Distinguished Alumni: Martha Ayala (Kellogg ‘84)
Martha Ayala doesn’t take no for an answer. She applied to Kellogg for the Class of 1984, and she was rejected. However, at that time, no Mexican woman had ever been accepted.
“In my interview at Kellogg, I found they were really curious about me. They were very curious about why a Mexican woman wanted an MBA and to work in finance,” Martha remembers.
A friend encouraged her to send the school a letter to challenge the rejection and become the first Mexican woman to attend Kellogg. But she didn’t hear back.
As she packed her things to ship them to University of California, where she had been accepted, she received a packet from Kellogg about housing options. Martha deduced she had been accepted, celebrated, and quickly redirected all of her belongings to Evanston.
Martha took an unusual path to Kellogg. She spent 13 years teaching elementary school while continuing her education. Finally, she received an opportunity to work at Banamex. Martha also knew she wanted an MBA, so she found a scholarship program through the Mexican government.
Once in Evanston, Martha found the first quarter’s curriculum challenging. Undaunted, she went to the dean and he helped her find a tutor.
“Although things can be very difficult, you can find a way to get through them,” she says. “There is always someone who is going to give you a hand.”
In addition to being the first Mexican woman admitted to Kellogg, Martha was invited to participate on the Admissions Committee as well.
Martha retired in 2008 after 26 years with Citibanamex. Of course, she didn’t sit idle. She went to work on a second master’s degree. In 2012, the bank called Martha to ask her to create a space where the most important clients of different regions and industries could connect with each other. In 2018, she retired for real, but she continues to network and consult with clients.
Kristin C. Barrett is Journalism and Economics ’06 graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.
