Ithaca, here I come!

Don’t worry…I didn’t end up in Cancun this week as planned, and fortunately so given Hurricane Dean’s mass evacuation of the city. I was so caught up with work before the trip that I hadn’t heard the news about the hurricane. When we were told by the airline ticket agents that we were unable to fly on Saturday due to insufficient documentation to enter the country of Mexico, I was pretty bummed. Over the next couple of days as we watched Dean’s destruction I realized what a blessing our cancelled trip had been. A forewarning to the future world travelers: make sure you are aware of all documentation requirements of your destination country as well as those required to exit and enter the U.S. It’s not Cancun, but we drive down the pacific coast and rented a beach house in Rosarito, Mexico for a couple days (photo at the right is of me and my family enjoying a Mexican sunset).

I’ve returned to the states, and eagerly awaiting my Saturday night flight to New York. No matter how old I get, I’ve always been such a nerd when it comes to the start of a new school year. I love buying new school supplies and planning out what I’m going to wear on the first day of school. Of course, things do get a little more complicated as a graduate student like reading assignments for the first day of class, finding and moving into a new apartment and all the glorious things that come with that like setting up internet and utilities. Yikes! I’m beginning to think I should have planned to return to Ithaca a little sooner. Not to mention that classes actually officially started Thursday, August 23rd.

I am really excited about my course lineup this fall. I’m sure I’ll share more as the semester rolls on but here is a list:
· Macroeconomics and International Trade
· Equity Derivatives and Related Products
· Estate Planning
· Securitization and Structured Products
· Oral Communication
· Negotiations
· Cornell Management Simulation
· Perspectives on Leadership
It’s a long list, I know, and I think I am at or really close to the limit for allowable credits in a semester! My thought on this is that since my tuition is a fixed cost then I should take as many credits as I can. The cost per unit is decreased and my knowledge increases (theoretically)! If it gets to be too much, I will probably have to drop a course. I do have many other non-academic obligations this semester like assisting in the coordination of the Johnson Means Business weekend, managing the execution of programs and events for the Women’s Management Council, co-managing a mentor program between undergraduate students at Cornell and the members of the Black Graduate Business Association, the Hispanic American Business Leaders Association, and Out for Business, and my participation within the Johnson Admissions Group. Phew! I have got a loaded semester ahead of me. Stay tuned…

Oh! One more thing before I sign off on this week’s posting. I welcome feedback, responses, and questions on my blog. You can reach me via email at arn4@cornell.edu.

Cheers!

4 days left!

Today was the start of my last week with the CalPERS Investment Office. Woohoo! Don't get me wrong, I have loved my time here but there's something about that little place called Ithaca that has me - dare I say it? - homesick! When I first arrived in Sacramento almost 11 weeks ago, I thought the summer would never end but fortunately I was given some awesome projects to work on and in my free time explored Northern California a little. As a SoCal girl, I have to admit I am biased but now have a new appreciation for my homestate.

I think I'm jumping ahead of myself here. Perhaps I should give you a little intro as to whose blog it is you're reading. I'm a blogger neophyte so forgive me if I don't know the rules. My name is Adrienne Rose Martinez and I am a 28 year old Chicana from Baldwin Park, CA. I followed my brother to Cornell the first time around after high school and decided to return for my MBA. The five years between the roundtrip, I was working in the Los Angeles area in education and the nonprofit sector but felt the itch to go back to school when I wanted to pursue other passions. I'm an official "career switcher" entering the investment management industry.

You know already that I have spent my summer with the largest U.S. public pension fund but you don't know what I've been doing. I was hired by the Asset Allocation and Risk Management group, along with the Supplemental Income Plans unit to conduct some competitve research on a fund strategy called target date retirement funds (a.k.a. age-based or lifecycle funds). CalPERS will be launching its own branded lineup of these funds next year. Using those great networking skills practice often in business school, I also managed to swing a project with the Alternative Investment Management (AIM) unit where I was evaluating private placement memorandums. With the help of my awesome mentor, I got to meet with the senior portfolio managers and other senior investment staff for each of the asset classes at CalPERS. I even got to meet with el jefe himself - Russell Read, Chief Investment Officer, the man who controls close to $250 billion (depending on the markets).

Looking back on my summer and first year MBA experience, I can hardly believe how much I have grown. I know, it's kinda cliche, but completely true! It is amazing how much I have pushed myself mentally, physically, and emotionally to get to this point. Somehow, despite the unknowns that lie ahead - whose going to hire me? what part of the world will I be living in? - I have never felt so in control of my life and future.

Well, I think I've done enough blogging for for today. Don't miss me too much if you don't hear from me next week...I'll be on a beach in Cancun or climbing the pyramids of Chichen Itza. I know, I know. You're thinking, "Who does this chick think she is? She just landed this gig and taking a vacation already?!" I've got to rest up for round II! Check back here the first week of school - August 27th.

Cheers!

I received my BS degree from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 2001. I then worked with The Riordan Programs, a non-profit organization providing career-based outreach programs. I returned to school to pursue my MBA and launch a new career in investment management. Last year I participated in the Capital Markets and Asset Management Immersion program and spent my summer with the CalPERS Investment Office in Sacramento, CA. I’m a Forté Foundation Fellow, a New America Alliance Institute Fellow and was awarded a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellowship.