A Fulbright scholarship acquired in her home country of Afghanistan led Hadisa Gowhari MBA’23 to Oregon — and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management — where she found an unexpected new home.
“To be honest, I liked Oregon — I was not expecting that!” Gowhari said.
When she learned about Willamette University’s internship opportunities, she applied to work at Intel, the world's largest manufacturer of microprocessors and semiconductors, with the Client Computing Group, one of their primary business units. “It was a great experience working at one of the best companies here in Oregon. I never thought I’d be able to do that,” she said.
Gowhari, who owned and managed two businesses in Afghanistan, calls the experience life-changing. “It was really like a door opening for me. In addition to learning finance skills, I was able to meet very smart people and network.” She added that along with working with others at her intern level, she met many people above her position who were ready to share their knowledge. “We had mentors who coached us, which was very valuable.”
Following two internships at Intel, Gowhari felt ready to take on a full-time role with them, an accomplishment she attributes to acquiring her MBA at Willamette. This summer,Gowhari joined Intel as a full-time senior financial analyst. The job is challenging, but she loves it.
“It’s a difficult job, but I have the opportunity to meet with mentors and coaches who can guide me through any problems,” she said “I can rely on them, and there’s an open-door policy where we can go in with questions. It’s a very supportive team.”
Gowhari believes having an MBA from Willamette is a valuable commodity. She recommends that students focus on building networks and relationships.
“As an MBA candidate, 50 percent of what we learn should be from classes, and 50 percent should be from our network. Both are valuable for the fields that you want to go into. Make sure you stay in touch with them.”
