Gabriela Spieler Tahech

Guarapuava, Brazil

College:

College of Business Administration

Degree Program:

Business Administration MBA

Research Focus:

Sales, marketing, and business operations

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Gabriela Spieler Tahech was inspired by her father to study business. Growing up in Guarapuava, Brazil, her father always told her that the soul of every business is sales. After spending two years studying law in her home country, Tahech decided to do something different when she moved to Florida and shifted course in her academic journey.

Tahech completed an associate’s degree at Valencia College before transferring to UCF, where she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Marketing in 2020. “I became really passionate about my future career when I realized that the core of every business, regarding the area that they are operating, is in fact sales, more specifically how do you sell your business,” she says. “It's thrilling and exciting to sell your business every day to a variety of consumers.”

After graduation, Tahech took a year off and realized how much a graduate degree would expand her career opportunities. She decided to further her studies and pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA). She never could imagine continuing her academic journey anywhere else. “UCF was my number one choice because I already knew how good the college and the professors were, so I applied at the beginning of 2021. To be honest, it was the only school I applied for because I only wanted UCF,” she says.

After her first semester at UCF, Tahech had already bought a ton of UCF merchandise and went to every football game. “You don't experience this kind of university culture in Brazil, and I loved the feeling of being part of something bigger,” she says. Tahech describes how the campus community at UCF has shaped her experience. She credits the professors in her program with teaching her valuable professional and life skills that she will carry with her. In addition, she appreciates her MBA cohort. “I met great people and made amazing friends,” she says. She advises students to lean on their peers, ask questions, and not be afraid to ask for help from classmates.

Tahech also serves on UCF’s first Graduate Student Advisory Council, which she describes as an amazing experience. “It opened my eyes to complexities in UCF graduate programs that I had no idea [existed],” she says. Serving on the council has strengthened her skills by enhancing her ability to adapt while trying to find efficient solutions for every problem, which has helped prepare her for her dream career.

Currently, Tahech is a Sales and Marketing Coordinator for a packaging company in Central Florida. Coincidentally, the company started in Brazil thirty years ago but expanded its operations in the U.S. sixteen years ago. Tahech now helps them with developing marketing strategies, assisting in the growth of the marketing department, creating sales leads and agreements for the sales departments, and creating promotional campaigns.

Highlights:

• UCF Graduate Student Advisory Council member