M.B.A. Graduate Mel Ochoa: A Force for Change

Today’s graduate student speaker, Mel Ochoa, is a proven change maker. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he chose the Stern School of Business’s M.B.A. program because he wanted to be in the “center of the universe” and be a part of the school’s growing social enterprise ventures. He entered as a Catherine B. Reynolds Fellow, joining a highly selective program dedicated to equipping the next generation of social entrepreneurs with both education and resources. 

      At Stern, Ochoa served as president of the Social Enterprise Association, where he worked with a team to create an academic specialization in social innovation and impact and helped to coordinate the development of the Stern Campus Greening Initiative. He also helped develop the Social Impact Internship Fund, which provides financial assistance to M.B.A. students who pursue internships with a social focus.

      Ochoa was also a force for change off campus, developing the New Orleans consulting project, a program in which he and seven fellow students provided strategic consulting to a charter school rebuilding after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The Stern team worked side-by-side with school children, led professional development sessions with teachers, and built a recruitment framework for the school to attract and retain talented teachers. 

      “It is so rewarding to have been involved in all of these efforts, and each one of them has shaped my Stern experience,” says Ochoa. “From leading entrepreneurship classes with students in the Bronx to funding local nonprofits as part of the Student Social Venture Practicum, I’ve been fortunate to work with my classmates to positively affect change.”

      Ochoa now plans to put his experience to use in multiple educational settings. 

      “Education transforms economies,” he says. “So whether I choose to work to close the achievement gap for students in the U.S. or establish an educational infrastructure in another country, the business skills I’ve learned at Stern will serve me well.”