Kellogg Chronicles: My MBA Journey Into Social Impact

By the time I started classes at Kellogg, I had already been a Wildcat for years. A born-and-bred Chicagoan, I earned my undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Social Policy, with minors in African-American Studies and Business Institutions. As a senior, I started exploring what graduate school might look like. I’d long been passionate about impact, but I wasn’t sure how, or if, business school fit into that. Then, one snowy February day in 2020, I saw an invitation to an info session for something new: the inaugural year of the Kellogg Future Leaders (KFL) deferred enrollment program.

I almost didn’t go. What did social impact have to do with an MBA? But curiosity (and, yes, the allure of the still-shiny Global Hub) got me there.

PICKING A PATHWAY

The KFL info session shifted everything. They talked about how diverse the Kellogg community was and how customizable the MBA journey could be. One major? Multiple majors? None at all? Choose your own adventure. I walked out knowing I would apply, and a few months later, I had an offer to join the Kellogg Two-Year MBA program once I felt ready.

I’d spent the years after undergrad as a social impact consultant in Chicago, supporting public sector agencies and nonprofits in the Chicagoland area—leading programs and initiatives to better serve their communities. When it came time to think about graduate school, I asked myself: how can I build on my work in a deeper, more strategic way?

When I returned to Kellogg years later as a full-time student, it was with an eye toward one mission: enhancing my passion for impact with new tools in strategy, marketing, and leadership. I majored in Marketing and pursued the Social Impact Pathway, and what I found was that these two seemingly different worlds, business and impact, are more intertwined than most people think.

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

Take my summer internship, for example. I joined REDF an impact investing firm that empowers employment social enterprises—businesses that provide jobs, training, and support to individuals overcoming barriers to work. While at REDF, I helped develop venture criteria and led a feasibility analysis for Better Futures Minnesota (BFM), an organization that empowers formerly incarcerated men through employment and support services during re-entry.

During my ten-week experience, I had the opportunity to spend a week on-site with BFM employees and hear about their experiences. One conversation with a staff member particularly stuck with me. The employee started off at BFM years ago as a participant in the program and has now grown to be a manager of one of the company’s main service lines. He shared how much of an obstacle his justice system record presented to him getting back on his feet, and how no employer wanted to give him a chance until he interviewed for a job with BFM. In his initial interview, he paraphrased, “I am a man who has made mistakes, but I’ve learned my lesson. I’m a hard worker; I just need a chance. You won’t regret hiring me.” When the now-CEO promoted this individual, he recalled “You told me that wouldn’t regret hiring you, and we haven’t.” Stories like these remind me why this work and these opportunities are so important.

Overall, my internship really exercised everything we practiced at Kellogg. It was hands-on, people-centered, and required every bit of what I was learning in class: market analysis, stakeholder analysis, financial modeling, and of course, collaboration.

Collaboration, in fact, became the running theme of my Kellogg experience.

LESSONS FROM BUSINESS SCHOOL

Whether I was leading club initiatives or the Black Management Association or participating in simulated debates in Public Economics for Business Leaders: Federal Policy course with Professor David Besanko, I was constantly challenged to see issues from multiple angles. That class, by the way, deserves its own shoutout. One day we’d be debating social media age restrictions for minors in Australia; the next, pitching innovations solutions to traffic congestion in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Shark Tank–style. It was academia-meets-policy-meets improv, and I loved every minute of it.

Now, I’ve stepped into a new chapter: serving as Policy Director in the Office of the President of Cook County Government, the second-largest county in the U.S. In this role, I develop strategic initiatives that tackle some of the region’s most pressing challenges, from health equity and public safety to transportation and climate resilience. It’s complex, messy, deeply collaborative work, and I look forward to incorporating learnings from my two years at Kellogg into my work. Only a few months in, I’ve already brought in skills, frameworks, and exercises learned from classes such as Rookie General Manager with Matthew Levatich, Selling Yourself and Your Ideas with Suzanne Muchin, Personal Leadership Insights with LaTonya Wilkins, and Ethnographic Customer Insights with Gina Fong.

What I carry with me from Kellogg is more than just frameworks and PowerPoints – it’s a mindset. It’s a belief that the best solutions are co-created  and asking smart questions and listening deeply to the answers is just as important as pitching bold ideas. It’s also a reminder that leadership doesn’t require having all the answers. Sometimes it’s about having the right people in the room, and the humility to let go of being the smartest person in it.

For those considering an MBA, especially those interested in social impact, my biggest advice is this: Don’t limit your view of what impact “should” look like. It’s not confined to nonprofit work or corporate social responsibility teams. Impact can be woven into any job: managing a brand with purpose, investing in mission-aligned ventures, bringing equity into supply chain strategies, mentoring others or serving on nonprofit boards, and more. You get to decide what it looks like for you.

SUPPORT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Additionally, if you are exploring or pursuing careers that are not of the “traditional business school” route, be prepared to face confusion or questions from others. Just recently at a friend’s birthday party – when telling another guest how I am now working in government – the response I received was, “Oh, wait so why did you go to business school?” While subtle skepticism was a bit off-putting, I saw the question as 1) an opportunity to keep my elevator pitch sharp; and 2) to educate upon common MBA misconceptions. I took the time to share a mini version of my journey and how it has led me to the County, and how an MBA degree can lead one to a plethora of career paths.

Even more now than ever, MBA students and recent graduates are having to get innovative with their recruiting search, whether it’s the industries or functions they are considering, how they network, or how they tell their story. The professional and economic landscape is ever-evolving, and so are the jobs to be done. As a result, it is only to our betterment for our vision and goals to also evolve.

Kellogg gave me the space and the support to explore this evolution. I was able to explore different career paths, tap into resources like the Social Impact Club and Career Management Center, and the faculty and staff who want to see you succeed in and out of the classroom. When I needed help preparing for interviews or navigating difficult trade-offs, my peers, mentors, and faculty were there, ready to help me think through it all. Many a time did I go into Professor Megan Kashner’s office or hop onto her virtual office hours stressed and confused about the job search. And I would leave with a quieter mind and a notebook full of potential contacts, Kellogg alumni names, and ideas on how to move forward. Several times I ran into Professor Jim Lecinski in the halls of the Hub, starting with a quick chat and leaving with a golden nugget of advice that he just so casually dropped.

In hindsight, I think that snowy February day in 2020 was more than a turning point—it was a metaphor. Sometimes, you take a step into the unknown, unsure if it’ll be worth it, and that one small step—into an info session, a classroom, a new idea—leads you somewhere extraordinary.

Bio

Ericka Woods is a proud Chicagoan and double Northwestern Wildcat, most recently earning her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. During her time at Kellogg, she served in executive leadership roles with the Black Management Association, Women’s Business Association, and First-Generation Student Association, earning both the Black Effect Award and the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award. She now serves as Policy Director in the Office of the President of Cook County and enjoys dancing, completing puzzles, and staying sharp with the New York Times’ daily Connections game.

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