Alejandro (Alex) Mestre

Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management + McCormick School of Engineering (MMM Program)

“Agent of change committed to lifting others up.”

Hometown: Amherst, MA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I proposed to my wife on the coolest proposal date of the 21st century (April 3, 2021 – aka, 4.3.21) and didn’t realize until afterwards

Undergraduate School and Major: Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Accounting and International Business

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Archdiocese of Chicago, Strategy & Analytics Manager

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA curriculum or programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I chose Kellogg for its MMM dual-degree program, the first and only of its kind. As someone who studied business in undergrad, I was eager to augment my MBA with an MS in Design Innovation. I felt the MMM program would help equip me to innovate in today’s ever-changing world and differentiate me over the course of my career. I also appreciated the smaller cohort experience (~60 students), which allows for greater connection and support.

What makes Chicago such a great place to earn an MBA? As cliché as it sounds, Kellogg truly offers the best of both worlds. Students have access to all that Chicago has to offer (world-class restaurants, attractions, and employers) while studying in the serenity of Evanston. Students are reminded of this every day with their view from the Global Hub, which features Evanston’s picturesque lakefront with Chicago’s iconic skyline as a backdrop. Finally, Chicago’s competitive cost of living (relative to other major cities) makes a difference when budgeting for b-school and beyond.

Kellogg is known for a team-driven culture. What quality do you bring as a teammate and why will it be so important to the success of MBA class? I bring years of experience leading cross-functional teams and bridging different backgrounds, skillsets, and perspectives. I’m a firm believer that diverse teams generate the best learnings and outcomes. One of the quotes I try to live by is from Mother Teresa – “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” With its diverse class, humble culture, and team-based assignments, Kellogg has all the right ingredients for transformative learning. I’m excited to do my best to maximize our collective growth and learning over the next couple years.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Northwestern Kellogg? I’m most excited for my MMM coursework in the Segal Design Institute because it will help me marry my quant background with a strong foundation in design thinking. I look forward to learning about human-centric design, whole-brain communication, and best-in-class methodologies to drive the innovation life cycle of a product or service across industries. I’m confident that the MMM curriculum will help me expand my professional repertoire with the addition of a customer-centric, innovation skillset.

What has been your first impression of the Kellogg MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Kellogg story so far. Some of my most influential interactions during my application process were with Sammy Goldstein (Kellogg ’22). I met Sammy at an MBA Application Seminar that I attended in 2022. Among dozens of schools in attendance, Kellogg was the only one who brought a current student (Sammy) – a powerful testament to the school’s student-driven culture.

Sammy embodied Kellogg’s high-impact, low-ego ethos – one where students are teammates, not competition; where students are taught how to elevate the whole room vs. solely themselves; where students are challenged, but supported. Sammy stayed in touch with me throughout my application process, supporting me at every step. She demonstrated the type of support I could expect from Kellogg students during my time at Kellogg and beyond.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My proudest accomplishment was joining the Archdiocese of Chicago to apply my consulting skillset from my work at Bain during a critical inflection point in the Church’s history. For ~3.5 years, I served as an agent of change recalibrating the Church for the 21st century. This culminated in our COO appointing me to the Archdiocese’s Strategy Council, a group that featured 15 C-Suite Officers that convened to debate and shape the organization’s path forward. As the youngest member by 10 years, I was extremely humbled and gained invaluable boardroom experience.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful?

1. Pivoting back into the corporate world
2. New lifelong friendships and connections
3. Expanded leadership capabilities

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Yale SOM, HBS, Stanford GSB

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA program? First, apply. Ruling yourself out is the only way to guarantee that you won’t get in.

Second, get to know Kellogg and its leadership ethos. Reflect on the leadership traits that resonate with you and how Kellogg will help you develop into the leader you strive to become. Think about when you’ve demonstrated those traits and how you can map them into your application.

Finally, b-school applications can be a grueling process. You’ll likely encounter skeptics who cast doubt. Block out the noise. You had a purpose before anyone had an opinion.

DON’T MISS: MEET NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG’S MBA CLASS OF 2025