Ana Larrea-Albert

Originally from Ecuador, Ana Larrea-Albert moved to Boca Raton as a young adult, but she continued to feel a strong association with her Latina roots. After earning a Bachelor’s in Marketing from FAU, Ana's goal was to obtain real-world experience and then pursue a Master’s in Business Administration. Once Ana began working, her goal of earning an MBA became even more important, as she was eager to combine her work experience and the skills she would learn through an MBA program.

As a way to lead others within the FAU community, Ana began NENANI Mentoring for Latina students. Through NENANI, Ana shares personal branding, leadership, and networking skills to prepare mentees for a successful future. The program involves three, one-hour sessions and covers one topic per session. The sessions are extended to Latina mentors and mentees both in the FAU Mentoring Project as well as other FAU organizations. “As a Latina myself, who would have loved to have had this info available 20 years ago, I am doing this in my free time. I’m carving [out] time to do this as I am an executive at a European multinational company (Ana is the only American and only Latina in the management team). [I] travel often, [have] a family and several other engagements, but I believe in filling the pipeline of Latina professionals. I understand we need to start preparing them at high school and college. The representation numbers in corporate America for Latinas is dismal and I’m doing something about it.”

When reflecting on her experience at FAU, Ana acknowledges how balancing family life, work, and academics is a challenge. However, she explains “I am forever inspired and grateful for my time at FAU’s Executive MBA program." A motto Ana aspires to is "Learn, earn, and return.”