Beatriz Monserad Cortez

University of Washington, Foster School of Business

“Lover of sparkling water, podcasts, a resourceful teammate, foodie, and always up for a walk.”

Fun fact about yourself: I am the oldest daughter in a Mexican household with a senior high school brother and a sister in fourth grade.

Hometown: White Salmon, Washington

High School: Columbia High School

Major: Accounting & Human Resources Management

Minor: Leadership

Favorite Business Course: Financial Reporting & Analysis I (ACCTG 301) with Professor Weili Ge

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Leadership Roles and Activities:

• Director of Finance of the UW Society of Human Resources Management chapter
• Building Networks Student Program Manager – Undergraduate Diversity Services
• Previous VP of Recruitment of the UW Association of Latino Professionals for America
• Previous volunteer for VITA (tax assistance) – Seattle Public Library
• Previous HOVIND Global Leaders Program Member
• Previous Building Networks Mentor
• Previous Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) Member
• Previous Undergraduate Women in Business (UWiB) Gold Member
• Previous Fostering Inclusive Futures in Accounting Weekend Participant

Awards:

• Dean’s List” Fall 2020; Winter 2022; School year 2022-2023, Fall 2023
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar & Recipient 2021, 2022, 2023
• UWiB Endowed Scholar
• Benjamin A. Gilman recipient
• ALPFA (EY) Recipient

Where have you interned during your college career?

Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC) – Portland, Oregon, Tax Consulting (STS- R&D) Intern

Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC) – Seattle, Washington, START Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? (I will be joining PwC on the Tax Consulting (STS-R&D) team in Portland, Oregon, as an associate.

Who is your favorite business professor? My first HR management professor was Professor Lian Shao. She taught two of the three core classes for the HR major and an elective. I enjoyed her teaching style as she integrated a real-world example case every session, and we applied our learning goals and lessons to the cases. Every class had a team project component, and it was a great opportunity to apply her teachings and share our recommendations with the companies we worked with so they could integrate our suggestions into their business plans. Lian is also the faculty advisor for UW SHRM, and it has been wonderful to connect with her outside of the classroom. Her classes are some of the ones where I feel most confident in speaking up in front of the class, and it’s very uplifting when she remembers exactly what you contributed in a class period.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The business major is applicable in all contexts and is a very beneficial major to study because the skills you gain can be transferred to any career you pursue after graduation. All business careers require managing people and/or working in teams, so it’s important to enhance our communication and networking skills early on.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? To put yourself out there and always be willing to go through new experiences. Make your voice heard in the classroom and extracurriculars by taking up the space you deserve. Find your community and network who will empower you through any personal or academic challenges. Find others who have studied business and ask them questions while being inquisitive about the different business majors offered.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? The thing that surprised me the most about majoring in business was how interconnected classes are in the Foster School of Business. Things you learn in one class sometimes transfer and build up into other courses. Additionally, your network is your net worth because so many activities and programs I have participated in have been because of people around me sharing these opportunities.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? Looking back, something I would do differently in the business school is networking and putting myself out there more during my freshman year, even if it was online. I have built an incredible community, and it would have been great to enjoy having it sooner in my college career. Furthermore, I would have liked to participate and try more case competitions because it’s a great professional experience the Foster School of Business offers.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? The personal achievement I am most proud of is being a first-generation Latina woman at the Foster School of Business. Here, I built a community of friends and peers who support me after I didn’t know anyone when I arrived for the first time on campus. Joining different registered student organizations (RSOs) and being an active participant in the Undergraduate Diversity Services (UDS) office built my confidence and allowed me to meet great people. I have been able to experience incredible opportunities on campus, and my academics have been fulfilled by the supportive faculty and peers in the classroom.

Which classmate do you most admire? The classmate I admire the most is Johana Rivas, as she transferred to the UW from community college and has been with me in all my HR courses. Johana demonstrates perseverance in her personal life, and in the classroom, she always adds a different perspective the class can further learn from. Johana has helped me find a balance between academics and my personal life. Recently, she began a new business on handcraft gifts, and I am excited to see where this new path takes her. It’s always a guaranteed laughing session and a fun time when you are around Johana.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I most want to thank my mother, Guadalupe Covarrubias, and my father, Jose Cortez, for my success because they are my number one supporters. Although many of the experiences I am going through in terms of school and professional career are also first times for them, it’s great to get to live this with them. I am thankful and appreciate the sacrifices they made when leaving their home country for a better opportunity for our family. I am excited to keep experiencing new things with them and to have them with me along the path to share my success, which is their success as well.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Become CPA certified within the next year and a half after graduation
2. Transition into the sports & entertainment industry as I have always had an interest in the field

What makes Beatriz Cortez such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

Beatriz is a dream student; thoughtful and consistently contributing to classroom discussions without dominating the conversation. She has been a top student leader in the Foster community, playing a leadership role in ALPFA (Association for Latino Professionals in Finance) and is the student intern for the Building Networks program, a pipeline program that welcomes transfer students from community colleges and other underserved students into the Foster community.

Beatriz is a consistent and approachable role model for younger students. As a Foster student, she has taken advantage of study abroad programs that have taken her to Rome and Ireland, has participated in a Fostering Inclusive Futures in Accounting, and volunteers in the King County tax completion service.  I am proud to have Beatriz as a leader in the Foster Community. She is a fabulous ambassador for the University of Washington, curious and respectful of other cultures and ways of doing things.  She is a master of putting new students at ease and helps create the warm, inviting atmosphere that we treasure at the Foster School.

Christina T. Fong
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Michael G Foster Endowed Professor of Management

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