Corin Hernandez ’25 MBA

Creating connections coast to coast

Corin Hernandez never imagined she would leave California. 

She grew up in the Bay Area, surrounded by the tech culture she's now a part of, and was comfortable in her life at Google. But when the opportunity arose to pursue an MBA at Kellogg, she took a leap that changed not only her location but also her outlook on leadership, social impact, and personal growth.

“I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone,” Corin says. “I wanted to be a little uncomfortable.”

Now in Chicago as a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) program manager at Google and a student in Kellogg’s Evening & Weekend MBA program, Corin is continuing to build a meaningful career — one that’s as focused on driving social impact as it is on professional success. 

While she had been involved with nonprofit boards and service projects before Kellogg, Corin sought a way to channel that passion into her professional career. “I knew I was drawn to helping others. I didn't know how to channel that in a professional light,” she says. “I didn't know how to best utilize my skills to help those in need.” As a strategy major and co-president of the Social Impact Club, she’s been able to prioritize coursework and projects that strengthen those skillsets.  

In choosing an MBA program, especially one outside of her native Bay Area, Corin was looking for a sense of belonging and collaboration. Moving to Chicago without a built-in network was daunting, but Kellogg’s collaborative environment quickly put her at ease. “I have never been told no by a fellow Kellogg student or alum if I wanted to have a coffee, chat with them, learn more about their role, or just sit down and connect with them,” she says.

A sense of belonging was an important aspect for Corin when choosing an MBA program. She particularly appreciates the small moments of connection at Kellogg, like the tradition of Kellogg Table, where students share meals before class. Whether through informal gatherings or in classes, Corin mentions one of the best parts of the Kellogg community is the desire to grow together. 

“The best leaders show up as their most authentic selves,” she says. “They are very open about their strengths and weaknesses, and they look to grow. Carving out time to be with others that are in the same kind of space that you are, within your career and learning journey, is really important because it helps you practice that.”

Keeping up with both a demanding job at Google and MBA coursework is no easy feat, but Corin has embraced the challenge. “Balance is a strong word,” she laughs. “It’s more about fitting the puzzle pieces together.” 

A typical day for Corin involves checking emails from both Google and Kellogg, attending board meetings for the Social Impact Club, and preparing for three-hour, twice-a-week evening classes. While the schedule can be intense, she’s developed a strategy to stay grounded: “I’ve adopted a one-in, one-out policy.” If she takes on something new, she lets go of something else. She says, “You can't give 100% of yourself to five different things.”

As she moves forward, Corin sees herself stepping into leadership roles that allow her to create meaningful change. “In five years, I see myself leading a team. In fifteen years, I see myself helping to lead an organization or functional group, especially within a space that is related to social impact,” she says.

Corin's time at Kellogg has already made a difference in her work at Google, particularly in building her confidence as a leader. Where does she notice the biggest difference? “My confidence, presentation style, and how I show up in rooms,” she says. “That has naturally translated into the rooms I'm invited into now.”

Corin on Kellogg

• On the Admissions Selection Process: “They're looking for each individual to bring their unique learnings and perspectives to the classroom, and to the different networking events and social spaces in order for others to learn from them. And if we had the same individual everywhere, then there's no learning opportunity at Kellogg altogether.”
• On the Kellogg Leadership Journey (KLJ): “KLJ is an optional opportunity. It's not required at all, but I would highly encourage people to take advantage of the opportunity. They don't want to change who you are. They just want to show these are the ways that you can improve. These are the ways you can leverage your strengths and build upon them. These are perceived as weaknesses to some folks, and these are ways that you can help fine tune them.”
• On her approach to course selection: “I'm going to see whatever classes are interesting to me, and I'm going to go fully in on those things and whatever major or pathway pans out, that's just what it's going to be. And so with that approach, I have tended to gravitate towards strategy classes as well as managing organizations. The curriculum has been really robust. It's been really in depth, but it gives you a lot of breadth as well.”