“I am graduating from the University of Utah in finance this spring, so I applied to the Fulbright Binational Business Program in Mexico. I have always been passionate about international business and my family comes from Mexico, so the opportunity made a lot of sense. Not only do I want to have a better understanding of international business and the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, but I also want to learn more about Mexican culture. I think immersion will be the best way to do that. 

When I came to the U, I knew I wanted to study business, but I hadn’t picked a specific field yet. Thanks to programs like Goff Scholars and Opportunity Scholars, I connected with mentors who helped me learn about finance, which ultimately became my major. Investing has always fascinated me and I wanted to understand how investments can set people up for secure futures. I now want to share that knowledge with others, especially people who live in underdeveloped parts of the world like Mexico.

I minored in financial technology, or FinTech, because it’s clear that the intersection between finance and technology is an important part of the future. Last summer, I interned with the medical device company Medtronic. Here I learned more about financial planning analysis and I really enjoyed that. This summer, I will be interning at Google. In the future, I want to work full-time at some kind of tech company.

I started my Fulbright application a little later than I should have, but the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships provided me crucial support that helped me be selected as a Semi-finalist. They reviewed my essays and helped me understand what the Fulbright interview process would look like through a mock interview. They were a big help in the process. 

Whether or not I am selected as a Fulbright, the essay process provided a meaningful opportunity for me to reflect on everything I’ve done since my first year of college. It also made me think about what I want to do in the future. For me, that is to provide value for wherever I work and the people I interact with.”

— Jacobo Miranda, Class of 2025, B.S. in Finance, fintech emphasis, Eccles School of Business, from Murray, Utah

2025 Fulbright Semifinalist