Betancourt Cárdenas will apply his MPP skills in his role as an Associate at McKinsey after graduation.
Headshot of José Luis Betancourt Cárdenas
José Luis Betancourt Cárdena

José Luis Betancourt Cárdenas, originally from San Cristobal, Venezuela, was earning his bachelor’s in economics from Central University Venezuela in 2012 when his interest in economic policies blossomed. “On the first day of my first economics course, the professor, Ricardo Roig, said, ‘A doctor can kill a person, but an economist can ruin the life of an entire society.’ That one sentence has informed who I am and who I want to be,” Betancourt Cárdenas said.

Although Betancourt Cárdenas worked for various political campaigns after graduation—"it was what was needed at the time," he said—he still had an interest in economic policy and enrolled in a master’s in finance at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Administration in Caracas in 2017.

However, it was while talking to a friend that Betancourt Cárdenas realized there was still an important piece missing. “We were talking about how we grew up in the midst of a dictatorship and how our worldviews had been shaped by those leaders. It made me realize I needed to get out and gain experience somewhere else.”

Betancourt Cárdenas subsequently decided to pursue his Master of Public Policy at Harris. “I wanted to challenge myself intellectually and was attracted to the data-driven, evidence-based approach that Harris emphasizes."

Even though his first year in the program was virtual due to the pandemic, Betancourt Cárdenas still found ways to participate in the Harris community, including sitting on the board of Latin America(n) Matters. “Harris is an amazing place to make friends and build a network, and the Latin American community is particularly tight-knit.” In addition, Betancourt Cárdenas served as a TA for Microeconomics with Professor Thomas Coleman and Advanced Microeconomics Professor Steven Durlauf. He also tutored for both classes. “Those were probably some of my most enriching experiences while at Harris, because they allowed me to consolidate my knowledge on the material, gain confidence as a professional, improve my English fluency, and enhance my communication skills.”

During the summer after his first year, Betancourt Cárdenas completed a consulting internship for McKinsey in Panama. “It was fast-paced and sometimes hectic, but I really enjoyed the work.”

When asked how the Harris curriculum prepared him for his internship, Betancourt Cárdenas summed it up in one word: mindset. “What we learn and do in the classroom is not always exactly how the real world operates. However, my Harris toolkit gave me a foundational mindset for solving challenges like those I had at the McKinsey internship. Harris really teaches you how to think about problems,” he said. Betancourt Cárdenas will continue to work at McKinsey in their Chicago office after he graduates this year—a position he obtained through his summer internship.

For anyone considering studying at Harris, Betancourt Cárdenas offered this advice: “Do everything you do with passion. Be passionate about yourself and your work.”