For this month’s edition of the Alumni Corner, QUESTPress is featuring Chris Coraggio of Cohort 16! Chris is currently attending IESE Business School in Barcelona where he plans to earn an MBA.

After graduating from the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Chris was recruited by Teach for America to become a middle school math teacher, which provided him the opportunity to have a real impact on people. Although his career was fulfilling, Chris realized that his true passion was for sustainability and fighting climate change. So, he decided to pursue an MBA to keep his career and career path moving forward.

So why IESE?

It took Chris a lot of research and many applications to both US and international graduate schools to realize that he wanted a global career that could also potentially allow him to consult and/or volunteer for Teach for All – Teach for America’s Global Organization. He then realized that IESE was the best fit for him – not only is his class comprised of over 60 nationalities, but also the network is the most global in the world! In addition to diversity, IESE has a stellar MBA program and a unique Business-Spanish program that will train him to receive a Dual-Language MBA.

So far, Chris has absolutely loved his first month in Barcelona! While he said moving to a completely new country has been a struggle, his ability to bond with the IESE diverse community has helped Barcelona to feel more and more like home. “The community is incredibly supportive, collaborative, generous, fun and talented.” While abroad, Chris has found time to not only explore Spain, but also to travel to a ton of new countries! He has absolutely loved the city and people of Barcelona – he says that both the art (Gaudi!) and culture are amazing. “People here value their personal life more than their career, so there are lots of holidays and less working hours. I appreciate the slower but higher quality of life here, although it can sometimes be challenging!” To me, that sounds amazing! I already want to retire and I have yet to start working!

Chris’ first day of school is this month – let’s wish him luck! If you ever have any questions about attending an MBA program, participating in a program abroad, working for Teach for America, or just want some travel tips, please reach out to Chris at chris.coraggio@gmail.com! He would be more than happy to talk with any QUESTees.