Our guest for today, Alejandra Arrué Lou, is a solutionist implementing new creative solutions at the intersection of business, social impact, and innovation. She has worked for Deloitte Consulting and IDEO, and is currently a Consortium & Forte Fellow at Berkeley Haas.
Spending her early years in Guatemala City and moving to the US when she was nine years old, Alejandra experienced different cultures at a young age. It might seem like a difficult transition; yet, she felt fortunate and privileged to have the best of both worlds.
In this episode, Alejandra shares her experiences from going to a women’s college, the time she spent with Teach for America, and how she ended up consulting to build up her leadership skills. She also tells us her reasons for pursuing an MBA and her experiences as Consortium & Forte Fellow.
Episode Quotes:
On leaving Guatemala City for the US during Thanksgiving and what the holiday meant for her
“I came on what I think is the best holiday in the United States. You get to celebrate being together. It’s a complicated holiday but I can’t help but also recognize the beauty in coming together on a non-denominational holiday and it doesn’t often happen in countries outside of the United States. So, there’s sort of that beauty of opportunity of this American dream, of being in a place that it’s so culturally diverse that you can sit in a table with people who look different from you. And it’s such a privilege and such an awesome thing to claim that I can experience and hold dear both of those two cultures and people and experiences together.”
On going to Barnard College
“That journey of attending a women’s college really helped me come out of my shell. It allowed me to be surrounded by talented and empowering women. I think college isn’t just about the brand of the school; it’s also about what do you get out of it and how much you’re able to grow.”
On becoming a teacher
“In my mind, I thought I was going to become a humanitarian lawyer. I was thinking about what will my next two years after graduation look like? What kind of skills and experiences do I want to gain in order to get there? I met a number of Teach for America alums, fellows, and current members and I was humbled about what they did. I also knew that I could help and use my really young spirit and energy to do something good for the world. And so I ended up deciding to apply and do Teach for America for a few years, gain a lot of skills, see how I can directly help communities and be exposed to that and really absorb because, in my opinion, it’s much harder to help and solve and do social impact without understanding the realities of the day to day.”
On pivoting from a school teacher to consulting
“I realized that as much as I could be helpful being a teacher, I had better ideas on how to change workforce compositions or how to drive better organizational change, or how to upskill teachers and help them be more successful in the classroom. I just had all these ideas about how to change from a systems perspective and realize that I could make a better impact by doing that type of work.
I was also doing some policy work at the Department of Education and my boss at the time had been a former consultant. And then just having those conversations about how I think I could solve public education and the gaps in the system, she recommended that I think about consulting, sort of spending some time really building my skills as a leader, as a thought provoker, and then seeing where that would take me. And so, I certainly agreed with her that it was the right direction. That road took me to consulting specifically working within the human capital sphere and thinking a lot about organizational and workforce transformation.”
On pursuing an MBA
“I was very focused on the social sciences and systems thinking and I think that is certainly where I get a lot of my intellectual energy and I love thinking that way. But I also recognize the gaps in my quantitative and more logical thinking and going back to my origin story, I’ve always been a huge nerd and I didn’t want to leave not having really tactical quantitative skills that could propel me to any leadership position that I wanted to go to. And so, I knew that I wanted to get the core skills that I think the business degree offers and really balance that out a little bit more. And then I think a little bit of it was pride. I wanted to be the first person in my family to have a graduate degree in the US. That was really a dream I’ve always had. I thought that would be really just a great accomplishment.”
On what gets her excited about the future
“One thing that gets me excited is seeing the continuation of the younger generation, our generation, and future generations, being more empathetic towards the environment and towards each other, hopefully. That’s certainly the kind of world I want to live in.”
Show Links:
Transcript:
(Transcripts may contain a few typographical errors due to audio quality during the podcast recording.)
