About Alex:  Alex Moritz (‘22) is a first year at UCLA Anderson. Prior to Anderson, Alex worked in as an investment banking analyst in Stifel’s Public Finance group in Chicago and in restaurants in Paris and Los Angeles as a chef. In his free time, Alex enjoys pouring wine and cooking for his friends, a morning on the golf course, staring at art in LA’s many wonderful museums and galleries (when open!) and discovering new music.

---

As the days closed in on the beginning of Onboarding, I experienced a mix of nerves and excitement about the journey ahead. While I knew there was a world of opportunity awaiting at Anderson, I had no idea how I was going to fare in readjusting to the academic environment or how I was going to tell my story to my peers, professors and prospective employers.

I know that it can be daunting to pursue an MBA coming from a non-traditional path. I myself walked off that stage at the end of my senior year of college into an adventure that has taken me from 72-degree boardrooms in Chicago to 110+ degree restaurant kitchens in Paris and LA. I had also only used Zoom a handful of times and mostly as a way to socialize with my friends over drinks during the initial COVID-19 lockdown. For everyone looking to pursue their MBA coming from a less than typical professional background, I am writing to share that UCLA Anderson has exceeded my expectations with respect to preparing me for the next phase of my career, even in the virtual format.

Let’s start with Zoom. As I mentioned, I had no idea what to expect as my calendar started to fill-up with video meeting after video meeting. The virtual environment, while certainly challenging at times, has pleasantly exceeded expectations. I quickly learned how to navigate Zoom and use it to meet my peers, interact with them in class and connect with them on our myriad entrepreneurial projects. I look forward to returning to campus when safe but want to let you know that the virtual experience is not as daunting as it is made out to be!

Academically, UCLA Anderson has provided me with ideas that have helped me to understand the worth of my previous work experience and prepare for the next steps in my career. My professors have been excellent at teaching new concepts and promoting dialogue in the classroom. I have learned a great deal from hearing my classmates discuss the ways in which the material intersects with their professional experiences. I hope they have gained some insights from mine as well. Through my coursework, I have been exposed to concepts in Marketing, Operations and Strategy that have driven interesting reflections on my time working in restaurants and have helped me evaluate my nontraditional professional responsibilities through the prism of a more business-oriented lens. This has helped me communicate my unique set of skills to employers. More on this below.

The professional resources available at Anderson are indispensable as I seek to transition from the restaurant to the office. I’m sure you’ve heard a great deal about the Parker Career Management Center, but I wanted to share how wonderfully impactful their resources have been as I seek to chart out my career. During Onboarding, I was paired with a career advisor and peers from the class of 2022 to review resumes, learn how to conduct informational interviews and refine our elevator pitches. As I settled in on management consulting as an industry I want to explore further in the fall, I had a team of advisors and second-year students who helped me through the networking process and taught me key interview skills, the latter of which was important for me since I had not had a traditional job in over 4 years at that point. As we launch into interview season, I couldn’t be more thankful for the support I have received at Anderson on the professional front and look forward to paying it forward to the next talented class of Anderson students.

There’s still a ways to go, but the early returns show that my time at Anderson will be fruitful and allow me to successfully advance my career. There is a place for everyone at Anderson and it is the sum of the Class of 2022’s diverse experiences, perspectives and backgrounds that has made my first few months so exciting and enriching.

---

Student Blogger: Alex Moritz ‘20

Undergrad: University of Chicago, ‘16

Pre-MBA: Chef in Los Angeles (Pasjoli) and Paris (Various Restaurants), Public Finance Investment Banking at Stifel

Leadership@Anderson: Director, Admissions Ambassador Corps; Director of External Partnerships, Wine Club at Anderson Wine Club