Parinieta Ahuja

Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

“Small but mighty; while I am only 4’10” tall, that has never stopped me from speaking my mind.”

Hometown: Faridabad, Haryana, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: My first novel title, Imaginations Wild, is borrowed from my dad’s first novel. I initially intended it to be a different name, but one day, almost a month before the launch, I woke up and decided I wanted the title to be dedicated to my dad because he is who inspired me to write.

Undergraduate School and Major: Combined BS/MS in Pharmacology and Toxicology from SUNY Buffalo

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: ElevateBio BaseCamp, Senior Associate Scientist

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? One of the biggest aspects about Kellogg that led me to choose it is the strong healthcare program. Having spent the last three years working in the healthcare industry, I wanted to bring those skills with me as I transitioned into becoming a business professional. With Kellogg having the oldest Healthcare specializations in an MBA in the country, it was a no-brainer for me.

And honestly the clubs! I saw the variety of clubs offered at Kellogg, which encompass almost any and every activity I could have ever thought of. From clubs focused on my career of interest to activites that I have always wanted to develop skills in- from the Special K! club that encourages my theatre bug to ski and golf clubs – sports and activities I have wanted to learn more about.

To me, the variety and quality of clubs really mattered because it is going to be one of the biggest places where I meet my future friends. Kellogg’s value in its clubs showed me the importance of relationship building at Kellogg and how great the next two years of my life are going to be.

What makes Chicago such a great place to earn an MBA? Chicago is one of the biggest industrial hubs in the country and a home to world’s top firms from almost every industry. It is one of the best cities to explore and learn about new opportunities as one is navigating a change in or growth in their career through an MBA. Getting an MBA is also a big step for most people. With many people moving from different parts of the world, Chicago serves as a hugely diverse spot with ample opportunities to explore new foods and cultures while also feeling a little bit at home as one can have easy access to most things from many cultures and countries. In my case, being able to access Indian food through restaurants and grocery stores is very important. Chicago has a whole street called Devon Street that serves that purpose and makes me feel right at home.

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?  The quality that I have worked hard to build as a teammate is being able to take a step back and let someone else take the lead, especially if it is in their area of expertise. I think it is also a good quality of a leader to recognize the strengths and weakness of everyone on the team, including one’s self, and build a strong and diverse team with multiple skillsets. I hope I can bring that quality to any team I work as a part of at Kellogg – it is an important skill that can help avoid delays and conflicts while helping build trust amongst teammates, something I feel that is very important to the success of a team.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Northwestern Kellogg? I am very excited for KWEST! I love exploring new places and cultures and KWEST is such a great way to get introduced to your new class without any hesitation and stress.

Other than that, there is a course I was introduced to at Day at Kellogg (DAK), something I had never heard of and honestly didn’t even think a combination as such was possible but I was pleasantly surprised. It is called The Moral Complexity in Leadership. It is a course focused on what organizational leaders can learn from literature and it is truly such a perfect combination for me. It reminded me of my favorite class I took in undergrad that taught us about evolution of feminism through literature. Now while the premise is different, both courses use literature as a reference point and I am very excited to take that course in the future.

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. My first impression of everyone at Kellogg has been the comfort of getting along. Every person I have met so far has been super kind and open to having a conversation, learning about each other’s background without any hesitation. It has truly left me even more excited to attend Kellogg this fall. Despite not having even started school yet, a lot of current students have provided some great guidance to me as I navigate the transition into Kellogg.

I walked into the Kellogg Global Hub to attend DAK. I had just taken the early morning flight to Chicago and I was definitely tired, but I was so excited to explore Kellogg in person. Right as I walked up to one of the folks from the admissions committee, there is another student walking up to them. We both introduce ourselves looking for the direction to the hall where DAK was taking place. The person welcoming us asks us where we are coming from and we both almost at the same time said Boston! I was exhilarated. It felt so comforting since Boston had been my home for almost three years now. Since that moment, we both hung out at DAK bonding over our love for Boston and our potential future at Kellogg. Today, she and I are not just friends but also future roommates. We have met up in Boston since DAK and texted each other quite often, as we navigated this journey of transitioning into becoming a student at Kellogg. This remains one of my favorite Kellogg stories so far!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of my biggest accomplishments that continues to shape my career and influences me immensely is the ability to form relationships with people around me. Having navigated different teams, associates, and managers throughout my journey, I have focused on being more cognizant of who I am working with and tailoring my responses to suit the counter party, hoping to make our work and relationships as efficient as possible. I think this accomplishment really helped me build my interpersonal leadership skills and hone my ability to form trust in my work relationships. This not only allows me to be mentored and soak up all the great skills I admire in my leaders and mentors, but also will allow me to be a better manager as well as a mentor.  I hope to keep honing this skill as I navigate my MBA journey and beyond.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? One of my biggest goals for my MBA is to be able to get to know most people in my class. While it may seem unrealistic, I hope I can create or find opportunities to meet everyone and form relationships with a lot of them. I hope to make the most of my MBA at Kellogg and one of the best ways to do that is to be able to learn from my peers. I feel that will make my MBA experience successful and I can look back on it fondly.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Wharton, Haas, Duke, and Stanford.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA program? Prepping for and writing the MBA application for Kellogg is a very reflective process. A question about ‘Goals’ might just seem very simple, but it truly makes you introspect! I suggest using this opportunity to actually understand all the things you have accomplished so far and how they tie in with the goals you hope to accomplish at and post-Kellogg. It is a nerve-racking process. If you use the opportunity to write the Kellogg application to build your confidence in your goals, I am sure by the time you finish the process you will feel much more at ease and fulfilled in the choices you want to make in the future.

DON’T MISS: MEET NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG’S MBA CLASS OF 2026