Student Spotlight: Angelica (Colombia, PMBA '23)
Angelica Hoyos - Colombia
Rice-Business PMBA '23
Q&A with B-Speak! Director Christina Ball
Angelica, tell us why you decided to pursue a PMBA at Rice? What attracted you most to the program?
I decided to pursue a PMBA at Rice because I wanted to acquire the skills to advance in my career. I chose Rice because of the high quality of the education. Rice is focused on non-profit organizations, the US ranking, and curriculum flexibility - you can choose which line of specialization you want to follow.
What most attracted me to the program was high quality of the education and curriculum flexibility.
What motivated you to sign up for B-Speak! English coaching this year?
I wanted to improve my speaking and writing skills. I wanted to speak in English at a level according to the MBA program. The B-Speak! program was recommended by my Business Communications professor at Rice University.
How has your English improved since you started working with Rebecca? What do you enjoy most about the course and her approach?
My writing skills have improved a lot. I can express my ideas in a better and formal way, and I spend less time writing my essays. Rebecca is very clear about grammatical rules and always provides practical tips. She always tries to understand the assignments and my needs in order to provide the right support.
How would you describe B-Speak! to a friend or fellow PMBA?
It’s a flexible program focused on your needs. It provides a lot of resources to improve speech, writing, practicing interviews, or any other aspect that you need to improve. The program supports my needs, which change every week according to my assignments or personal activities.
A Word from Angelica's B-Speak! Coach, Rebecca:
"Angelica possesses a zeal not unlike many students I've worked with. When I initially started working with her, she told me she'd like to improve upon her writing skills. I gave her a list of linking/transition words, I assessed where she was exactly in terms of her writing abilities, and I gave her some helpful tips on how to incorporate these to link ideas. Much to my amazement, she returned her assignment to me and had extended it tremendously. My point here being that Angelica takes the tools you give her and implements them. Just recently, she asked me for another list of these types of words saying she'd 'exhausted the list I gave her in the beginning.' This type of learner, one who utilizes the tools that you give them and then asks for more, is a dream for language teachers. It is incredible to see how her writing has been transformed by following a simple set of directions. Excellent work!"
