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Alex  LeeJob before MMM: Manager at EY

Alex Lee

Hometown

San Francisco, CA

Undergrad

Gonzaga University  

Job Before Kellogg

Manager at EY

Summer Internship 

Seeking product management and strategy roles in tech and luxury goods 

Activities at Kellogg

IDEA Club, Social Director 

MMM Swag Team 

KTech 

Kellogg FC 

Affiliated Programs

MMM Program

Why did you choose MMM?

I’m a licensed CPA who never imagined spending my life buried in spreadsheets, and an oil painter who knew I couldn't survive on canvas alone right out of undergrad. For years, I treated my analytical and creative sides like they lived in separate apartments and never introduced them.

Then I found MMM. I chose MMM because it is the only program that bridges that gap in such a robust way. It helps me realize that rigor and creativity aren't contradictions—they're complements. I’m encouraged to merge the two sides, exploring how design thinking transforms business strategy. The combination of Kellogg and McCormick resources is a massive differentiator when you’re pivoting industries and roles.

What is life like as a MMM student?

Life is busy, but it’s a "discovery" kind of busy. We’re constantly exploring, experimenting, and occasionally doing ridiculous fitness challenges. My day typically follows this rhythm:

  • 06:45 AM: Wake up, stretch, hydrate, and caffeinate while sifting through news and emails—old EY habits die hard
  • Morning: Set daily goals and fire off applications before walking to the Hub for my morning class where I coincidentally sit next to all MMMs
  • Lunch: Ideally a packed lunch with friends, followed by a migration to the MMM Lounge for focus time (and more importantly, gummy bears)
  • Afternoon: Club meetings, class, recruiting prep, or finishing up design work
  • Evening: Workout or a run, which is sometimes a standard workout, sometimes 100 laps on the indoor track or the PACER test
  • Night: Dinner in Evanston or a night out in Chicago, followed by a late-night painting session to grow my brand, Stoudinger Studios (stoudingerstudios.com)

What have you loved about your MMM experience?

The people, full stop. The program leaders have cultivated a wonderfully intimate environment where 63 people from completely different worlds become family. We’re an amalgamation of personalities—engineers, designers, and the occasional CPA-turned-artist—who constantly challenge and inspire one another.

Some of my favorite memories are from outside the classroom: a two-month-long intimate Chicago summer with the MMM and 1Y cohorts spending too many hours at Clark Street Beach, small group dinners in Evanston, and spontaneous train rides to Wrigleyville for Cubs games. MMM is helping me merge both sides, but the real gift is finding 62 other people doing the exact same thing.

 

 

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