Sandra Estefania Ullrich Gavilanes

Tell us about your life.

I studied at the SEK International School of Quito, Ecuador, an Ecuadorian school based on a Spanish curriculum. I obtained an IB Diploma as well as an Ecuadorian Baccalaureate. I then attended Jacobs University where I received a merit scholarship for the duration of my studies. During my time at Jacobs, I also received a DAAD scholarship in representation of the Jacobs Cheerleading Team. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Later on, I worked for some months in the Jacobs Admissions Office and then went to pursue a Masters in European Business at ESCP Europe. During my Masters, I lived for 1 semester in Madrid, 1 semester in London, and wrote my thesis/ did my internship in Munich at a Mergers and Acquisitions Boutique. I graduated from my Masters summa cum laude. Then I went on to work for Texas Instruments. Before my current position, I completed the ACCESS program, which is a 3-year program in the Finance and Operations department consisting of 1-year rotations in different roles.

What do your days look like currently?

On a normal day, I wake up, get ready, have breakfast and drive to work. My work varies day to day, but in general, as soon as I arrive, I check my pricing quote workflow and my pending emails for something urgent. Then I work on my pending items. My work requires quite a lot of contact with different teams and people so I always have the chance to learn something new. If this is a day during annual price negotiations, I mainly work with the sales team and customer to prepare for the face-to-face negotiations. I have lunch at work in the canteen and in the evening around 17:30 drive back to Munich where I go to the gym or home to catch up on Netflix :)

What attracted you to Jacobs out of all the other possibilities you were considering?

I applied to several universities in the US, Canada and Europe; however Jacobs was always my first choice. Since the first time I found out about this university from an alumni presentation at my high school I fell in love. The idea of an international university with so many different nationalities, where you could study sciences but still have interdisciplinary courses and a live on campus experience really struck a chord.

What did Jacobs do for you that you were not expecting?

When I was admitted to Jacobs University, I knew I wanted to attend but was not sure what to study - I had so far always applied for a business administration Bachelors. However, when Jacobs did not have that major, I was pushed out of my comfort zone to find something I wanted to study. In the end, I studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Science which was something I would have not expected before. Jacobs also gave me the opportunity to get involved in many activities and sports, which I had not considered and gave me friends who, in the long run, became also my family at a home away from home.