Julio Camacho
Master of Business Administration program
This is San Francisco Bay University student Julio Camacho. Julio is a 2022 President's Scholarship recipient working towards his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and is just starting his journey at SFBU this semester (Fall 2022).
Julio was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he earned his B.A. in International Relations. Growing up, Julio was not drawn to jobs most kids wanted, such as working as a police officer or a firefighter. Instead, he was interested in careers such as architecture and graphic design. While earning his B.A. degree, Julio had the opportunity to study abroad temporarily in Santiago, Chile. He loved his time there so much that he decided to move back to Santiago after graduating to get more professional experience. Then, he began to focus on becoming a private sector development expert through business strategies that can help strengthen small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and foster local entrepreneurship through innovation and data-driven approaches.
Julio describes himself as a passionate person who is curious by nature, likes to be around people who can teach him things, and appreciates learning different points of view. With many experiences under his belt, Julio often follows his heart and likes to take risks. His greatest challenge to date has been moving to the U.S. to pursue his MBA at San Francisco Bay University. While adjusting to life in San Francisco, he has realized that there are many cultural differences between the U.S. and Mexico, and he sometimes misses his family and friends. In fact, it was never in his plans to study in the U.S. Julio explains, “When the opportunity came to my door, I was scared but curious, and I thought, ‘What if I can make it? Maybe there is a chance for me here.’ There were doubts, but here I am! It’s been challenging, but it’s a great opportunity.”
“What if I can make it? Maybe there is a chance for me here.”
Julio lives in San Francisco and commutes to SFBU by BART. He likes to use his commute time to study and catch up on reading, which is one of his favorite hobbies: “I like reading novels by Mexican and Latin authors that address social issues and real things happening in this world. Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor is a book he recommends for everyone to read in order to understand one of the many issues of contemporary Mexico. Julio explains, “It captures the level of violence and machismo culture through the lens of people who are suffering injustices such as inequality, poverty, and corruption. It is a novel that has really stuck with me.”
When asked about his proudest moment, Julio had two in mind. The first was receiving the President’s Scholarship from SFBU. He had never received a scholarship before, and was honored by the opportunity provided by SFBU. The second was a professional moment while working as a project analyst at a Mexican startup last year. Julio worked on finding grants and entering startup competitions to help the company grow; his efforts helped the company to receive grants from different organizations: SingularityU Mexico, Google for Startups, and AT&T Mexico.
San Francisco Bay University was recommended to Julio by his partner, who also recommended California State University, Northridge. Julio ultimately decided on SFBU because he was drawn to San Francisco: it is one of the world's most innovative, enterprising, and diverse cities; it is walkable; and the Bay Area has good public transportation. Lastly, he chose SFBU because he received the President’s Scholarship.
While attending San Francisco Bay University, Julio is looking forward to gaining knowledge and work experience, which he will compare to his work experience in Mexico. Julio is interested in learning more about the startup environment in San Francisco and will focus on finding an internship there while studying.
When asked what he enjoys most about SFBU so far, Julio said, “I really like the diverse community and how the students are from all different parts of the world, and I think that is the most interesting part… the sharing of experiences and perspectives is very rich.” In addition, Julio also likes the small classroom size because it is easier to get to know his classmates and professors: “The best part is sharing conversations with classmates about different foods and the current political state in our home countries. There's always something new and always something to learn from one another.”
“There's always something new and always something to learn from one another.”
After graduating from San Francisco Bay University, Julio would like to gain work experience in the U.S. because that would be extremely valuable when he returns to Mexico. He wants to pursue his dream career as a private sector development consultant, and help small and medium businesses in Mexico become more innovative and competitive.
In addition to his studies, Julio enjoys traveling, reading, listening to music and podcasts, cooking healthy foods and desserts, and biking. He even spent the New Year in Brazil with friends! When asked what he likes best about the Bay Area, Julio said, “It's very diverse; not a day goes by where I don’t hear a foreign accent and Spanish, for example. There are great things to do: museums, libraries, and food experiences.”
Julio shared that an English teacher he had in Mexico greatly influenced him on a personal level: “He had an interesting perspective on life, and planted the seed that made me want to leave Mexico to explore and have this international experience. He influenced me to keep studying and earn an MBA. He introduced me to the music I listen to, and the political and social issues we talked about influenced me, as well. We still keep in touch.”
Julio advises current and prospective SFBU students to “come with an open mind and embrace the opportunity. Get out of your comfort zone, because this is what this experience is all about! Broaden your horizons, meet new people, have an opportunistic attitude, and learn something. Be curious, ask questions, and go deeper into topics. To question and see different perspectives is part of the learning process.”
“To question and see different perspectives is part of the learning process.”
Congratulations and best wishes, Julio, throughout your journey at SFBU and beyond. Thank you for being such an inspiration to the San Francisco Bay University community!