“Never accept a NO for an answer.” | I'm Luna Núñez Israel and earned my Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Northern State University in May 2020, where I developed a strong foundation in leadership, operations, and entrepreneurship that continues to guide my work as the owner of Cuzco Peruvian Cuisine. Please share a little bit about your life now. I immigrated from Peru in 2013 and decided to start a new life learning everything about the language, culture, and life in America. I quickly realized that I needed to speak and adapt to the language and culture, otherwise I wouldn't have the opportunity to move forwards in my dreams and goals. I currently live in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where I am an entrepreneur and founded my first business in 2022, Bella House Maids, a residential and commercial cleaning business in town. It was not what I really wanted to do, but that was what I had to do in order to get where I wanted to be. I am the proud owner of Cuzco Peruvian Cuisine, the first Peruvian restaurant in the state of South Dakota. My career is centered around entrepreneurship, hospitality, and creating meaningful experiences for the community through food and service. Outside of work, I enjoy going to the gym, doing Zumba, reading, learning about business, and staying involved in the community especially through the Innovationand Startup Center at Northern, where I love attending classes, networking events, and opportunities that encourage growth and innovation. What has your career path been like and how did the NSU School of Business prepare you for what you’re doing now? My career path has been driven by challenge, determination, growth, and a desire to create something meaningful. After graduation, I applied what Northern reinforced in me to pursue entrepreneurship and build a business that brings cultures together, hospitality, and innovation to Aberdeen. The NSU School of Business shaped me by teaching practical skills such as management, communication, marketing, problem-solving, and financial awareness. Some of the skills that have served me most are leadership, adaptability, resilience, and the confidence to take calculated risks. Finding determination in the things I do has been key to get things done and succeed. I realized that if I did not take risk I would never do anything. Also, I never took NO for a final answer. I persevered to find a yes even if the nos I was getting I had to turn into a yes for myself just to tell myself that i still had a chance, that I should keep knocking on doors and keep networking in the community, so I never gave up in accomplishing what I had planned inside my head. Luna Núñez Israel - Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Class of 2020 Luna Núñez Israel - Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Class of 2020 Israel 2 How did your experience at NSU help you find your first position after graduation? My experience at Northern reinforced what I already had implanted in me, and pushed me to be more professional, to have more discipline, and confidence. Through coursework, group projects, and involvement on campus, I learned how to refine my communication skills, work with different personalities, and think strategically. These experiences gave me the tools to step into leadership opportunities with confidence and eventually create my own path in business ownership. I will say there is a big difference knowing the technical part and applying the practical in the field. This will literally shape the ways you think strategically, how things get done in a timely manner, and “a do it yourself” part because nobody will get the work done for you. You have to lead your team and have strategies to get things done one step at a time. Alumni - continued on p. 4
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