Juana Henao: A Journey of Hope from Columbia to Goldey-Beacom and Beyond

MEET Juana Henao ‘19, ‘21
EARNED: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance ‘19
MBA in International Business Management ‘21
MBA in Financial Management ‘21

From Bogota, Colombia to Wilmington, Delaware with her younger brother in tow
Juana Henao’s lifelong dream was to move to the United States and attend college, but her only wish as a small child was a little closer to the heart – she prayed every night for a little brother. As good fortune would have it, both wishes came true.

Born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, her brother Felipe was born seven long years later. Now, she is the oldest of five children. They all remember learning English at an early age mostly because their parents broadcast American television channels where they watched the Cartoon Network and Disney movies like The Little Mermaid.

“I was very lucky as a child to visit Walt Disney World in Florida with my parents every few years,” said Henao. “After my first experience in the states, I was obsessed with this country, and very often I would ask my parents if we could move to the U.S.”

Henao has been playing soccer since she was seven years old. One day, her third-grade math and English teacher offered game changing advice telling her that it was possible to attend college and play soccer in the U.S. on a scholarship. It wasn’t that her parents were poor by Colombian standards, but the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar meant an American education was impossible.

Making sacrifices

She was willing to do anything to achieve her dreams. Instead of a traditional quinceañera, she asked to travel to the U.S. for soccer camp, thus giving up a rite of passage in her culture. It was an incredible sacrifice, but her parents agreed and sent her to visit a family friend in Washington, DC. “Their kids played soccer, and I had the good fortune to attend a soccer training camp at the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus,” said Henao. Following her return to Colombia, she announced her intention to attend college in the U.S.

By the time Henao graduated high school, only a few Colombian schools were starting to offer scholarships for soccer. Sadly, only male players received scholarships. Henao knew she had enough talent to play on a college team and was more determined than ever to attend school in the states. Because of NCAA restrictions for students under the age of 18, Henao signed with an agent.

She already loved Washington, DC, so it was easy to direct the agent in that area. She only had a few requirements for her dream college. It had to be located on the East Coast, offer a business administration major, offer a women’s soccer program – and above all – offer a scholarship.

Answered prayers – scholarships

With the economy in Colombia not as strong and a high exchange rate, Henao was in desperate need of a scholarship.

“There was no way I could have come to GBC without a scholarship,” she said. “But I just knew it was going to work out for me.”

After reviewing several offers, GoldeyBeacom was the only school that checked all the boxes. Henao’s offer from GBC provided two scholarships: athletics and academics.

After arriving at the College, she was amazed at what she found. “The one thing that really surprised me was the number of international students,” she said. “My freshman year, I was in a dorm of six girls, and four of us were international students. It meant that I wasn’t the only person going through this, and there were so many other people to connect with on that level.”

And for Henao, soccer was a means to an end. “I knew that soccer was the tool I had to use to come to the states,” Henao continued. “But it never crossed my mind to pursue it at a professional level. I have a passion for this sport, but I never competed to that level like the other girls on the team.”

An early introduction to Career Services

During her freshman year, she was ready to pursue a career. Although she wasn’t familiar with how the College’s Career Fair operated, she volunteered. “It was a great way to learn how to introduce myself and gain exposure to employers,” said Henao. “I attended every year following that. And that’s how I landed all my jobs until I graduated.”

Henao knew the importance of building a solid resume. After she first settled into her new lifestyle on campus, she soon landed a position as a tutor in the College’s Academic Resource Center. She went to on to become a library assistant, then spent time working in the Athletics Department and Student Affairs.

“Goldey-Beacom placed me in departments where I had opportunities to build my resume and my professional self,” said Henao. “I’ve been able to talk about these experiences during the many interviews I’ve had throughout my time as an undergraduate student, a graduate student and now as an alumna.”

“Working with Career Services, I was able to land my first job outside of the College – a service position with a local Toyota dealership,” said Henao. “When the assignment was finished, I went on to a junior accountant position with Progressive Systems, Inc.”

Gratefulness

Henao didn’t know where to begin. “There’s so many ways Goldey-Beacom has helped me,” she said. “The first thing that comes to mind is having faith in me, giving me the confidence I needed and the opportunity to work on campus.” Following the completion of her MBA program, Henao set her sights on a multinational corporation. Although she achieved her current position through her own sources, Henao says, “All the questions that were asked during the interview, were all related to my experiences and the positions that I held at Goldey-Beacom.”

A successful, global career

Today, Henao works for SAP, a German company where she first interned with the global cloud services team. “I was primarily in project management,” she said. “And in November 2022, I moved to a full-time position as a project consultant for cloud services.”

Giving back has always been important to Henao. She is currently a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Henao says it’s a great networking opportunity and encourages alumni to consider joining the board.

But her story doesn’t end here. Turn the page, and meet her younger brother, Felipe.