March 20, 2024

by Eliza Fry, Marketing Manager, Goddard School of Business & Economics

Meet Alexandre Oliveira.

He is currently an MBA student at Weber State University.

Just several months ago, Alex was enjoying a very successful career as a top-level executive in Brazil’s dairy agribusiness industry. There, he led a team of hundreds of professionals overseeing the distribution of products, managing b2b and supplier relations, and writing articles for industry publications.  

Despite this remarkable success, in 2023 he decided to walk away from his home and his profession and move his family to Utah, notwithstanding the fact that his wife and three children did not speak English. His goal? To study for the MBA at Weber State’s Goddard School of Business & Economics.

Alex was first introduced to Weber by former WSU president, Paul H. Thompson. The two became acquainted several years ago when Alex was serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Boston, MA, where Thompson was acting as an ecclesiastical leader. Thompson spoke with Alex then about Weber State and the MBA program, sparking Alex’s interest. Years later, upon reaching a ceiling in his career, Alex was reminded of Thompson’s enthusiasm for Weber while researching graduate schools, and as a result he included Weber State in his search for business programs.

Still working in Brazil, Alex began a conversation with Andrew Wright, the Goddard School’s enrollment director. Wright’s personal touch drew a picture of Weber as a place where individual student success is valued. “I felt recognized, seen, and appreciated,” says Alex of his interaction with Wright. “I was not just one more student applying to the program. I felt understood, and that my background, my career, and my experiences mattered, and were appreciated. And that touched me.”

That sense of appreciation led Alex to apply to the program, and he was accepted into the school’s 2023-24 cohort. Once accepted to Weber State, the International Students office stepped in to help Alex manage the sometimes-complicated transition between working in Brazil and studying in the United States. Francois Giraud-Carrier, the MBA program director, helped Alex secure an internship in his veterinary field so that he can continue to develop his skills and share the knowledge he has acquired since his first semester at Weber State. 

Now a proud Wildcat, Alex feels that Weber State has an approach that values connection and treats students as individuals.

Here is how Alex is a typical WSU MBA student:

· His life is complicated. Alex is like most of our MBA students – he’s making his MBA happen while working and raising a family, and taking care of lots of other responsibilities as well. But if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s that anything is possible, and if there’s one place anything is possible, it’s Weber State.
 

· He has developed relationships with our professors. Most of our students develop connections with professors and MBA program directors and professionals. These associations are unique to Weber State, and part of the personal touch that make our programs so effective, not only in the classrooms but for future careers as well.
 

· He wants MORE. As with most MBA students, what drove Alex to apply to the MBA program was a desire for more – more growth, success, education, and potential. And the MBA is just that – a key to unlock a future with much more.

What’s next for Alex:

Alex’s plan after graduation is to return to Brazil, where the company he left will be waiting for his return and looking forward to benefiting from the knowledge he is gaining from his education. All those who know Alex are excited to see what amazing things he will accomplish, not only at Weber State but in his future career.