Miguel Molina is the chief financial officer for Avocados From Mexico, an Irving-based company that coordinates marketing for avocado packers and importers. Here, he recalls his journey to the United States from Chiapas, Mexico’s southern-most state, inspired by a close friend who dared to dream big.
“When I was in my senior year, a friend of mine asked me to spend Lent with him and his family in a little town in Queretaro, which is in Central Mexico. During dinner, he started talking about his plans for the future. He wanted to earn his undergraduate degree, then he wanted to get a master’s degree at the University of Michigan.
“After that, he wanted to go back to his hometown, become the mayor of the town, then the governor of the state. Until that day, my goal was to go back and work for my dad at his hardware store. I remember sleeping, looking at the ceiling, saying ‘What could I do different?’ And I said, ‘I’m going to study English, and I want to get my MBA in the U.S., and third, I want to represent my country, working at an international company in the U.S.’ When I graduated, I went to Vancouver, Canada, sold my car, and spent two-and-half months learning English.
“This professor [at Monterrey Tech] asked me to join Mission Foods in the U.S. I spent 13 years at the company and finally decided to go back [to school] and do my MBA. That conversation with my friend was an interesting experience that changed my life.”
