Azucena: “Becoming the Businesswoman I Dream to Be”

For 40 years, SEO Career has recruited and trained historically underrepresented students for coveted internships across Wall Street and Corporate America. Since inception in 2017, the PREA/SEO Real Estate Track has provided intensive, industry-led training and coaching to place interns at top real estate firms. The partnership aims to increase diverse employment in the commercial real estate industry by developing a pipeline of talented students of color. Read Azucena’s story below to learn more our the impact of our program.

My name is Azucena. I was born in Mexico, and at a young age, my family and I moved to San Antonio, Texas, where I was raised. I attended an early college academy where I graduated with my high school diploma and associate degree. Currently, I am a student at St. Mary’s University majoring in Business Management with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After only five semesters and at age 20, I will be graduating this upcoming fall. As a first-generation student, I often felt like I was at a disadvantage because of the lack of support in professional development and career guidance. I also quickly realized that a good GPA was not enough to be a competitive candidate in the workforce. I began to look for internships, but I was not landing any offers.

I heard of SEO through a business recruitment event at St. Mary’s in October of 2020. I applied to the program with little knowledge of what it was. In the beginning, SEO assisted me in securing an internship with their partner companies. In just a few weeks, I received training on interview best practices through numerous mock interviews, coaching calls, and training sessions. I also had access two career professionals who assisted with my preparation and provided essential feedback. Through hours of training, I was able to secure a paid internship with BentallGreenOak for the summer of 2021. SEO continues to be the foundation for my professional development through individualized training and over 100 hours of coaching on technical and soft skills as well as fundamentals of Real Estate. I have access to Wall Street Prep training, Real Estate Finance and Investment courses, and follow-up sessions with industry professionals.

SEO has been a fundamental step in my career. Joining SEO Career provided the critical support and resources I needed to develop as a leader. The investment of time and effort that our coaches, professionals, and instructors devote to us is priceless. As a result, I now have access to opportunities that I never imagined. SEO continues to maximize my likelihood of success and brings me closer to become the businesswoman I dream to be.