Karen Tafa has complete confidence that her LMU education will help her achieve her career aspirations. After earning a B.S. in Information Systems and Business Analytics in 2020 at LMU, she continued on to earn an M.S. in Business Analytics in 2021.
“I felt that a master’s degree would give me more confidence in my skills and a chance to refine them,” said Karen. “The pandemic also proved to be an excellent time to further my education in order to better position myself in the job market.”
Her hard work paid off. Today, Karen works as a data analyst for Magna Marketing, a New York-based tech consulting company, where she oversees the implementation of Salesforce Interaction Studio for clients, primarily using JavaScript code.
“We used JavaScript in a few of my undergraduate classes so that helped a lot,” she said. “As project lead, I regularly speak with clients and work in teams so all the project work I did during my MSBA helped with being able to manage that.”
Before arriving on the bluff, Karen pursued her passion for music and songwriting which drew her to Los Angeles. Alongside her natural vocal talents, Karen's social media prowess was evident. She racked up an impressive 367,600 views across YouTube and averaged 30,000 views per Facebook video.
Reflecting on her career journey thus far, Karen credits the LMU MSBA program for its hands-on approach to learning about business practices. The program gave her the freedom to choose what she was interested in researching, which motivated her to follow through with her passions and create a project that reflected her values. In turn, the capstone project gave her the unique opportunity to showcase the skills she learned in the program, instilling her with the confidence to perform and shine.
As an up-and-coming business and creative mogul, Karen plans to build influence and apply data analytics at every step in her career to assess impact through measurable outcomes. She hopes to one day run her own conglomerate with companies from different industries.
“My advice to future MSBA students is what you put in is what you get out,” she said. “LMU has great professors who are dedicated to helping you succeed and willing to accommodate your needs. Make sure to take advantage of their expertise by asking questions and seeking guidance.”
By Silvia Osorio '24