A first-generation American, Maleni Palacios knows what it’s like to grow up between two worlds.
Raised in a small immigrant community nestled within a wealthy neighborhood, Palacios spent much of her childhood traveling between Atlanta’s urban core and the small rural village in Mexico that is her ancestral home. Yet, for all their differences, both settings were similar in their focus on community, Palacios notes.
“The themes of being authentic and being a community member — being humble and being a hard worker — were embodied in both of my environments,” she says. “That upbringing taught me a lot about the value of community and knowing you’re never alone. Even if you’re the first one pursuing something, there’s a community that’s supporting, uplifting and rooting for you.”
Palacios’ experience also exposed her to differences in policies between the two nations, sparking her interest in pursuing a career in this space, with a focus on increasing access and mobility for people of color in the U.S. Now a member of The Consortium pursuing her MBA at Columbia University — a member of the class of 2025 — Palacios is using what she’s learned as a first-generation American and college student to guide her career and ensure an easier path for members of her community.
Forging a Path
From a young age, Palacios had to learn tools and strategies to navigate the experience of being a first-generation American. As she got older, learning how to forge her own path — in addition to creating her own definition of success — became a source of strength for her.
“I didn’t grow up in an environment where everyone was talking about the future — they were mostly talking about how to survive,” she says. “They would discuss making it to the next milestone in the short run, but not the big picture.”
Palacios began pursuing a career as a consultant with the goal of buying her parents their first home. After earning her undergrad degree and embarking on a career in consulting, ultimately accomplishing her initial objective, she felt that her path had more in store.
“Once I reached my goals, I knew it was time for me to pivot and do something more community-driven,” she says. “That’s what is at my core — being a public servant. I knew that in order to do that, I needed the credentials to give me credibility and latitude as a leader.”
Palacios decided to pursue her MBA and was accepted into Columbia University’s MBA program, where she is currently studying finance. After graduation, she hopes to work for a Fortune 500 firm — where there are a lot of decision-makers and stakeholders with power to make a difference in communities. As part of this journey, Palacios is interning at Delta Air Lines this summer.
“Delta Air Lines is a big, powerful brand and company,” she says. “They’re based in Atlanta, so it’s always been a source of pride. This summer, I’m in their corporate real estate department learning finance, and I’m seeing how larger corporations play a role in the community.”
Supporting Community
Serving her community has also meant doing her part to support first-generation Americans (and students) and people of color —a focus that has included involvement in a number of campus organizations at Columbia. Currently, Palacios leads the Hispanic Business Association and serves as a student liaison for The Consortium at Columbia University; she’s also active in the Hermes Society and the nonprofit organization Community Impact.
Beyond being a public servant, Palacios strives to improve visibility and access to seemingly out-of-reach career paths. One way she’s intentionally broken down these walls is through a newsletter she created last semester called “Coffee Chats with Professors,” which has gained traction and an audience on LinkedIn. In the newsletter, she interviews Columbia professors about their lives and jobs in hopes that their stories will help demystify this seemingly exclusive career path.
“I wanted to learn more about the exclusive pathway to professorship that many first-generation and minority students don’t have visibility into within the context of the United States,” she says. “Through the newsletter, I’m trying to create more visibility into the pathway and paint a fuller picture of these individuals, conveying that it’s a possible career path.”
The newsletter is representative of Palacios’ own search for clarity around prospective academic and career paths. She hopes that her experience will demonstrate, to many in her position, that earning an MBA is possible, regardless of one’s background.
“When I started looking into MBA programs, I remember it being a big challenge,” she says. “I thought, ‘I would love to do this, but can I afford it? How do I embark on this path?’ The way I demystified that was through research, talking to students and learning about The Consortium and organizations that could help.”
Uplifting Communities
When Palacios first discovered The Consortium, she was immediately drawn to its mission and focus on fostering a diverse community of professionals all dedicated to advancing in their lives and careers while uplifting each other along the way. Now entering the second year of her MBA program, she’s seen the power that comes from that support.
“The Consortium opened up a whole new world for me,” she says. “There are a number of classmates who I met at Columbia who have a similar background as me, who are first-gen people of color, but they didn’t know about The Consortium. I think they felt a little lonely, like they were building the plane as they were flying it. But in my case, I had a community rooting for me. That made my experience less lonely, and now I know I will also have a robust alumni community that will equip me for success.”
Through this and her experiences growing up, Palacios has learned the value and impact that diverse and uplifting communities can have, and one day, she hopes to do her part to elevate these communities working in a government agency in D.C. For her, it’s all about going back to her roots — creating policies that will help communities like the ones in which she grew up.
“My childhood influenced every decision I’ve made as an adult,” Palacios says. “Growing up between urban Atlanta and rural Mexico exposed me to the different value systems people place on things and the way policy can influence the decisions people make. I think about how we can change or work within these frameworks to increase access and mobility for Black and Brown folks in the United States.”
“It’s also about building a culture of reciprocity,” she adds. “Many leaders fought for our rights, for the freedoms we have today, enabling new leaders like me to advance with purpose. So, we must pay it forward.”