In Pursuit of Understanding
MBA alum advocates for connecting across difference
by Autumn Thatcher (MSC '15)
Mike Alexander (’12, MBA ’14) describes himself as “your typical Utah conservative.” He grew up in Davis County. Both of his parents, as well as other members of his family, are BYU alums. His life course, he says, was laid out for him; and it was pretty straightforward.
“Obviously, my easy course was to go to BYU—do the Utah thing,” Mike says. “But I was always drawn to do something a little different.”
Mike’s goal was to pursue a career in international business. He wanted to explore the world and interact with business professionals on a global level—and he wanted to be prepared to engage and collaborate effectively with individuals with different experiences, cultures, and beliefs than he was accustomed to. Westminster, he recalls, seemed like just the place to prepare.
“I remember in the first class they brought up some ideas that I hadn’t heard before. My instincts were to totally disagree with them. I was kind of frustrated, but as I thought it through, I was like, ‘That’s why I’m here, because I want to understand difference in the world,’” Mike recalls. “I wanted to understand different ideas. And that doesn’t mean that I necessarily change what I believe, but it helps me understand and respect other beliefs and differences.”
Nearly 15 years since that first business class, Mike has achieved his goal and then some. He is the CEO for Utah-based lash company Borboleta Beauty, a role in which he regularly interfaces and collaborates with beauty industry leaders around the world.
When Mike began taking business administration classes as a transfer undergraduate at Westminster in 2011—and then as an MBA student in 2012—the nation was going through a bit of a rough patch. Many Americans were still feeling the aftermath of the 2008 Great Recession. They faced uncertainty as they tried to navigate their career paths after housing crumbled and the economy took a nosedive. But within the walls of Westminster’s business classrooms, aspiring leaders were connecting with seasoned professionals who had returned to the classroom to figure out what they would do next. The atmosphere was charged with a sense of resilience and humility, becoming the perfect setting for forging lifelong friendships.
“It was a cool time. People and businesses had been humbled a little bit,” Mike says. “There was this really cool diversity of people in the program who had years and years of work experience that they could share with someone like me, who was 23 years old in the MBA program and probably young and cocky and ambitious—and a little bit naïve to what was going on.”
Mike remembers being scrappy, working hard to afford tuition and assume life responsibilities during a time when jobs were hard to come by. But he describes those years as incredible because of the relationships he built. One of his most memorable experiences—studying abroad in Luxembourg and Paris during May Term and then finishing his MBA at one of Westminster’s partner schools in Saarbrücken—proved to be instrumental in learning how people can be different from one another but still connect.
“Going to Westminster allowed me to be in a situation where I could love and respect people who believe something very different from what I do on a personal level,” Mike says. “I really want to be an advocate for the need to have different ideas. That doesn't mean that we agree on everything, but we need to have respect and seek for understanding.”
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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