Norma Torres Mendoza

Rice University, Jesse H Jones Graduate School of Business

“Chingona — Latina, Dreamer, striving to leave people, places, and organizations better than I found them.”

Hometown: Born in Queretaro, Mexico and raised in Houston, TX

Fun Fact About Yourself: In six months, I went from not being able to complete two miles to running my first half-marathon in 2 hours and 22 minutes. I will complete my third one this January in Houston, Texas.

Undergraduate School and Major:

Undergrad: Rice University majors in Political Science & Hispanic Studies

Graduate: Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Master in Public Policy

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: IDEA Public Schools, Director of Financial Literacy & Alumni Funding

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Directly and indirectly I have supported over 6,000 students’ educational journeys through the Young Owls Leadership Program, Café College Houston and IDEA Public Schools. This is specifically important because, as the first person in my family to attend college, education has transformed my life. It has provided me not just with economic stability, but it has open many doors of opportunities that I would have never imagined. My hopes are that I continue to be a bridge to connect other students to their own version of the American Dream.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? As a Rice Consortium Fellow, I had the opportunity to attend OP in Orlando, Florida and meet some of my classmates before school started. I was extremely impressed by the multi-dimensionality of my classmates; for example, there is a West Point graduate who now works for the NFL. Everyone’s life seems interesting, and I cannot wait to begin discussing business cases with them to learn more about their views, values, and perspectives.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Houston, Texas was my first choice as far as cities were concerned when I was applying to business school. I had longed to return home after being away for five years. My long-term goal includes running for elected office as a City Councilor and eventually Mayor of Houston since I believe this is another avenue to address social needs. In addition, this sector could also benefit from some for-profit practices to bring forth transformational and economic prosperity and justice to all Houstonians. When I visited Rice for diversity weekend, I knew that it was time to return and serve the community that had given me so much.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am very excited about joining the graduate student association at Rice University. I would like to become an officer in this organization and serve as a bridge and voice between students and the administration to effect change that will positively impact all graduate students across different fields. In addition, I believe that effective change needs to be cross-sectional and nuanced, and I look forward to meeting people from different fields.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? For the past five years I have worked as consultant in various capacities. I have consulted business and non-profits on strategy, vision, impact, fundraising, community building, and leadership development. I graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS), where I received some of the best teaching in leadership, ethics, and working with different stakeholders to bring transformational and sustainable change. However, after being in the field, I quickly realized that I was lacking core skills to create the best processes, marketing materials, financial models, and even research and strategies to create impactful investments. After speaking to a couple of people, I learned that a business degree will help me bridge business thinking into the nonprofit world while providing interconnected social solutions that are nuanced in ways that cut across sector lines.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Since this will be my second master’s, I took finances into account very seriously and researched plenty of scholarships and fellowships. At the end of the process, I received both the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans and the Consortium Fellowship for Rice University. At that point, it became very clear that the time investment was totally worth it to learn new skills and be a more effective leader in the intersection of public and private sectors.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

Harvard Business School

Stanford Business

Yale Business

How did you determine your fit at various schools?

1. Location
2. Network
3. Added value & prestige of the university
4. Fellowships & scholarships offered

I talked to people from every business school listed above, and I attended some of their diversity weekends to gauge for diversity, financial resources, and culture. In addition, I had already attended two of the schools that I had applied to so I had a basic foundations for those schools, and thus I spent more time exploring some of the other schools that I did not know too much about to make a most informed decision possible.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I have many moments that have shaped my life and can be summed up by the phrase, “I don’t know.”

These three seemingly banal words have defined who I am, what I believe, and what I do now. These words were my mother’s response to why we could not afford food in Mexico, and why we had to immigrate hidden in the back of an eighteen-wheeler. They were my first words in English and my reply when I was first asked how I would raise funds for non-profits. Ultimately, this phrase has been the essence of my learning ability.

From a young age, the phrase of “I don’t know” became an opportunity to look for solutions, a space for creativity, and another occasion to show resiliency in the face of adversity. The journey I began when I did not know why we could not afford milk, why we had to immigrate, or how I was going to pay for college led me to a mission driven life. I was never too afraid to say “I don’t know” and this is how I learned everything I know today. This phrase will forever have a special place in my heart as I continue to look for opportunities and solutions to make this country a better place for all Americans.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After business school, I can see myself working for a consulting firm with an emphasis on social impact or jumping in and beginning my own consultancy for non-profits that will revolutionize and democratize resources for non-profits that are improving the quality of life for various Houston communities.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In the next five years, I hope to not only become my own boss, but also create more jobs for the Houston economy. I will have my own consultancy by then that will allow me to also run for City Council. In addition my husband and I would hope to have an extra member in our family.