Mehdi Fassihnia Dengo

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

“Costa Rican consultant-turned-entrepreneur in the avocado industry.”

Hometown: San Jose, Costa Rica

Fun Fact About Yourself: My dog Charlee is a rescue from Taiwan and has lived in Taiwan, California, and now Costa Rica.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Tampa – International Business & Entrepreneurship

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: McKinsey & Company – Knowledge Analyst

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of the school’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Georgetown’s brand is very strong globally, and especially in Latin America. Stamping the Georgetown name in my experience is something I am looking forward to achieving! To add to this, Georgetown’s true global mindset was a key differentiator as well.

What excites you most about studying in Washington, DC? It is the diversity of people and being so close to global politics.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates and why? Caring. For context, due to personal circumstances, I deferred my MBA in 2019. However, I met many of the current MBA students in a visit last year. They have all been extremely helpful and have shown genuine care toward me. I can say that they have made my Georgetown experience a great one even before beginning the program. To add a little more color, I receive monthly texts from them to see when I’m actually going to make it over to DC!

What club or activity excites you most at this school? The Latin American Business Association (LABA). The work they do is amazing, however I want to focus on the comradeship they have demonstrated time and again.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Starting a successful avocado business in Costa Rica with no prior experience in agriculture.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? There were three main deciding factors why I am pursuing an MBA: 1) to hone my leadership skills; 2) to fast track my career and consolidate acquired knowledge during my professional experience; and 3) to create a larger and more diverse network.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? UT Austin, Stanford, Emory, and University of Toronto

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I would not say there was one question that stood out as the most challenging.  It was more of the process itself that was challenging. The process makes you do some deep introspection; it forces you to ask yourself tough questions as to what you want to become in the future, the person you want to be both professionally and personally. I really cherished this experience because it gave me the confidence to believe in myself a little more and to dream big.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I took into consideration three main factors when looking for the right fit in an MBA program: 1) the MBA program had to align to my personal goals; 2) location – I knew I wanted to live in a mid-sized city that was culturally diverse, and 3) connections – I looked into how well connected the school of business was to the local community and companies.

In addition to this, I reached out to people either at McKinsey or from my personal network who either studied at that university or had a close relationship to that school, to better understand the culture.

What have you been doing to prepare yourself for business school? I’m not pre-stressing about everything the encompasses an MBA experience (especially now with COVID). I’m trying to take everything a day at a time.

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school?  I will use an excerpt of one of my application essays to respond to this:

April 4th, 1999. That night, in the midst of the Costa Rican rainy season, a blue 1998 Ford Explorer skidded across the highway in front of the Juan Santamaria Airport, spinning out of control after hitting a slippery patch of water and motor oil. Seconds later, the Explorer slammed into a roadside tree.

My parents were in that car.

Fortunately, my mother suffered only minor injuries; however, my father’s injuries were life-threatening. For two months after that fateful night, my father toed the line between life and death. He awoke from a coma only to face years of surgeries, procedures and therapy. Although he is very lucky to have survived, his life, and mine, have never been the same again.

That night marked a turning point in my life. At an age when most of my peers were still carefree and unaware of life’s challenges, I was forced to face the possibility of growing up without a father. Although this proved a harsh way to mature, it taught me to tap into an inner pool of strength and deal with future situations with a fighter/survivor attitude.

At the same time, I witnessed my mother being plunged into two difficult roles – leader of our family’s flower export business and single mother to two young, restless boys. She rose to the occasion with strength and pride, guiding the family company to unprecedented success.

Whether it was my father fighting for his life against impossibly grim odds or my mother’s capacity to adapt and remain brave, reliable and persistent, I value the lessons learned from this tragic incident. The experience has been pivotal in shaping my life, as well as the future I envision for myself. Moreover, it taught me to persevere in the face of obstacles and contributed to my indomitable spirit.

DON’T MISS: MEET GEORGETOWN McDONOUGH’S MBA CLASS OF 2022