Karen Veroboski turned an internship at Pfizer during her Rice Business MBA into a full-time offer. Pfizer, one of the oldest pharmaceutical companies in America, offered the culture and fast-paced environment Karen sought. Read on for how her MBA experience at Rice Business and Pfizer internship prepared her for such a dynamic role in this Real Humans: Alumni.
Karen Verboski, Rice Business MBA ’24, Finance Manager at Pfizer
Age: 33
Hometown: Teresina, PI, Brazil
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Federal University of Piauí – Law (LLB)
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Financial Controller, Leon’s Signs, Inc., 5 years 7 months, Entrepreneurship/Manufacturing; Attorney, Piauí State Public Defender’s Office, 2 years 9 months, Legal/Public Sector
Post-MBA Work Experience: Finance Rotational Manager, Pfizer Inc., 7 months, Pharmaceutical
Why did you choose to attend business school?
As a lifelong learner, the desire to continue growing has always been there. After seeing the power of financial strategy firsthand while helping turn around Leon’s Signs, attending business school just felt like the next step to gain the knowledge, network and confidence to build more and scale my impact.
Why Rice Business? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Houston’s startup ecosystem, the small class size and the incredibly impressive people sealed the deal for me. Rice Business is also super collaborative and entrepreneurial, and I knew it would push me out of my comfort zone!
What about your MBA experience prepared you for your current career?
Everything. I stretched every business muscle: finance, entrepreneurship, venture capital, strategy… The classes were thought-provoking, and the professors were so supportive. The VC Fellowship at Softeq gave me hands-on venture capital experience (and a lot of fun too). There were plenty of leadership opportunities in clubs, and the skills and accomplishments of my cohort and friends still push me to do more to this day.
What was your internship during business school? How did that inform your post-MBA career choice?
I interned as a finance summer associate at Pfizer, gaining experience in finance and strategy. I wanted to see if working in a fast-paced environment in New York City would be a good long-term fit for me, and the internship confirmed that it was.
Why did you choose your current company? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to work?
I wanted to work with passionate, driven people and where I could make a difference. It helped that the culture is fulfilling and allows me to be my (slightly quirky) self!
Advice to current MBA students:
—One thing you would absolutely do again as part of the job search?
Network like it’s my full-time job (because, honestly, it is). Some of my best opportunities came from casual conversations that turned into deep professional connections.
—One thing you would change or do differently as part of the job search?
Worry less and trust the process more. The MBA job search is a rollercoaster, but know you’ll land where you need to be.
—What piece of advice do you wish you had been given during your MBA?
Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Make time to reflect on what you truly want from the experience rather than just rushing from one thing to the next (even the quiet moments between classes or after big events are important).
