Whilst the majority of our students at Churchill College return home for the festive break, many of our postgraduates remain on-site throughout the year. Chilean Industrial Engineer and MBA postgraduate student José Tomás Caviedes Sáenz, first came to Churchill College with his family in September 2022 and lived on-site in the Wolfson Flats with his wife and nine month old daughter. We found out more about his story.

José completed his bachelor’s degree at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago before coming to Cambridge, to study for his MBA. Choosing a college was very straightforward,

‘I asked a Chilean who had studied at Cambridge which was the best college to join if I was coming with a family and he said Churchill hands down.’

The MBA journey was a long one for José. He knew he wanted to study in an English-speaking country on a one year programme and his top choice was the Cambridge Judge Business School, so he began his preparations early for the demanding GMAT entrance exam and TOEFL (test of English as a foreign language). Two years later he was delighted to find himself at Churchill, accompanied by his wife and nine-month-old daughter.

José’s experience of living on-site with his family was extremely positive, thanks to the support of the College and the amenities available;

“The house that we had at Wolfson Flat number 39 provided everything we needed and it was a pleasure walking through the grounds and gardens. The BBQ area was also something that we enjoyed and made use of plenty of times!”

Studying for his MBA at Cambridge Judge also proved to be an extremely rich experience, helping José understand how businesses are run successfully in different zones around the globe. The MBA programme enhanced his communication skills, teaching him how to reach different people from various backgrounds, and he particularly appreciated the opportunity to learn from those around him.

“My desire prior to completing the MBA was to interact with peers and professors who could share their experiences with me and help me grow and that’s exactly what happened.”

Cambridge MBA alumnus, José is now working in the UK as the Customer Intelligence Lead for IAG Loyalty. IAG stands for International Airlines Group (Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling) and José works in the Loyalty business unit, delivering insights to the organisation to understand customer needs and customers’ expectations. As José explains, this information nurtures the decision-making process and contributes to the growth of the business and he particularly enjoys the opportunity his role provides working side by side with data analysts, data engineers and data scientists from all over the world.

Thank you to Churchill College, Cambridge, where this article was first published. Visit their web pages here.