Inbound Marketing Specialist, HubSpot
My name is Alexandra Lopez-Vila and I am a proud Wellesley alumna from the Class of 2014. I am humbled to have the opportunity to share my brief story with the scholars who will shape and lead the next generation of the world.
When I started my first year at Wellesley in August 2010, there was no way I could see where my educational experience would take my professional career six years later. Simply put, time would tell. I came into Wellesley with a pre-med mentality. My father is a doctor, and he is the most inspirational man I know. However, as the first in my family to go to college in the United States, I also came into Wellesley with an open and hungry mind. During our first week of orientation, I remember my roommate (and best friend to this day) and I sitting in our miniscule dorm room and stressfully selecting our classes through the lottery system. I elected classes in a variety of departments, both to make sure I knew what I enjoyed studying, and to fulfill some of the graduating requirements. I took my first economics class that semester, and fell in love with the discipline and the doors I saw it could open up for me following matriculation.
Wellesley not only provided me with loads of academic information that my brain was magically capable of absorbing, it also taught me the most important and applicable skill – how to learn. Knowing how to learn means having both the attitude and aptitude to accept new information, thoroughly and wholeheartedly processing it, and applying it to one’s job through good judgment and productivity. As I developed my Wellesley career as an Economics and Spanish double-major, I also explored the MIT management courses throughout my Sophomore, Junior and Senior years. By taking classes at MIT, I was exposed to several marketing courses that were not provided at Wellesley. Pairing those classes with my Wellesley majors were my recipe for the perfect undergraduate academic experience, which smoothly transitioned into my professional career.
With a B.A. degree in Economics, I naturally entered the finance world of private wealth management in Boston. Although this experience only lasted three months for me, as I did not see it fit for my interests and professional development, it opened the doors to new passions. I landed a role at TripAdvisor as a property consultant for Latin America, where I worked with hotel owners on developing marketing strategies through the TripAdvisor website. In this experience I learned how to communicate efficiently with managers, confidently and comfortably converse about businesses’ budgets, work in collaboration with my sales team, and teach new hires about everything I learned. Most importantly, I discovered my passion for sales, marketing and Latin America.
In November 2015 I accepted a new position at HubSpot to work with the Latin America (LatAm) team. At HubSpot, we provide inbound marketing software services to small and medium sized businesses to help them grow at their fullest potential. Since my first day, I have felt challenged working at HubSpot. From being new to SaaS (software as a service) to learning the sophistications of the Inbound Marketing Methodology, I feel that all of my academic and professional experiences have been beautifully married. I am experiencing the epitome of business culture where every employee feels part of a larger family, and our energy and contributions are integral for the company’s growth.
As an Inbound Marketing Specialist, I am currently working with businesses in Latin America. I educate marketers and C-level representatives on the Inbound Marketing Methodology, and together we analyze how Inbound can (or cannot) fit their business model. If the fit is there, then I sell HubSpot’s software. Working in sales gives me the flexibility of determining my own work hours and working from home as I desire. HubSpot encourages everyone to find the work-life balance unique to them.
My advice for everyone who is figuring out their path (this includes me): keep an open mind. Think practically about your decisions but never lose sight of what you love and live for in life. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses, and focus on how you can incorporate those skills in your everyday life and professional development. Find solutions if you wish to challenge those weaknesses. Learning about yourself requires hard work, failure and victories. The initial mindset of being amenable to trying something new, to taking risks, and most importantly of being true to my passions and interests at the start of my Wellesley career were the key to my personal success and fulfillment today. These experiences make me especially proud to have Wellesley College as my alma mater.