Finance Grad (’23) Achieves Early Career Success at Qualcomm

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Gabriela Fellingham’s quest to channel her drive, ambition and knowledge into a successful career is off to a fast start. Just two years after completing her finance degree from SDSU’s Fowler College of Business, she is working as an associate finance analyst at Qualcomm, one of San Diego’s largest employers, a key driver of the regional economy, and a Fortune 500 company ranked #117. 

Fellingham, a native of Seal Beach, California, said she chose to attend SDSU because of its reputable business school and because…well, it’s in San Diego. “SDSU was a beautiful campus in a beautiful city,” she said. “The university also has a strong finance program and outstanding networking opportunities for students.” 

While at SDSU, Fellingham got involved with organizations that would help shape her personal and professional development. Through the Weber Honors College, Women in Business, and Alpha Kappa Psi, she gained lifelong friendships and the networking skills she needed to launch her career. “The resources in these organizations helped me polish my professional self and prepared me for the real world,” she said. 

In her role at Qualcomm, Fellingham oversees the operating expenses for part of one of the company’s product lines, and includes preparing monthly forecasts, analyzing variances against actual expenditures, and identifying opportunities to continuously refine and improve future projections. She also collaborates with fellow analysts and global teams to improve processes and drive efficiency across the company.

“The demand for excellence from my professors at SDSU helped prepare me for this role,” said Fellingham, who graduated SDSU with magna cum laude honors. “The group projects in my finance classes mirrors the teamwork I experience as a Qualcomm finance analyst while we make enhancements to our organizational operations. And the networking strategies I learned in Alpha Kappa Psi gave me added confidence to participate in the company’s coffee chats and cross-functional meetings.”

For incoming freshmen to SDSU, Fellingham offers some practical advice: “Step out of your comfort zone and try different clubs and organizations until you find your tribe. Also, treat your professors to coffee every now and then. They’re a valuable resource to your career trajectory and they want to help you succeed.”

Now entering her second year at Qualcomm, Fellingham emphasized the importance of adaptability in early career success. “Technology and systems are rapidly changing, especially with the growth of AI,” she noted. “Your ability to adapt to new situations and technologies is an important way to stand out. Managers appreciate versatility in their direct reports during the rollout of new systems and processes, so be prepared to learn and adjust quickly to different job ecosystems than the ones you might have expected.”