[00:00] Chris: Welcome to the OneHaas Podcast. I’m Chris Kim. Today, we have Alejandra Arrué Lou, Berkeley Haas full-time MBA 2022. Alejandra is a solutionist, implementing new creative solutions at the intersection of business, social impact, and innovation. Alejandra is also a Consortium & Forte Fellow here at Berkeley Haas.
Alejandra, it’s great to have you here. Welcome, and great to have you on the show.
[00:29] Alejandra: Thank you for having me. It’s exciting.
[00:31] Chris: Yeah. Alejandra, definitely super excited to have you on the show today. Could you start, maybe, with where you grew up and where did your story begin?
[00:38] Alejandra: Sure. I always have a lot of fun answering this question because it always takes me a minute to think about the answer.
[00:46] Chris: Oh, yeah.
[00:47] Alejandra: I call home Guatemala City. I was born in Zona 15 of Guatemala City. And I lived there until I was about nine years old. And I really call that my home because it feels like—I don’t know—I think the one physical home that we’ve always had. And then we moved to the United States. We moved to New Jersey. And I lived there through my middle school and high school years. We moved a lot within the area. So, again, why I called Guatemala my home. So, that’s where I grew up.
[01:25] Chris: Absolutely. And Alejandra, could you talk about what was it like being a young person having that kind of diversity of different experiences? We’ve had people on the podcast who’ve lived in the same town their entire life, or maybe haven’t lived abroad, or in your case, living in multiple different cultures. Could you explain what that experience was like? And did you have any memories that, maybe, formed who you are today from that experience?
[01:50] Alejandra: The first thing that comes to my mind is the moment—actually, the day I took plane over to Newark, New Jersey. And this was Thanksgiving Day in 2001. So, you can imagine right after 9/11, I’m showing up to the United States on a holiday that I’ve never heard about. And I think what was just shocking about it all is just that it was just on a day that I think people celebrate being home and feeling like family. I felt like I was leaving mine.
I think when you’re a kid in that moment, it’s astonishing and you’re excited. You’ve seen all these American movies. And it was really exciting, I think, in that moment. I think as an adult, it hit me like, oh my gosh, what a story that, on the day of Thanksgiving, again, where you’re supposed to be celebrating a home, I was leaving mine. But I don’t know. I think, just having that moment in my life has just really allowed me to appreciate, I think, and be incredibly lucky and privileged to have the best of both worlds.
I think I miss how nice people in Guatemala are. I miss the food. I miss the climate. I miss the colors. But at the same time, I came on what I think is the best holiday in the United States. You get to celebrate being together. You get to celebrate—I know, of course, there’s tough history related to that. It’s a complicated holiday, but I can’t help but to also recognize the beauty in coming together on a non-denominational holiday. And it doesn’t often happen in countries outside of the United States. So, there’s that beauty of opportunity of this American dream of being in a place that it’s so culturally diverse that you can sit in a table with people who look completely different from you. And it’s such a privilege and such an awesome thing to claim that I can experience and hold dear both of those two cultures and people and experiences together.
[03:55] Chris: Alejandra, I know you’ve had an amazing professional and academic experience. Did school come easy for you? Were you always super studious and academic? Would love to hear what your younger Alejandra, growing up.
[04:08] Alejandra: A younger Alejandra, I think it depends. I think, when I was younger, school certainly felt easy. I just loved school. I think that’s really the gist. I don’t know if it came easy. I love being with friends. I love being busy. I love the idea of being surrounded by learning. I was that kid. I was that nerd.
I think, as I grew up, especially coming to the US, that got tougher. And I think the language got tougher. My parents were fairly strict in terms of my grades. And the first thing that they would ensure we would do is be in a good school. So, it got tough. It certainly got tough. In high school, I ended up applying and getting a scholarship to a private high school that was really, really tough in the area. So, I don’t know. School came easy to me, but I certainly always enjoyed it. And so, because I enjoyed it, I worked really hard. And I think, to this day, I think the first thing that got me really excited about this year, in particular, was returning to the classroom. And I was like a kid who’s like, “Let me get my notebooks ready and let me go to paper stores and buy new pens.” I love that feeling. And so, with love comes, I guess, hardwork.
