Trying to juggle school and a social life while simultaneously learning how to get a commercial loan, earn a dealership license, and develop relationships with business professionals is not easy, but somehow Maryorie Delgado manages to do it. As a junior in the BYU Marriott entrepreneurial management program, Delgado has developed skills from her classes that she has directly applied to growing her family’s business.
Born in Peru and raised in Orem, Delgado felt the pull to be an entrepreneur from a young age. In high school, she developed a business plan to grow her father’s mechanic shop into a car dealership. This plan landed her a spot at a national business competition in Washington, DC. After realizing her potential with entrepreneurship, Delgado began looking at universities that offered strong programs with a business focus. “I saw BYU had an entrepreneurial management major, and I knew it would be a great education,” she says.
Now as a student at BYU Marriott, Delgado has turned her high school business plan into action as she helped her dad expand his company and develop what they hope to be one of ten car dealerships.
Not only does Delgado work to grow her family’s business, she dives into every opportunity for growth in her own life. When Delgado attended her first Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology’s Women in Entrepreneurship Club activity, she knew she needed to be there. “Hearing the women speak about how to balance motherhood and a career, two things that are important to me, is inspiring” she says.
Delgado feels empowered by the women in the club and loves being part of a group that builds up women. “During club meetings, we are told that we don’t have limitations and can achieve anything,” she says.
Since getting involved with the Women in Entrepreneurship Club, Delgado has attended business conferences for Goldman Sachs and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. “I flew to New York to attend conferences where I learned how to network and build business skills,” she says.
When Delgado isn’t attending club meetings, working on the family business, or going to conferences, you can find her elsewhere on campus in the Wilkinson Student Center ballroom every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., leading a group of students in a salsa routine. “I joined the BYU Salsa Club because it helps me feel connected to my Latin roots,” she says.
Last April, Delgado was invited to be co-president of the Salsa Club by one of her friends. “He said I had the right vibe and energy and could pull a crowd together and make it a party,” she says. Delgado was co-president from April through December 2019.
Delgado enjoys bringing friends to the club each week to learn about her heritage. “I love showing people a different culture at Salsa Club,” she says. “Integrating my friends and my Peruvian roots is important to me as a Peruvian American.”
Though Delgado is still figuring out her plans after graduation, she keeps her end goals in sight. “After I graduate, I will evaluate where I am with the family business and then decide if I want to start my own company or work for a corporate company,” she says. “I plan to work for a few years and then get my MBA.”
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Writer: Nikaela Smith
