve wanted to work in the security sector because security measures are key to making the world a better place. I’d like to reduce the impact of non-traditional security threats such as food insecurity, climate change, and mass migration.

Carin Navarro

I’d like to see more women and traditionally “othered” groups in positions of power, while also eradicating institutional sexism and racism in the public and private sectors. I’d like to see less androcentrism and more intersectionality. The only way I see this being possible is by building bridges between the public and private sectors. I want to change the world so that feminism, racism, and poverty are no longer hot topics of discussion unless we are studying history. In short, I want to help promote a more inclusive world for all.

Paulina Capurro Boltendahl

I’d like to see a more well-balanced world where wealth is evenly shared and there is less mass consumption. What’s more, I want a world in which respect for the planet and its ecosystems is a priority.

Marta Esteban Lanzas

Although it may sound cliché, I’d like to change the world by ensuring access to equal opportunities for everyone.

Q2.       Describe a real-life experience or event that brought on the desire to make this change.

I’ve had access to top-quality education that has opened many doors, but not everybody has this privilege. Working with children from an impoverished area showed me that without access to a good education, it’s very hard to get ahead in life. Kids should dream of being engineers, or whatever their ambition is.

Carlos Wong

While working in three different NGOs, I’ve learned a lot through letters from children, volunteer testimonies, and failed projects. It’s allowed me to see how non-traditional security threats affect people in the global south on a daily basis, and how those threats are very difficult to tackle. That’s why I want to work in the security sector—to make this change possible.

Carin Navarro

There’s no single experience or event that ignited this desire, but I’m not the only one asking for change. With the realization of self-privilege, you see that you are taking up too much space and you feel the need to do something about it. Being part of the one percent shouldn’t be an honor; it should be deeply disturbing. You have done very little to achieve this, and there is so much involved in changing this status quo.

Paulina Capurro Boltendahl

I grew up surrounded by nature and its wildlife, and I often watched my neighbors taking care of their farms. I assumed that ethical production and consumption were the norm. After informing myself about the food sector, I visited a large-scale poultry farm. While there, I realized how mass consumption negatively affects food production. This made me want to be part of the solution that someday ensures that ethical production and consumption are truly the norm.

Marta Esteban Lanzas

I was raised believing in meritocracy. Thanks to a public scholarship that allowed my mother to go to university, she was able to build a successful career. She’s always insisted on the importance of good public services because they are the only way to guarantee equal (or less unequal) opportunities. Unfortunately, public institutions in Spain and most international organizations are known for being extremely hierarchical and bureaucratic, and not very innovative. That said, I strongly believe in their mission. I went to a public high school and a public university. And I have seen brilliant people fall behind because they couldn’t afford a master’s at a private university that would give them access to a strong professional network. I’ve seen people from humble backgrounds succeed, and I’d like that to become the norm, not the exception.

Inés Aguilar

Q3.       How do you hope your Master in Strategic Marketing & Communication experience will help you achieve this?

The Master in Strategic Marketing & Communication has great teachers. I’d like to become a teacher so I can share my knowledge and guide future generations. I also hope to either create a company that helps schools, or to work for a company with a similar program.

Carlos Wong

I believe that communication and marketing are key in order to actually make a change in the world and maximize the impact of any development project. I hope my experience here will help me become an amazing communicator.

Carin Navarro

The master’s is teaching me about corporate logic. I need to understand the rules of corporations before I can break them, and to learn how to communicate initiatives of diversity and innovation effectively. The program is also expanding my network, helping me gain more knowledge from those around me. I hope that together we can transcend the social vices of gender, race, and class, and drive interdependent initiatives within public and private systems. I want to further promote the dialogue of social responsibility that’s already gaining momentum.

Paulina Capurro Boltendahl

My experience here will help me to fearlessly transform my mindset into a change-oriented engine, and perform at a high level under any circumstances. I also hope to acquire the necessary knowledge to work within organizations because I believe that a lot of power lies in them.

Marta Esteban Lanzas

I plan to apply everything I learn in the Master in Strategic Marketing & Communication to the public sector and help drive internal change in international organizations. My aim is for them to be more efficient and effective in achieving their goals. International development is one of the five professional areas where IE Careers supports students, and I’d like to get an interesting position within that sector.

Inés Aguilar