Pavel Sorkin

University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business

“Cold weather, coffee enthusiast looking to make an impact through energy innovations.”

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Fun Fact About Yourself: In high school, I taught myself to work on cars as a side hustle.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Southern California, Electrical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Kimley-Horn, Cybersecurity Analyst

When you think of Notre Dame, what are the first things that come to mind? How have your experiences with the Mendoza program thus far reinforced or upended these early impressions? When I think of Notre Dame, I think of small, tight-knit community. Notre Dame is much smaller of a university than my undergraduate, and the fact that our Mendoza class size is about 100 students makes it extremely tight knit.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the Mendoza MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Mendoza offers two signature programs open to MBA students: Business on the Front Lines and Applied Investment Management; both of which I think of as accelerators in experiential learning. I’m looking forward to participating in Applied Investment Management in the next semester and possibly Business on the Front Lines if I can squeeze it into my second year. Both are intense experiences, but I have no doubt they’ll stick with me forever.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Mendoza? The Finance and Investing Club is full of passionate, helpful, talented people who not only push you to achieve more in your career life, but also want to get to know and organize get-togethers outside of the school setting.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Once I helped a frustrated real estate developer and a frustrated seller who absolutely would not see eye-to-eye in the final, crucial moments of a deal come to an agreement and close on the properties. Without my involvement, that deal would likely have been called off.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? I love that I have been able to apply the skills we are learning in Business Problem Solving class and receive immediate feedback. I am proud to say I’m noticing improvements in my presentation style, organization, and preparedness.

Mendoza is known as a purpose-driven MBA program that asks students to “Grow the good in business.” What is your mission and how has Mendoza been helping you realize it? My long-term mission in life is to contribute to the world in a way that impacts millions of people and improves it. Lately I have been wanting to tackle climate change through energy solutions. Pursuing an MBA at Mendoza exposes me not only to like-minded peers, but also explores the curriculum in a way that we can experiences the challenges of wanting to do good first-hand in preparation for our careers.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? When Notre Dame defeated Clemson and the stadium was exuberant.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Mendoza MBA program? Mendoza’s mission is to grow the good in the world through business. If you’re applying to Mendoza, highlight the good that you want to do and how Mendoza can impact your future.

DON’T MISS: MEET NOTRE DAME MENDOZA’S MBA CLASS OF 2024