Karla Ramirez

Karla Ramirez is gearing up to be a future DOUBLE owl. Having already earned her bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in hospitality management at Florida Atlantic, Karla took a year off to work at OsteoStrong – an organization that helps individuals strengthen their skeletal and muscular systems. Being hands-on with clients lit a spark and Karla fell in love with customer experience. She returned to school to complete her MBA (Master of Business Administration) with a focus on marketing.

"I’ve fallen in love with the customer experience world and how I can use my marketing background and education to help teach businesses how to improve their customer’s experiences and build long-lasting loyal customers," Karla said.

Karla is halfway through her MBA and works for Body20 now as a Presale Business Consultant, helping franchisees create their brand within the Body20 company and set them up for success before they open their doors by coaching them through their build-out, purchasing the necessary equipment, hiring and onboarding their staff, and selling memberships during their presale. And she loves FAU’s 23-month Professional MBA Flex Broward program that offers Miami-Dade and Broward working professionals a convenient location, weeknight class schedules, and flexible attendance options like on campus or live virtual.

"It’s an amazing program. It works so well for me," Karla said. "My textbooks get shipped to my door, they feed us a full spread every week, the professors are very supportive and open to our feedback. I don’t have to worry about building my schedule, because its already planned out and prepared for us. All I have to do is show up and do the best I can."

After graduation, Karla hopes to continue growing in her position at Body20. As a relatively new company, there is a lot of opportunity and she is excited for where it can take her. She’s also keeping busy with a lot of event planning these days. She loves to plan weddings, bachelorette parties, graduations, birthday parties and more. It allows her to tap into her creativity and draws on her fun personality.

Oh, and she loves to dance! You can catch her on the dance floor at almost any social setting, moving her hips to hip hop, jazz, contemporary and Latin music. When she was in high school, she taught Latin dance and began having fun with choreography. She’d volunteer her time to choregraph groups for parties and other fun events. She’s become more degree focused since coming back to FAU but will occasionally "come out of retirement" in social settings.

As a soon-to-be two-time graduate, Karla has definitely seen the ins and outs of the FAU campuses. She started in Boca and then moved the Davie campus to be closer to home. She’s grateful for the experiences and the friendships she has built along the way and is excited for the next chapter.

"If I could give incoming students any advice, it would be to be on campus as much as you can. Even as a commuter. Being on campus keeps your attention on school and you stay focused," she said. "Soak up the entire experience. You’ll gain a sense of community, maximize your time and build some amazing lifelong friendships."