Alexandra Brown-Anderson

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

“Chicago loyalist with a passion for designing strategies that spark growth and good.”

Hometown: Elkhart, Indiana

Fun Fact About Yourself: I combined my love of candle-making with tech to create an AI-powered custom candle-making tool.

Undergraduate School and Major: Purdue University – Marketing & Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Deloitte, Senior Consultant

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Chicago Booth’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The classroom experience. As someone who struggled with more passive, lecture-style learning as an undergrad, I was initially apprehensive about returning to the classroom. But after sitting in on two Booth classes, my concerns disappeared. The professors were brilliant and kept me so engaged. One of those sessions, a practicum on Social Impact, showcased the kind of hands-on, applied learning I had always craved. That experience made it clear that Booth’s curriculum wouldn’t just teach me concepts, it would give me the opportunity to actually practice them as well.

The Booth MBA is also known for being highly data-driven. Why does the program’s focus on quantitative analysis and decision-making appeal to you? How have you been able to leverage this approach in your career so far? My natural strengths tend to be more right-brained aligned, so Booth’s focus on quantitative analysis was a huge draw for me. I know it will push me to grow in the way I think, approach problems, and quantify results. In my last role as a consultant, I saw first-hand how data grounded our recommendations. When we paired insights with quantitative validation, clients were more aligned, and our project sales proposals gained credibility. Booth’s data-driven approach will help hone the analytical rigor required to lead impactfully.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Chicago Booth? There are so many professional activities that really excite me, like the New Venture Challenge and the Booth Technology Group. However, I am most excited for all of the Booth traditions. For example, many 1st year students opt to do a “Random Walk” organized by the school to destinations around the world. I headed to South Africa with about 20 classmates, which was an amazing opportunity to connect on a deeper level. There is no shortage of those types of traditions at Booth.

What has been your first impression of the Booth MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far? Tell us your best Booth story so far. During my admit weekend, I attended a party hosted by a student affinity club and struck up a great conversation with a current student. In passing, I mentioned my interest in entrepreneurship so casually that I barely remembered saying it. We didn’t exchange numbers, but after the party, she went out of her way to track down a student who did have my contact information and asked him to share a thoughtful list of entrepreneurship resources she had compiled for me. That moment meant so much to me. It showed me that at Booth, I’ll be part of a community that genuinely invests in and believes in each other.

What makes Chicago such a great place to earn an MBA? I’ve lived in Chicago for the past five years and fell in love with the city from the moment I arrived. One of my classmates from Ghana recently described it as “America’s best-kept secret”, and it truly is. The city offers everything: sports, art, a killer food scene, and culture, while still providing a “campus” experience. I love the duality of running into classmates in my PJs at MPP (a popular Boothie high-rise apartment downtown) before heading out to a beautiful dinner in the West Loop. I really feel like I have it all!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Growing the Culture and Belonging practice at Deloitte. When I first joined, it wasn’t something many people were talking about. I worked for years to sell and deliver millions of dollars of meaningful work in the space. Over time, I’ve seen firsthand how that work has shaped people’s lives, like the mom whose team finally moved their daily stand-up to after her kid’s school drop-off or the hard-of-hearing patient who now can communicate with their clinic by text. I’m deeply proud to have been a driving force in amplifying my firm’s impact in that space.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Chicago Booth’s MBA program? Authenticity is key. What truly sets you apart as an applicant is your unique experiences, motivations, and values. Yes, professional accomplishments matter, but Admissions also wants to understand what drives you, what has shaped you, and how you’ll contribute as a person. Let that come through clearly and unapologetically in your application.

DON’T MISS: MEET CHICAGO BOOTH’S MBA CLASS OF 2027

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.