[05:28] Chris: Absolutely. I feel like that’s a lot of commonality with a lot of other folks from Haas or the MBA in general. Alejandra, for a lot of us, one of the pivotal points is deciding to go to college or planning to go to college. What was that process like for you? What are some of the memories or things that stick out from you from that process?
[05:48] Alejandra: It’s taking me back a little bit. It’s been a while since thinking about that moment. I think, again, as I mentioned, by high school, I was able to attend a much more tailored high school that had really amazing college counselors that helped you understand—help me understand what would be most beneficial to me.
And one of the college counselors said, “Hey.” And at that point, I was really shy. I was a kid who knew the answer but never raised my hand. And the college counselor said, “Hey, have you thought about a women’s college?” And I was like, “No. Why would I want to go into a college with no men?” I think she saw something in me that just—I needed to find that spark of confidence that I think I was missing at the time.
And reflecting on this in the past, my best essays were for Barnard, which is where I ended up going for undergrad. I realized that they were probably my best essays because it was probably where I was supposed to go. And so, the journey, I think, of attending a women’s college really helped me come out of my shell. It allowed me to be surrounded by really talented, empowering women that I think college isn’t just about the brand of the school. It’s also about what do you get out of it and how much you’re able to grow. And so, that’s just the moment that I think about how important it was for me to attend Barnard and to go to a women’s college. I don’t know if that really answers your question.
[07:23] Chris: It does. I feel like everyone’s journey is so different. And yet, looking back on it, it’s such a unique experience because it’s almost like you have that hindsight. You can tell a lot of things mapped together or a lot of things were super random and they all came together into individual perspectives in our lives. But personally, I’ve met some amazing people who have either been at Barnard, or probably, really famous alums. And for folks who are maybe less familiar, could you explain Barnard and where it is and what makes Barnard so special, versus maybe some other different schools that people might go to?
[07:59] Alejandra: Sure. So, Barnard is actually, like I mentioned, a women’s college. It was back in the day when Columbia University did not accept women, they were the sister school, Barnard at the time. Maybe some people have heard of, I think, Radcliffe for Harvard, very similar structure. Eventually, places like Radcliffe merged with Harvard. And so, you only have Harvard today.
Barnard, however, did not and stood and kept itself separately to really focus on women education and empowerment. And so, it’s a small liberal arts college in New York City, still affiliated with Columbia. And so, when I mentioned earlier my fear of attending a women’s college, actually it was quelled because I was across the street from a much larger university, co-ed university. And I actually met my current fiance at Columbia. So, it all worked out.
[08:56] Chris: Oh, wow.
[08:57] Alejandra: I dunno how this works, but I think another thing that I thought about, Chris—so, you want me to sit around my college story and going back to that moment, I think, my parents didn’t know what it was like to go to higher education in the United States. They were very much used to, hey, you go to a university, you sign your name, and you go. And so, the whole exploration, application phase was they supported me in the best way that they knew how. But I think it was just a little bit different than, maybe, what some of my peers at the moment were experiencing. And so, it was an interesting application journey, but second time around applying to Haas, when that sort of process came around, I actually helped a few of my classmates apply to FAFSA and financial aid. And I was like, “Oh, I got this. I’ve done this.” And so, it was a lesson and a growth experience.
[09:59] Chris: That’s awesome. I know you were talking about, Alejandra, that, in terms of schools, you were very intentional and ended up even applying to Barnard and then getting in. What was the experience after you got on campus? Was it exciting? I know for Haasies, they come to Haas, there’s one expectation before you go, and then you get in and then you start going. It can be different or the same. What was that experience like for you?
