In her first days at the George Washington University School of Business, Macarena Martinez, MAcc ’24, thought about dropping her accounting class. She had just arrived in Washington, D.C., from Chile, alone in a city that felt unfamiliar. The classroom only made her more anxious.
“Professor Donald Businkai looked very strict,” she says. “For a moment, I thought about switching to another professor, but I decided to stay and participate in the class,” she says. “It was very difficult, but I learned a lot.”
The course introduced her to data analysis and tools like Tableau, skills she had never used before. She later took another class with the same professor.
At GW, Martinez stepped into a new chapter. She pursued her degree during a two-year professional development leave from her role in the public sector, entering a city and a university she had never known.
She quickly noticed differences in the academic environment.
“Professors in Chile are more distant,” she says. “At GW, you can talk to them directly during office hours. The relationship is very close.”
That shift changed how she approached learning. It gave her the confidence to ask questions and tackle problems in ways she hadn’t before. Martinez had considered studying at other universities, including some in New York City, but GW stood out.
It just felt like the right place to grow academically and personally.
Life in D.C. brought its own memorable moments.
“My best memory was my friends,” she says. “I made three great friends. We would walk to the National Mall during cherry blossom season, take a lot of pictures and see other students. I really liked that season.”
Yet life as an international student was not always easy.
“Sometimes you can be sad,” she says. “Especially in the winter when the days are shorter.”
She leaned on campus resources, including psychological services, to get through those moments.
Upon returning to Chile, Martinez’s master’s degree strengthened her professional work and enabled her to make a meaningful impact in her current role. Building on an already established career in the public sector, she currently serves as Head of Internal Audit Coordination and Lead External Auditor for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) at Chile’s Comptroller General’s Office. There, she oversees international audits and participates in engagements representing Chile abroad, including in Washington.
That first class still shapes her work today.
I use what I learned in that class every day. It opened a lot of doors for me.
Her advice to new students entering her program goes back to that first uneasy day in class:
Attend the class and ask a lot of questions. You probably have the same questions as other students. Stay in the class, even when it feels difficult. That is where the growth happens.