Pablo Santiago Conchos

University of Rochester, Simon Business School

“I’m a curious and a fun-loving person, interested in continuous growth and excited to further my education.”

Hometown: Ponca City, Oklahoma

Fun Fact About Yourself: One of my favorite things to do is go to Renaissance Festivals. I love dressing up in my “garb” and stepping into a fantasy with laughter, merriment, and mead!

Undergraduate School and Major: Oklahoma Baptist University – BA in Religion; University of Houston – MA in Education Administration

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Houston Independent School District – Data Quality Manager

Rochester Simon is known for being “unabashedly analytical.” Why does the program’s focus on quantitative analysis and decision-making appeal to you? How do you intend to leverage this approach as a student and professional? As someone looking for a career change, I’m very excited to participate in a program that emphasizes analytical reasoning. I plan on leaning into quantitative courses and joining the Data Analytics Club to grow and stretch my analytical reasoning skills. This will help prepare me for my future career in consulting as I continue to build my business acumen.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Rochester Simon’s MBA curriculum or programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The diversity at Simon has been a very big draw for me. Diversity of experience, cultural background, and thought drives innovation. Simon’s standing as a diverse international community will be a great fertile ground for me to continue to grow as a person and as a business leader. I’m incredibly excited to bring my whole self into the diverse tapestry that is the Simon community.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Rochester Simon? I’m looking forward to joining Simon Vision Consulting. This will provide me with real work experience and knowledge in the field that I intend to enter post MBA. I am excited to work alongside peers as we provide business solutions to Rochester, NY, and surrounding communities through this project-based experiential learning opportunity.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I entered the education world as a bilingual teacher, providing language arts and reading instruction to fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students. Throughout my years as a teacher, and later an education administrator, I have always focused on providing safe learning environments in which students can thrive. One such experience was when I implemented a positive behavioral management system my first year as an assistant principal. Through the implementation, the campus saw a 48 percent decrease in office referrals resulting in in-school and out-of-school suspensions. The dramatic drop in removal from class consequences allowed teachers to teach and students to learn, leading to stronger overall performance on state assessments, stronger support from the parental community, and strong bonds between teachers and students.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? One important thing for everyone to remember is to slow down and enjoy the moment. This may look different for everyone, but for me it is sitting down and learning new things about enjoyable activities. I have a subscription to MasterClass and have recently enjoyed watching Madhur Jaffrey’s course on cooking. I would highly recommend this course as the presentation of the information and the cooking tips are very easy to follow. Beyond the simple “how-to” of the cooking recipes, Jaffrey also provides great cultural and historical background on the dishes being prepared. I truly enjoy the idea of exploring culture through food, and I am looking forward to trying out some of these recipes.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? Enjoying my time in an environment devoted to learning and developing future leaders. In two years, I want to look back on my time at Simon and recall all the wonderful moments spent with classmates growing and learning together, both academically and personally.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Simon’s MBA program? I recommend contacting three people to gain a good understanding of the admissions and recruiting process. First, talk to the admissions counselors at Simon—they can provide you with great insight (from an institutional perspective) regarding the steps you should take with your application and which aspects you should highlight in your profile. Second, reach out to current students—they have just recently gone through the process and can provide you with some fresh tips on what worked for them and insight into what life is like at Simon. Third, meet with Simon alumni—they can provide a glimpse into the opportunities they had while at Simon and beyond as they progressed or changed their careers.

DON’T MISS: MEET ROCHESTER SIMON’S MBA CLASS OF 2024