[10:25] Alejandra: I think I was just going in there not having any expectations. My older brother at the time had just graduated from Cornell, but he went to a very specific school. He went to the hotel school. So, his experience was just very particular. And so, I didn’t feel like I really had the model college experience. And so, when I showed up to campus, I had no idea. I was just like, “I’m a kid who has no idea what this is all about. Let’s go.”
And so, I think, I’m sure in that moment I had the vision of what you see on TV and the parties and all of that stuff. But I think I was just really looking forward to being independent, to being intellectually stimulated, to having really good ad hoc conversations with folks in the hallway or professors. I certainly wanted to see what was it like to just be surrounded by education all the time. So, I don’t know. Besides that, my expectations were limited in terms of what I knew was possible. So, that’s what I remember.
[11:33] Chris: After being at Barnard for a couple of years, you decided to graduate. You graduated, and then decided to go into your life post school. What did you decide to do? And what was that path like for you?
[11:46] Alejandra: So, Barnard, and in this case, Columbia are actually quite known for their anthropology and their Human Rights Institute. And so, I took some really amazing courses around that. And of course, a lot of my peers were always thinking about justice and equality. And I certainly was, and I still am, but was looking at doing that work from a legal and from a policy perspective. And in my mind, I thought I was going to become a humanitarian lawyer. And I was really thinking about my next two years after graduation, what will that look like? And what kind of skills and experiences I want to gain in order to get there.
And I, through my conversations, met a number of Teach For America alums and fellows, and current members. And in all of the work, I was humbled by what they did. I also knew that I could help and use my really young spirit and energy to do something good for the world. And so, I ended up deciding, “Hey, you know what? Let me do Teach For America. Let me apply and do Teach For America for a few years, gain a lot of skills, see how I can directly help communities and be exposed to that and really absorb.” In my opinion, it’s much harder to help and solve and do social impact without understanding the realities in the day-to-day. So, I ended up moving halfway across the country to Texas, and spending two years doing Teach For America as a fourth and fifth grade bilingual teacher for some really amazing students.
[13:24] Chris: I know some folks may be familiar. Could you maybe explain a bit what the Teach For America program is, and how, typically, college students or college grads get involved in Teach For America?
[13:35] Alejandra: Sure. So, it’s a national program that the intent is to serve, recruit really energized undergraduates, generally, to work as school teachers, both in public and charter schools, helping and supporting marginalized communities. And so, usually, you are placed in schools that have a huge teacher shortage, usually placed in communities that are low income. And so, you get placed in those communities around the United States, and you get some training. And then you’re put in a classroom. And you try your very best to help these kids, to connect with these kids, and try to make a difference.
[14:19] Chris: Absolutely. I want to say thank you for your service in that way, Alejandra. I know, talking with other Haasies who are former teachers, it’s definitely not an easy path. I think you probably have a ton of war stories. We’d love to, maybe, understand, as you’re going through that process, you ended up switching careers. What was your thinking as you were super energized about making an impact, and then you became a Teach For America teacher? You did it, and then you ended up making a career change. What was that experience like? And what were you thinking as you’re going through that process?
[14:51] Alejandra: I was working a lot in those years, really trying to connect with my students. Probably, the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life. And I think what I realized that the reason I was working so hard is just because there’s so many administrative challenges and standard practices that are embedded in public education that make it so that teachers are spending such a significant amount of their time focusing on other topics and projects and requirements that have nothing to do with the teaching of students.
And so, I love teaching. I think about the things I love about teaching—the facilitation, the interaction, the what I call now workshop. I love that stuff. But I realized I wasn’t spending my time doing that. I was spending my time preparing for sundries testing and having difficult conversations with principals. And I realized that, as much as I could be helpful being a teacher, I had better ideas for how to change workforce compositions or for how to drive better organizational change or how to upskill teachers and help them be more successful in the classroom. And I just had all these ideas about how to change from a systems perspective, and realized that I could make better impact by doing that type of work.
