In this Real Humans: Alumni feature, Cinthia Loera, Duke Fuqua MBA ’23, walks us through how she carved a path based on social impact–with jobs in politics, higher ed and, ultimately, consulting. Her focus on community matched the one she found with “Team Fuqua” and her post-MBA choice of McKinsey bolsters her passion for social impact.
Cinthia Loera, Duke Fuqua MBA ’23, Associate at McKinsey
Age: 34
Hometown: Corcoran, CA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: UCLA, Chicana/o studies major, minor in labor & workplace studies
Graduate Business School, Graduation Year and Concentration: Duke Fuqua School of Business, Social Entrepreneurship concentration
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Political campaigns, including Obama’s reelection campaign 2 yrs; College Preparation Programs Advisor/Assistant Business Officer, UCLA Community Programs Office, 8 years, Higher education
Post-MBA Work Experience: Associate, McKinsey & Co, 2023 – present
Why did you choose to attend business school?
As a daughter of immigrants, I grew up believing that success was defined by becoming a doctor or a lawyer. It took time for me to let go of that falsehood and discover my true passion for community development. This realization led me to dedicate most of my post-undergraduate career to creating avenues of support for low-income, minoritized UCLA students and their families. While helping students plan their post-graduation careers, I began to recognize that business school could be a powerful avenue for me to continue pursuing community development work outside of the higher education sector.
Additionally, I lost my mother early in the COVID-19 pandemic, which required me to move back to my rural hometown in California’s Central Valley. Once I returned, I realized that while I had spent nearly a decade developing programs for low-income, minoritized communities, my efforts had been concentrated in urban areas rather than the rural community I came from. This was the final push I needed to pursue an MBA, with the ultimate goal of learning how to bridge the gap between public and private investment in urban and rural communities.
Why Duke Fuqua? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
During my MBA search, I was looking for a school with a strong social impact program, a deeply invested and collaborative community, and an average student age of around 28–30. Fuqua stood out because of its culture of kindness and openness—students were candid about what they loved about the school and what they hoped to improve, such as achieving gender parity (which Fuqua has since reached). These conversations made it clear that Fuqua was the right fit for me.
What about your MBA experience prepared you for your current career?
The MBA experience pushed me to confront and work through my imposter syndrome. Through team-based learning, case discussions, and internship experiences, I developed confidence in my ability to contribute meaningfully in high-stakes environments. Additionally, the exposure to private sector decision-making helped me refine my approach to creating sustainable, long-term social impact.
What was your internship during business school? How did that inform your post-MBA career choice?
I spent my summer as a Farber Fellow at REDF, where I worked as a social entrepreneurship strategy consultant focusing on employment-based social enterprises. This fellowship reinforced my understanding of the public sector while highlighting my experience gap in the private sector. I realized that while my knowledge of public and nonprofit systems was strong, I needed to build my business acumen to drive real, lasting impact. This insight ultimately influenced my decision to pursue a post-MBA role that would give me more exposure to private-sector strategy and operations.
Why did you choose your current company? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to work?
I ultimately chose McKinsey because it offered the best of both worlds. Their Social, Health, and Public Entities (SHaPE) practice aligned with my background and passion for social impact, while the firm’s size and reach provided me with ample opportunities to gain private-sector experience. I saw McKinsey as the ideal place to develop the skills I needed to bridge the gap between public and private investment in underserved communities.
Advice to current MBA students:
—One thing you would absolutely do again as part of the job search?
I would stay grounded in the truth that no one else was my competition. During recruiting, it can be easy to fall into the trap of comparison, especially when so many students are pursuing consulting or banking. However, I remained focused on my goal of securing a social impact internship, and I’m grateful I did. That experience helped me organically identify my strengths and areas for growth. Had I followed the crowd instead of my own vision, I would have finished my MBA wondering “what if.”
—One thing you would change or do differently as part of the job search?
I would have leveraged the power of being a student more effectively. Early in my MBA experience, I felt pressure to craft the perfect outreach message before asking for time on someone’s calendar. However, I later realized that as long as I had genuine interest and clear intentions, most people were happy to speak with me simply because I was a student. Understanding this earlier would have made networking feel more natural and productive.
—Were there any surprises regarding your current employer’s recruiting process?
I was pleasantly surprised by the level of empathy McKinsey showed during the recruiting process. The day before my final interview, I had an emergency surgery. McKinsey was the only company that postponed my interview until I had fully recovered, ensuring that I could bring my best self to the final round. That level of care and understanding reinforced my decision to join the firm.
—What piece of advice do you wish you had been given during your MBA?
Think of this break as an opportunity to explore passions you wouldn’t have time for in a full-time job. Beyond academics and recruiting, take advantage of the broader university’s resources—not just those within the business school. I have friends who learned to play the guitar, took law classes, and even trained for and completed their first triathlon. They fully embraced clubs, organizations, and experiences that enriched their MBA journey in unexpected ways.
This is likely the last time you’ll be a student, so enjoy every facet of what that means. Step outside your comfort zone, try something new, and make the most of this unique chapter in your life.
