News Archive
Alumna Spotlight: Dhalia Bumbaca: Three Degrees, a Full-Time Job and a Passion for Sports, Nonprofits and Research
By Alyssa England
TAMPA (September 2, 2020) -- Dhalia Bumbaca graduated this summer from the USF Muma College of Business and now holds three degrees from the college 鈥 a bachelor鈥檚 in international business, an MBA and an MS in finance. A native of Toronto, her experience here has opened her eyes to the value of diversity and enflamed her passion for nonprofits, sports and research.
She moved to the United States when she was 17 to begin her undergraduate career at USF.
鈥淢y parents moved down to 51在线 my last year of high school, and they gave me the option of going to school in the States or going to school in Canada,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 chose the States because I recognized the amount of opportunities that are here. On top of that, I grew up in suburban Canada, where there is not a lot of socioeconomic diversity.
鈥淢oving here, I really appreciated not just the opportunity, but the perspective it gave me,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 began to interact with people of different income levels and recognized how I can capitalize on my education and help people who are in need.鈥
Bumbaca studied international business throughout her undergraduate career, fueled by her love of languages. Learning Italian in her home and French at school, she itched for a degree that would have international impact.
鈥淕rowing up, I spent summers in Italy with my family,鈥 she said, 鈥渁nd I just really began to understand my role as a global citizen. I needed a way to help promote that message. I felt business was a great driver of that kind of mentality.鈥 She studied in Italy for a six-week summer program and in France for a four-month semester program.
After completing her degree in international business, Bumbaca began working with international nonprofits offering educational initiatives to low-income youth. However, she feared the sustainability of some of the nonprofits where she worked.
鈥淩ight at the end of my undergrad, I interned with a nonprofit that focused on youth initiatives in both Toronto and South Africa,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 was successful in helping them receive grants and it was all going well, but I was really frustrated with the fact that once those grants ran out, there was no guarantee of their sustained success.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a nonprofit. It鈥檚 not a business, so it doesn鈥檛 operate in the same way,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f I wanted to make the world a better place, I wasn鈥檛 sure the nonprofit space was the best place for me.鈥
As a result, she began searching for a more sustainable approach to nonprofit work, driving her towards a master鈥檚 degree in finance.
鈥淔or my master鈥檚, I wanted a harder skill, but still something I could apply on the international landscape and finance is super international,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 thought if I learned a little bit more about the financing side of things, I could adapt capitalism to fit the needs of society.鈥
Although she remains passionate for nonprofit work, Bumbaca also has a passion for sport. So much so, while she was studying to learn how she could increase the sustainability of nonprofit organizations, she held a sales position with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
鈥淭hat,鈥 she said, 鈥渋ntroduced me to the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management program.鈥
Although the graduate program is a two-year, dual-degree program that awards a master鈥檚 degree in marketing and an MBA, Bumbaca only completed the first year of the program, receiving her MBA with a concentration in sport and entertainment management. She is grateful not only for the educational expertise provided to students in the program, but also for the support and care shown by the program鈥檚 faculty and staff, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
鈥淎fter joining the Vinik program, I became more interested in sports and expanded my work with the Lightning into community hockey, a department focused on spreading the game of hockey across the Tampa Bay area among children aged 4 or 5 to 16,鈥 she said. 鈥淎gain, I worked with a lot of youth through their diversity and inclusion programs.鈥
Throughout her time with the Lightning鈥檚 community hockey program, she got back to her passion for helping people.
鈥淪ome of the more niche programs involved going into the Tampa Bay Housing Authority Community Center in a lower income neighborhood,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e went there every Friday pre-COVID, and just played hockey with the kids. Sometimes, it wasn鈥檛 even about hockey. It was letting little girls braid my hair or playing tag or basketball 鈥 it didn鈥檛 always have to be hockey, but it was about providing mentorship and being a role model for them.
The program also offered an after-school program on Wednesdays, where kids skated around and played hockey, she said.
鈥淏ut after that hour or two of hockey, you were really just there to be their friend, be their mentor. It鈥檚 those small interactions of 鈥榃hat did you do in class today?鈥, 鈥榃ill you be here next week?鈥, and when you follow up with 鈥楬ow was your test?鈥 and they get excited to see you the next week and they go 鈥極h! You鈥檙e actually here.鈥
鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 seem like a lot,鈥 she said, 鈥渂ut for kids who have a lot of fleeting relationships in their lives, just that confidence that you care about them, that you鈥檙e going to stick to your word and you won鈥檛 just treat them like another little kid you don鈥檛 remember is why I love that work so much.鈥
This experience, along with knowledge gained through the MBA program, helped Bumbaca realize her appreciation of the impact sports can have on youth.
鈥淭he universal popularity of sport and its ability to connect individuals across continents and social strati, through events like the Olympics or FIFA, is just incredible,鈥 she said.
Her volunteer work and her career in community outreach began because of her inability to work when she first came to the United States because she did not hold an international student visa. For someone who has been working since 14, Bumbaca needed something to fill the time.
鈥淚 started volunteering with a literacy center (on Busch Boulevard),鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really not a good part of town and I just started reading with kindergarteners. I went from wanting to make money and travel the world to wanting to provide the opportunity to others to make money and change the world. From there, I kept searching for volunteer opportunities.鈥
She found the Tampa Guardian ad Litem program, a program that drew her attention because Tampa has some of the highest rates of children in the foster care system in the state.
鈥淢y work there includes advocating for youth in the foster care system,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he parents get a lawyer, and the child gets a lawyer, but the child can鈥檛 always go to court. You represent the child in court and have those conversations with their lawyer, so it involves meeting with the kids, making sure they鈥檙e okay, making judgment calls on whether they should be reunited with their family or remain in foster care, or if the foster care situation isn鈥檛 good, moving them out of that situation.鈥
Bumbaca鈥檚 experience in this program solidified her passion for working with children, as she faced the harsh realities of today鈥檚 underprivileged youth. Not only did this role solidify her passion for youth, but it also sparked a drive for education.
If that鈥檚 not enough, Bumbaca works for USF Outdoor Recreation, a department of USF Recreation and Wellness, where she works to organize service experiences for students and helps to incorporate more sustainable principles. These international experiences provide students with opportunities to take combined adventure and service trips to destinations like Puerto Rico. Students on her trips have volunteered on Puerto Rican coffee farms, in El Yunque National Rainforest and at Puerto Rican nonprofits.
Bumbaca鈥檚 sustainability work with Outdoor Recreation has included projects such as developing a compost framework, educational signage initiatives and partnerships between her department and USF鈥檚 School of Integrated Biology and Innovative Education.
In addition to dedicating time towards work in nonprofit spaces, sustainability and sport, Bumbaca is currently involved in research on micro-aggressions with respect to racism and sexism. She has also contracted on a publication regarding the intersection of sport and sustainability.
The summer 2020 graduate remains grateful for the support of the staff during her USF career, and faculty members Doreen MacAulay and Lindy Davidson who have played key roles in her academic and professional success.
Over the course of the quarantine, she has spent time enjoying the Floridian outdoors through socially distanced activities such as hiking and kayaking. She has recently accepted a position with IMG Academy鈥檚 Campus Life department, a sport academy in Bradenton, but her long-term goals include earning a PhD and becoming a university professor, teaching on the topics of sustainability, sport, business and the relationships among the three.