And between my first and second year, I was also doing some policy work at the Department of Education. And my boss at the time for the summer, she had been a former consultant. And then just having those conversations about how I think I could solve public education to fill the gaps in the system, she recommended that I think about consulting, that I thought about spending some time really building my skills as a leader, as a thought provoker. And spending some years then building up my skills and then seeing where that would take me, and so I certainly agreed with her that it was the right direction. And that’s where that road took me to consulting, specifically working within the human capital sphere and thinking a lot about organizational and workforce transformation. So, that’s how I landed there.
[17:10] Chris: That’s awesome. Alejandra, I know a lot of MBAs are hoping to get into consulting post-grad. I know probably a lot of people have their fingers crossed for their internships for the summer, or maybe they’ve already had their offers and getting ready to go back. Could you explain what was it like going from being a teacher and then being a consultant at a major consulting firm?
[17:32] Alejandra: What was that like? Really different. I was used to report—I always said to my students or my bosses, I was reporting the students. And then I switched to reporting to much more buttoned-up partners in a firm. So, who I felt responsible for, I think, drastically changed.
I think the other piece that really drastically changed for me is just why I was doing the work. I think, in TFA I was very much focused on how can I support student franchise communities. I think in consulting, my biggest aspiration was I want to get really good at some very tactical skills. I want to learn a ton about how large organizations function. And so, it was just a really different experience around my focus and why I was there.
[18:24] Chris: Absolutely. The firm that you went to was a global consulting company, so huge. What was that like, going from being at, maybe, a local school to now working for a truly global international consulting company?
[18:37] Alejandra: It really allowed me to take a step back and notice how complex the world can be. I think the other piece, though, that to me I really enjoyed, I had a number of teams that were global. I certainly worked a lot with folks in India. I actually had a project where I was traveling to Toronto every week.
[18:59] Chris: Oh, wow.
[19:01] Alejandra: So, I had some Canadian friends. It was just really nice to also just see how different parts of the world understand work, focus on work. Even though we were working in consulting for Canada, our Canadian peers, after a certain time, they were like, “It’s time to go home. And it’s time to take care of our families.” And I think, sometimes here in the US, that delineation in work-life balance looks a little bit different. And so, I certainly appreciate it. And then I think I learned a lot from how can I create a more sustainable work-life balance for myself from peers who are not in the US. So, just learning and a ton of fun travel and getting to see the complexities of the world.
[19:41] Chris: I get this question a lot, especially from folks that might be hoping to go to a huge consulting company, like you did. Why go back to the MBA? Could you share a little bit of, even after kind of reaching what is for a lot of people, the pipe dream, the dream far out there, what made you want to go to business school? And how did that exploration process begin, as you were thinking about getting an MBA?
[20:06] Alejandra: I think of two things immediately. Maybe, I’ll think of a third. Consultants think in three, so—
[20:10] Chris: Think of other [laughs].
[20:13] Alejandra: The first thing, I told you a little bit about my background, I was very focused in the social sciences and the systems thinking. And I think that is certainly where I get a lot of my intellectual energy. And I love thinking that way, but I also recognize the gaps in my quantitative and more logical, I guess, thinking.
And going back to my journey as my origin story, I’ve always been a huge nerd. And I didn’t want to leave not having really tactical quantitative skills that could propel me to any leadership position that I wanted to go to. And so, I knew that I wanted to get just really core skills that I think the business degree offers, and really balance that out a little bit more. And then I think a little bit of it was pride, I guess. And I really wanted to be the first person in my family to have a graduate degree in the US. But that was just really, I don’t know, I guess a dream I’ve always had. And I thought that would be really just a great accomplishment.
And I think, on the personal side, I recognize that, especially in MBA, it’s two years, it is a moment to really grow as a person and grow as a more confident individual, to grow as a more empathetic individual, to grow and be able to tell my story more concisely. And I think that some of the more “soft skills” is something that, I think, wanting to continue developing my soft skills is also something I think I wanted to spend doing. And if it’s not now, then when?
