International Business Program Alum Enjoys Career Evolution and Applies Leadership Skills at LinkedIn

BY LESLIE LJ REILLY

Upon entering SDSU, Mary Price declared a computer science major, however her first foray into calculus gave her second thoughts. Price, a real people person, discovered that the study of computer science was completely misaligned with her interests and her future. 

“The best decision that I made was switching to CAL’s International Business program because it was the perfect intersection of practical business knowledge, cultural training, language, and exchange (through study abroad and other classes),” Price said. Minors in Spanish, Latin American studies, and marketing (as part of the IB program) expanded her breadth of knowledge. 

Price is the Sr. Head of Talent Acquisition - Marketing & Sales Solutions at LinkedIn in New York. Her previous post as Head of Talent Acquisition - Marketing & Sales Solutions (Americas) & LATAM for LinkedIn gave her an opportunity to use her natural interests in language and culture to lead teams around the world. Price said, “My career has evolved over the years and each experience built upon the next.”

Steve Jobs is known for saying, “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”  Price said, “This quote is so important, especially when one is at a stage in life where they are starting something (like a career or education) or in the middle of it. It’s so hard to know how the work you’re doing or the lessons that you’re learning will serve you later, but you have to trust that they will.” 

Spanish Language Study & International Study Abroad Scholarship

Price learned to speak Spanish in seventh grade and enjoyed it immensely. Later, inspiration to continue language study at the university level was due to her knowledge that Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the world. And, Price recognized the value employers place on multilingual individuals. She also knew it would come in handy while living in San Diego. Price trusted that more in-depth language study was a worthwhile endeavor.

An opportunity to expand her Spanish language skills came in the form of a 2002 international scholarship to study abroad for a semester in Madrid. Price remembers a statement she made in her application essay that still holds true today — It is my hope that this experience will give me new eyes, a new lens and perspective through which I will see and experience the world. “That was exactly the transformation that I had on the other side of studying abroad in Madrid as well as completing an internship in Costa Rica,” Price commented.

“Studying abroad was one of the most impactful experiences of my life,” Price continued. “It really taught me to lead with a curious mindset, have respect for people that are different than you, appreciate and find the beauty in differences across cultures, and develop a heightened level of awareness of where people are coming from and why different perspectives and diversity are important in business.”

All her international business courses at the Universidad de Antonio de Nebrija were taught in Spanish, which solidified her ability to speak the language. Business, culture, and language courses during her semester abroad helped her gain knowledge that remains useful in her career and life today.

Most recently, while leading employee teams with LinkedIn in Brazil, she was able to quickly build relationships due to her cross-cultural training and experience. Even in New York, she speaks Spanish on occasion, and noted that “there are 168 languages spoken in NYC.” Living there and understanding the many cultures and languages has given her comfort and continued opportunities to communicate in Spanish since there is a large Latina/o/x population in NYC.

Career Trajectory Began in San Diego

“While I was a student at SDSU, I worked full-time at the Apple store in the Fashion Valley mall. It wasn’t just a ‘retail’ job. I was a manager and part of a leadership team leading a $100M+ business,” Price said. She worked for Apple for a total of 13 years continually progressing from Store Manager in San Diego to her final role as Project Manager, Global Talent & Development in New York. 

Foundations in international business, Spanish, Latin American studies, and marketing continued to provide the groundwork for more leadership roles. “The fact that I was applying these lessons in real-time not only helped them stick but helped me evolve in my roles — which led to several transformations at work,” Price said. 

Price continued, “I love helping my team at LinkedIn grow and develop. When working with my stakeholders and cross-functional partners, I enjoy solving complex problems related to our talent strategy. Since my team recruits for the sales organization, every day that a role remains open costs the company so in this case, time literally is money and I love getting to influence that through strategy, efficient processes, and strong partnerships.”

When asked how she feels about connecting people and changing lives today and throughout her career, Price said, “It makes me feel like I have a meaningful purpose at work. Life is all about the impact that you are making on others whether its work or personal. I love knowing at the end of the day, my team is changing people’s lives by connecting them with careers that will hopefully create economic opportunity for them, their families, and communities.”

Through the years, Price has led very diverse teams in terms of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.  Her past experiences and education have helped shape her perspectives to ensure she is open, understanding, and patient. As she looks back and connects the dots, she can see that the sum total of her experiences at SDSU and beyond have made her a better leader today.