It was in the aftermath of a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Talcahuano, Chile, that Josue Bustos—then serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—realized what he wanted to do with his life: help those in need.
The Chilean native found more direction as he studied the lives of influential leaders, observing that formal education was a common thread that increased their impact. Bustos recalls realizing, “If I really want to help people, if I really want to be in a position where I can have developed skills, I need to get an education.” This insight launched a 13-year-long quest to pursue higher education, eventually guiding Bustos to the MBA program at the BYU Marriott School of Business.
To start, in 2012 he enrolled in a two-year business administration associate degree program at a technical school in Chile. A relative heard about Bustos’s plans and offered to fund the degree if Bustos changed to a full undergraduate program. The unexpected opportunity felt like a miracle from God to Bustos, and he quickly enrolled at Universidad Andrés Bello. However, when he was only part way through the program, his relative unexpectedly had to withdraw financial support, abruptly forcing Bustos to pause his education.
During this interruption, Bustos married his wife and worked, though he never lost sight of his educational goals, which were revitalized when he attended an information session about the BYU Marriott MBA program. “I had this deep feeling that if I could one day attend BYU and experience its unique blend of education and spirituality and be part of the MBA program, I would undergo a personal transformation, becoming the person I wanted to be, and I would never have to choose between being a successful business leader or a faithful disciple,” Bustos recalls. “I could do both.”
This impression fueled his efforts over the next 10 years as he worked to attend BYU, starting with finishing his undergraduate degree. To make reenrollment at Universidad Andrés Bello possible, Bustos and his wife both began working full-time to support his educational expenses. Bustos took night classes to fit in his coursework around his job, and his wife paused her own education to bear more of the family’s financial responsibilities.
Bustos graduated second in his class, began working at a consulting company, and worked to learn English, as, together with his wife, he wrestled with the difficultly of making the move to the US financially feasible.
After almost seven years of strategizing and saving, Bustos submitted his application to BYU Marriott’s MBA program and was admitted—making him the first member of both his and his wife’s family to ever get into graduate school. Though many people didn’t understand why he was sacrificing so much for an additional degree, or what he was trying to accomplish by moving, his parents were incredibly supportive. Bustos and his wife were also grateful to receive the Wilford A. Cardon International Sponsorship, a loan program for international graduate students, from the Whitmore Global Business Center.
While Bustos admits the MBA program hasn’t been easy—his first semester was particularly difficult because of the language barrier—he says that he’s changed as a person because of his involvement.
“Because the word ‘transformation’ is central to BYU Marriott’s core elements, such as its vision and mission statements, I have been able to access opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have,” he explains. Bustos notes that his professors actively seek out ways to give their students growth opportunities, recalling when a professor agreed to let Bustos work as a teaching assistant (TA) for an undergraduate course even though Bustos didn’t feel his English was as smooth and his grades were as high as those of other students. The experience acted as an important stepping stone for Bustos’ subsequent TA position in MBA 580: Business Strategy.
Apart from working as a TA, Bustos also mentors international students, serves as president of the MBA Human Resources Student Association, and participates as a consultant in the project-based MBA 695: Kaizen course. He and his team also won second place in the 2024 Human Capital Case Competition hosted by Vanderbilt University in November 2024. He believes his family has sacrificed too much for him to slow down.
As Bustos prepares to graduate in April, he expresses that learning to trust God has been an important part of his journey. “I think the moment I stopped trying to believe in myself, and I started putting my confidence in God, things changed,” he shares. “I think that the capacity to overcome cultural or even family barriers and beliefs didn’t come because I was able to do it, or because I trusted in myself enough. It was because I trusted in the Lord, and He strengthened and guided me.”
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Written by Katie Brimhall