[22:00] Chris: Yeah, absolutely. How did you go through the process of picking schools or programs, Alejandra? And did you use any resources or things to help you in that process?
[22:11] Alejandra: Yeah, I think a huge perk of being in a big firm, a consulting firm or others, are there’s very systematic support system for applying for business school. And it’s very much welcomed and encouraged to think about. And so, when those around me had gone to business school or thought about business school, there’s a much easier transition for me. I just start thinking about it. So, that was really helpful, having an employer that encouraged that. And then I think finding just some other programs, like the Consortium that really helped guide you through the process, I think, is something that I took advantage of. And it’s certainly helped me in my journey.
[22:57] Chris: We’re lucky to have you as one of our Consortium Fellows. Could you explain a bit of what that program is and how that works tangibly for folks who are going to the MBA program?
[23:06] Alejandra: This is sort of this group that’s trying to promote and increase the number of underrepresented minorities in business. And there are a number of liaison MBA programs, obviously, Berkeley being one of them, that are part of the program. And it’s associated with career opportunities, financial, and in some cases, scholarships.
[23:34] Chris: What was your experience like, once you got to campus, you ended up, either super involved or super representative? Like you mentioned, you’re a Consortium Fellow, if I understand it as well, you’re also a Forte Fellow, which is a bit of a big deal to be both as well. And you have been doing a ton of stuff, both on campus and professionally. Could you explain what that experience is like, actually finally realizing you’re going to come to Haas and then get in campus and hitting the ground running?
[24:00] Alejandra: What was that experience like? Really wild. I think Berkeley was certainly my dream school. And then, obviously, getting that through the Consortium was just unbelievable in all. And I think about just how much privilege and luck and, yes, hard work, but a lot of things falling in the right place. And what was that like? I don’t know. Amazing. For me, my first day of school was over soon. But even just that moment of saying, “Oh, my gosh, I made it here,” was just unbelievable. And I think my first year was different than I think many folks who’ve gone in MBA, what that’s been like this pandemic, and a lot of things were challenging at the moment.
But I find a niche group. Within the Consortium, I think there’s about—I think in my class, about 60 fellows. And then within that, there’s a subset of us who are both Consortium and Forte. And creat an informal virtual group that would meet often. I don’t know, I think I was able to find some really awesome friends in the Consortium. I enjoy it so much that I actually ran to be a co-liaison. And now, my term ended. But last year, I was a co-liaison with my other two, who are my very good friends now. And so, that was just what a privilege, what an awesome experience.
[25:30] Chris: It’s good to hear. And could you share a bit about some of the—I know you did maybe a couple of other things outside of school, work and internships? What was that process like for you? I know that’s typically a big thing for folks who come to the MBA program. How do you get involved? How do you move forward, academically and professionally?
[25:48] Alejandra: Sure. I think the thing that comes to my mind as really significant in, at least, my time here at Haas is working on trying, attempting to be an entrepreneur. I somehow had this inkling that that’s something I wanted to try while at Haas and ended up doing the course Lean Launchpad and built a small business. I know that it’s a startup. It’s a small business with three other of my classmates. One of them’s now an alumni. We built Unfold, and it’s a direct-to-consumer apparel brand that works with emerging artists directly, and a huge focus for us equitable pay in the process and manufacturing. And I just had such an incredible time and learned a ton about what it’s like to start a new business, how to understand consumer needs, how to work collaboratively to build something like this. And I certainly realized that I didn’t want to be an entrepreneur. But the fact that I was able to explore that, I think, is really formative and I am also really, really thankful to have found an opportunity that married my interest in business, my interest in the arts and design, and then working together with some really awesome people.
[27:13] Chris: Alejandra, I know people come out of the MBA program in terms of different types of passions. And for me, specifically, podcasting has been a huge one that I’m hoping to do post-MBA. Do you have any other passions that you’re hoping to continue post-MBA, that you might be taking with you from the program?
