Alejandro Waterhouse

The University of Florida, Warrington College of Business

“I am a passionate person who always fought for his dreams against all odds.”

Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fun fact about yourself: I played rugby for 10 years. It is the second most popular sport in my home country!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Universidad Argentina de la Empresa, B.A. Public Relations

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Media.Monks, Advertising Manager

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? I was taking summer classes for my MBA.

Where will you be working after graduation? E-commerce Marketplace Manager at Group III International (SwissGear’s licensee in the U.S. and Canada).

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Graduate Career and Peer Mentor (GCAP)

UF Association for Information Systems – Consulting Technology Analyst

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am proudest of volunteering for a consulting project with Blue Zones, a non-profit located in Jacksonville that aims to replicate the Blue Zone model in the Jacksonville area to improve residents’ quality of life. I am also proud to have supported several students from the business school in landing jobs as a mentor, and helping them grow personally and professionally.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? My biggest professional achievement was to be selected as ‘Employee of the Year 2021’ in Cognizant, an honor awarded among 2,000 employees in recognition of exceptional performance and embodiment of the company’s values. This award made me realize the significant impact I had on the company, as well as the positive influence I had on my peers, mentees, clients, and supervisors within the organization.

Why did you choose this business school? The main reason that made me decide to choose the University of Florida – Warrington College of Business as the school for my MBA is its strong department of Business Career Services. From the first day, they provide you with all the necessary tools and tips to help you achieve your career goals. From bringing us to multiple National Career Fairs to providing us with individual sessions for job search strategy, they constantly support their students and set them up for success.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Dr. Brian Gendreau is passionate about teaching and has extensive professional experience for prestigious institutions like the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase, which has allowed him to bring real-world insights into every class. Having lived in South America during his childhood, he also brings a global perspective to the classroom. His main area of expertise is International Finance — a subject I’m genuinely passionate about.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Dr. Sabahi’s Business Intelligence class was extremely useful and interesting. We covered different types of BI techniques in Python, including Machine Learning, Data Visualization, and Dimension Reduction. I had never been exposed to many of the concepts prior to the class, and Dr. Sabahi explained all of them in an effective way which made us incorporate them and apply them to business situations. I am confident that these techniques will be extremely helpful in the workforce.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? During the Fall of 2024, I had the opportunity to travel to Oslo, Norway with a group of 40 UF MBA students for a one-week Global Immersion Experience. During the trip, we had the opportunity to visit multiple local Norwegian companies, mainly focused on sustainability. As the pinnacle of the experience, we had the opportunity to work on a consulting project for a local company that produces lithium-ion batteries with a focus on sustainable energy solutions. Since they are starting their operations in the US, our team stepped in to support them with an expansion plan in American territory. It was an unforgettable experience from both cultural and business standpoints.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? During my first semester, I completely focused on my job search and classes. Although it was still my priority during the following semesters, after being in the program for a considerable period of time, I realized that, with effective time management, it is feasible to get involved in other activities that enrich the MBA experience. These included participating in case competitions or volunteering consulting projects for nonprofits.

What is the biggest myth about your school? It is not possible to do networking in Gainesville because it is not a big city. We have career fairs exclusive for UF Business students on campus every semester, host alumni frequently, and many companies come to our campus to recruit during the year.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? My favorite thing about Gainesville is the football games at The Swamp; it is great to start the day by sharing MBA tailgates with my peers, watching the games, enjoying the Gator atmosphere, and sharing everybody’s football passion.

What movie or television show (e.g. The Big Short, The Founder, Mad Men, House of Lies) best reflects the realities of business, and what did you learn from it? The Pursuit of Happyness is a movie that definitely reflects the business world. Chris Gardner was going through immense personal and financial struggles that were limiting him from achieving a career in finance. Although he was struggling to survive his daily life from a financial standpoint, that did not limit him from overcoming this and becoming one of the most successful businessmen in America in the 1980s. This movie reflects that no matter who you are, if you propose yourself to become the best version of yourself, you will be able to do it regardless of the circumstances. Coming from Argentina, a country with ongoing economic challenges, I always worked toward my dream of building a career in the U.S., and, like Chris Gardner, I know the importance of perseverance and staying focused on long-term goals despite the circumstances.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? In both my Statistics and Data Visualization classes, my professors integrated AI into multiple assignments. For the majority of them, we used platforms such as Copilot or ChatGPT to ask them for feedback on the data visuals that we were creating and for opportunities for improvement. In addition, from a career standpoint, the Business Career Services office provided us with multiple AI resources to refine our resumes, get automatic feedback, and tailor them to specific positions.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Taylor Parker. She is an excellent communicator and student, she participated in multiple case competitions. Since orientation, I have known how strong a presenter she is. We also shared group projects and she brings excellent ideas to the table. The most valuable thing is that she always cares about the well-being of all the members of the cohort, and tries to help us as much as she can.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

Short-term: I want to learn as much as I can in Marketing and E-commerce at work, also want to keep improving my skills in programming, which I started developing in my MBA.

Long-term: I want to have a Leadership role and design coaching plans to help employees grow professionally. I am passionate about mentoring, for me it is a career goal.

What made Alejandro such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Alejandro Waterhouse (Warrington MBA ‘25) is a talented and motivated MBA student who has maximized his time in the program, leaving a lasting impact in a short time. In his time with the program, Alejandro serves as a mentor for other Warrington graduate business students, has participated in a Global Immersion Experience trip, and continuously seeks opportunities to highlight the benefit and value of the MBA program.

Prior to joining the MBA program, Alejandro completed the Marketing program at Warrington. He learned about the MBA program and, after identifying areas where he lacked knowledge and experience, decided to pursue his MBA in the accelerated 1-year program. Since joining the MBA program, Alejandro has exhibited a deep desire to learn, improve, and grow and to help others along the way. As a result, he was a natural candidate for the Graduate Career & Peer (GCAP) Mentor program in the Warrington College of Business. As a GCAP mentor, Alejandro is assigned 50+ students at the start of the semester and will work with them, in varying degrees, to achieve their desired career outcomes. He has worked with numerous students in the Fall and Spring semesters, assisting with resume revision, mock interviews, and general interview preparation.

In pursuit of greater learning and exposure to business in different environments and cultures, Alejandro was eager to participate in the Global Immersion Experience offered to our students. As an international student himself, he has noted the cultural differences in business practices between the U.S. and his home country, Argentina. He sought to further explore other cultures’ business practices by participating in the immersion trip to Oslo, Norway in October 2024. In so doing, Alejandro was able to engage with local companies and multinational corporations and apply this experience and knowledge to his coursework.

Alejandro will join the Group III International team as an E-commerce Marketplace Manager upon graduation.”

Rochelle Jones
Assistant Director of Academic Affairs
Warrington MBA Programs

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