Madou Sanogo, Indiana Kelley MBA Class of 2028
Age: 27
Hometown: Harlem, NY
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Bentley University, Professional Sales
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Training Coordinator and Operations Specialist, Workforce Development/Education/Automotive, Grant Associates, Success Academy, New Last Chance Auto Repairs, 5)
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
After graduating from Bentley, I spent several years working across very different environments, including automotive operations, K–12 education, and workforce development. Those experiences gave me a lot of exposure to how organizations actually operate and taught me how to manage people, solve problems, and communicate with individuals from very different backgrounds. At the same time, I started to realize that I wanted a much stronger understanding of the financial side of business and wanted to be closer to the major strategic decisions companies make.
I reached a point where I knew that simply continuing to move from one operating role to another was not going to give me the technical foundation or career transition I was looking for. I wanted to challenge myself academically, become much stronger in finance, and position myself to move into investment banking.
The timing also felt right personally. I had accumulated several years of real work experience, had a much clearer sense of what I wanted from my career than I did when I graduated from college, and felt ready to return to a structured learning environment. Business school gave me the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, build a new skill set, and be intentional about the direction of the next stage of my career.
Why did you choose Indiana Kelley? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Kelley stood out to me because it offered the combination of community and career preparation that I was looking for. I knew that transitioning into investment banking would require a lot of development, so programs like the Capital Markets Academy were extremely important to me. I wanted a school where I would not just take finance classes, but where there was a structured ecosystem designed to prepare students for the recruiting process and for the job itself.
The people were just as important. From my interactions with Kelley before enrolling through my first few weeks on campus, I consistently felt that the faculty and staff were genuinely invested in students. People like Rebecca Cooke made the experience feel personal rather than transactional. There was a sense that people here wanted to know what I was trying to accomplish and then help me figure out how to get there.
I also really valued the culture. My classmates come from incredibly different professional and personal backgrounds, but there is a willingness to help one another that I noticed very quickly. Even within my core team, I have already seen how much I can learn from people who approach problems completely differently than I do.
Ultimately, I wanted a place where I could grow professionally without feeling like I had to become a different version of myself to fit in. Kelley gave me that feeling.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2028?
I think one of my biggest contributions is the range of experiences and perspectives I bring with me. I grew up in Harlem in a family from Côte d’Ivoire, attended Bentley, and then built a career that has taken me through automotive operations, education, workforce development, and even several years of acting. There is not necessarily a straight line connecting all of those experiences, but each one taught me something different about people, communication, leadership, and adaptability.
Because I have worked with everyone from automotive technicians to teachers, parents, job seekers, students, and business professionals, I have become very comfortable connecting with people whose experiences are different from my own. I think that translates well to the MBA environment because so much of the experience is about what you learn from one another, not just what happens in the classroom.
I also care a lot about giving back. Whether through volunteering with the Food Bank for New York City, mentoring students, or simply helping classmates when I can, I have always believed that if you are fortunate enough to gain access to an opportunity, you should help make that opportunity more accessible to someone coming behind you.
I hope my classmates see me as someone who brings energy and a different perspective to the room, but also as someone they can genuinely rely on.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, and one of the things I love most about the series is how often I find myself using it as a way to think about real life. The story is full of people dealing with uncertainty, fear, loss, friendship, identity, and difficult choices, and I think there are a lot of lessons in that. Sometimes when I’m dealing with a challenge, I’ll jokingly compare it to a Harry Potter moment, but there is usually something real behind it—whether it’s the importance of having the right people around you, continuing to move forward when you don’t have all the answers, or realizing that the choices you make matter more than the circumstances you start with. It has been one of my favorite stories since I was younger, but I appreciate it even more as an adult because I see different lessons in it now.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
One thing I would absolutely do again is talk to as many current students, alumni, and applicants as possible across different schools. Everyone experiences the MBA process differently, and those conversations gave me perspectives I never would have gotten from simply reading a website or doing a Google search. One person might give you insight into a school’s culture, another might explain recruiting, and someone else might point out something you had not even thought to ask about. Those conversations helped me make more informed decisions and also gave me a much more realistic picture of what each program was actually like.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
One thing I would do differently is start much earlier. The moment business school seriously crosses your mind, I would begin preparing for the process. There are so many pieces—testing, researching programs, talking to students and alumni, recommendations, essays, and reflecting on what you actually want from an MBA—and the deadlines come much faster than you expect. Starting early gives you the time to be intentional about your application rather than rushing to put everything together at the end. I think your strongest application comes when you have enough time to really understand your story, your goals, and why each school makes sense for you.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I actually wouldn’t skip any part of the process. Even the parts I enjoyed the least ended up preparing me for business school in ways I did not fully appreciate at the time. Taking the test multiple times taught me persistence. Writing and rewriting essays forced me to become clearer about my story and goals. Asking people close to me whether my essays actually sounded like me helped me stay authentic. Practicing “Tell me about yourself” over and over made me much more comfortable talking about my background and experiences.
Looking back, every part of the application process translated into something useful once I got to business school, especially the parts I found frustrating. On the days when I did not want to study another flash card or formula, what kept me going was thinking about the outcome I wanted and the kind of school and opportunity I hoped to earn. That became my north star throughout the process.
What is your initial impression of the Indiana Kelley students/culture/community?
My initial impression of the Kelley community is that it is incredibly tight-knit and collaborative. People genuinely seem to want the best for one another, even when everyone is pursuing their own individual goals.
One of my favorite early examples happened when I told someone I had just met that I was recruiting for investment banking. A few days later, he emailed me a Summer Associate opportunity that had opened only minutes earlier because he thought of me. That small gesture really captured the kind of community I was hoping to find.
There is definitely ambition here, but it does not feel like everyone is trying to get ahead at someone else’s expense. There is a strong sense that if we put the “we” first and help each other succeed, everyone is ultimately better positioned to reach their own goals.
What student organizations have you joined/are you hoping to join and why?
I plan to join the Africa Business Club at Kelley, the Finance and Investment Club, and the Golf Club. The Africa Business Club connects closely to my background and gives me a chance to engage with classmates who share an interest in African business and economic development. The Finance and Investment Club aligns naturally with my interest in finance and investment banking.
I also plan to join the Golf Club for a completely different reason. I’ve never really played golf, and I want to use business school as an opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and try something new. For me, the MBA experience is not only about preparing for my next career move, but also about exposing myself to new experiences, people, and interests.
What is one thing you have learned about Indiana Kelley that has surprised you?
One thing that has surprised me is how personal Kelley feels, especially for a business school within such a large university. I expected strong academics and career resources, but I did not expect how quickly faculty, staff, and classmates would get to know me and what I am trying to accomplish. There is a real sense that people are paying attention to your goals and are willing to help you navigate them. That level of accessibility has made Kelley feel much smaller and more close-knit than I expected, and it has made the transition to business school much easier
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m most excited about going through the recruiting process and seeing what is on the other side of something I know will be challenging. Investment banking recruiting is demanding, but I’m looking forward to pushing myself through it, learning from the process, and hopefully coming out of it having achieved something I worked extremely hard for.
I’m also excited about the people I’ll get to know along the way. Business school brings together classmates from different industries, countries, cultures, and life experiences, and I think there is something special about all of us being in this same moment together. I’m looking forward to making new memories, learning from those differences, and also discovering the commonalities we share despite coming from very different backgrounds.