[27:29] Alejandra: Sure. So, I think there’s sort of two things. And I’m trying to find whether it’s my full-time job or something else I do on the side. But there’s two things. I realized, one, I love to innovate. I love to think of new ideas. I love to solve new problems and find solutions. I think I get very much energized in the whiteboarding and facilitation side of problem-solving. And then I miss my years in Teach For America. And I really miss working with communities with students, feeling like every day I am helping to make the world a little bit better place. So, that’s also really energizing. And so, I’m really trying to explore and balance that with my personal goals as well of what does that look like. And that moment, when I was a teacher, it felt really energizing. Where could I go next where I also feel that level of energy and passion for what I do every day?
[28:26] Chris: Yeah, absolutely. Alejandra, I know you’ve had a unique experience of navigating the pandemic as part of your MBA process. How does that look like for you now? And we’re sharing before recording, both of us are looking towards graduation. So, hopefully, knock on wood, nothing happens and we can just graduate normally. The world’s been ever-changing the past couple of years. What do you do today? And how do you reflect on that time, now that you’re closer to the end of the program and going to be leaving Berkeley sometime soon?
[29:00] Alejandra: I think what comes to my mind is focusing and being really intentional on everything that I do, on trying to be really present, and something as little as taking my lunch break without having to have a laptop in front of my eyes, I think, is something I’m going to focus on. And hanging out with friends. And when I hug somebody, it’s, “Man, this could be taken away from us at any moment.” And just being more intentional around what I do day-to-day and how I interact with people, I think. Because again, as we’ve all learned, everything can just be taken away at any moment. So, we never know.
[29:37] Chris: It’s been great to have you in conversation to hear your story and share a bit. Before we end the podcast, we typically have a lightning round, just some fun, hopefully, not controversial, but sometimes controversial questions. We’d love to go through it with you before we end our podcast today. Well, we’ll start with our number one question. Maybe, spark some debates here. First question, what was your favorite place or what is your favorite place to eat in Berkeley?
[30:05] Alejandra: I have really enjoyed—I don’t know if it’s just to eat. Well, eat, you said eat?
[30:11] Chris: You can choose, favorite place to eat or hang out in Berkeley.
[30:15] Alejandra: Favorite place to hang out is Fieldwork’s Brewery because it’s close to my house and the beer is amazing.
[30:22] Chris: It’s a good call, absolutely. Talking about memories, what’s a favorite or a lasting memory that you have from the MBA program?
[30:31] Alejandra: HaasBoats, my first year. I will leave it at that. It’s so fun.
[30:35] Chris: For those who don’t know, we won’t go into detail, but look it up when you can, HaasBoats. Number three, what’s one piece of advice that you’d give to someone else, either personal or professional?
[30:48] Alejandra: Hug whoever you are hugging intentionally. I’ll leave it at that as well.
[30:54] Chris: Absolutely. And our last one, what’s one thing that gets you excited about the future?
[30:59] Alejandra: One thing that gets me excited is just, I think, seeing the continuation of younger, including my generation, our generation, and future generations being more empathetic towards the environment and towards each other, hopefully, and seeing some of that movement, I think, that’s certainly the kind of world I want to live in. So, I don’t know. That’s how I answer that.
[31:25] Chris: Alajandra, it’s been great to have you on the show today. And I wish you all the best in the future.
[31:31] Alejandra: Cool. Take care. Thank you.
[31:33] Outro: Thanks again for tuning into this episode of the OneHaas Podcast. If you enjoyed our show today, please remember to hit that Subscribe or Follow button on your favorite podcast player. We’d also really appreciate you giving us a five-star rating and review. If you’re looking for more content, please check out our website at haas.fm. That’s spelled H-A-A-S.F-M. There, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter and check out some of our other Berkeley Haas podcasts. And until next time. Go bears.