Fortune has released this year’s list of the top 50 Most Powerful Women of 2015, and SMU alumna Beth Mooney made 48th on the list.

Mooney, 60, is the CEO and chairman of KeyCorp, the Cleveland-based banking and financial services company. Mooney was elected CEO and chairman in 2011 and according to Fortune, is the first woman to lead a top-20 bank in the United States.

Mooney is in charge of overseeing assets of about $95 billion and was a vital component of KeyCorp surviving the financial crisis. She received her MBA from SMU in 1983.

Despite her impressive career, Mooney had an unusual start in the business world. She graduated from University of Texas at Austin in 1977 with a history degree. Mooney told Forbes that in her post-graduation interviews, the only skill she was asked about was her ability to type. She was a bank secretary and made $10,000 a year, but knew she had potential for something bigger.

In 1979, Mooney decided to make a change. She told Forbes she took “downtown Dallas by storm” and went to the doors of each major bank in the city. Mooney wouldn’t back down until she got what she wanted.

Mooney relentlessly pursued the Republic Bank of Dallas and told Forbes that she “refused to leave the manager’s office until he offered her a job.” Three hours later, she was offered a job – under one condition. The manager would hire her as long as she received an MBA from SMU.

Mooney worked at the Republic Bank of Dallas by day and earned her business degree at SMU by night. She completed her degree in 1983.

Mooney went from a secretary to a CEO, which surprised many people, especially in a male-dominated profession.

“I learned that it’s a wonderful thing when others underestimate you,” Mooney said. “I landed some very big deals. People were shocked.”

Although she’s located in Cleveland, Mooney continues to influence Wall Street.

“I’m the first and currently only female CEO of a top U.S. bank,” Mooney told Bloomberg. “I hope that when I retire it’s a footnote, not a headline.”