Farming Nonprofit
Name: Alex Figueroa
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Education: Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business, MBA Class of 2010
Plan A: Investment management intern
Plan B: Helping coffee farmers in Nicaragua
When I wrote my applications, I was pretty focused on what I wanted to do: specifically, finance. But in this more competitive economic environment, the supply of MBAs outweighed demand. Even beyond that, I took a step back—what is inevitably going to make me give 110% towards a job?
I had typically searched for internships focused on the key word "finance," but I did an unfiltered search on Tuck's Web site. I found a position working with a coffee-growing cooperative in Nicaragua that is trying to alleviate the hunger season for the growers by diversifying crops. When I read the job posting, it was the first time in a really long time that I was super-excited about submitting my cover letter and résumé.
I'm spending ten weeks in Nicaragua, collecting primary data from the farmers and ultimately helping to decide what the diversifying crop should be. It's a long walk from the finance-focused lifestyle; I live in a co-op grain storage room where cold bucket showers are the norm. But the work is significant, results are tangible, and it's one of those jobs you can wake up happy every morning that you're going to work.
