Mentorship in Action: Nikki Suarez

The most successful professionals in the Latinx community and beyond tend to share a common thread: they build relationships with people who believed in them before the rest of the world caught up. They found mentors. And just as importantly, they learned how to be great mentees.

As Latinx MBA Association launches its inaugural mentorship program, connecting 33 mentees from 16 MBA programs with mentors who hold everything from C-suite titles to VC partnerships, we sat down with two women at the center of one remarkable mentorship story, and the program director making it all possible at scale. 

Latinx MBA Association launches its inaugural mentorship program, connecting 33 mentees from 16 MBA programs with mentors who hold everything from C-suite titles to VC partnerships to boost career mobility.

Article: Mentorship is often treated as a simple coffee chat. A quarterly check-in. A LinkedIn connection that might help someday.

In reality, mentorship is career infrastructure.

As Nikki Suarez, Community Engagement Manager for North America and Latin America at S&P Global and Latinx MBA board member, explains:

“You could still be a star, the smartest person on your team. And it doesn’t actually matter, because there are going to be rooms that you are not in.”

Excellence alone does not guarantee advancement. Connection does. Advocacy does. Visibility does. And often, mentorship is the bridge.

Nikki met her mentor, Carmen Flores, at the 2024 Latinx MBA Summit. Carmen, a digital commerce executive at Build-A-Bear who has led at global brands including LEGO and L’Oréal, had the kind of career Nikki admired. So she asked.

That single conversation grew into a mentorship that would shape Nikki’s career in tangible ways.

When Nikki was interviewing for a global marketing role, imposter syndrome surfaced. Carmen didn’t just send encouraging words. She scheduled a call.

“She helped me think about it from the lens of an executive,” Nikki says. “She told me what to highlight and why.”

Minutes before her interview, Nikki told herself: “Channel your inner Carmen.” Mentorship provided both strategy and belief.

Carmen is clear about what makes her relationship with Nikki work. “My most successful mentorship relationships are those where the person being mentored drives the conversation,” she says. “They’re prepared. They come with specific questions.”

Nikki approaches it that way. She sets agendas. She follows up. She brings insight into technology trends and community engagement. She has even made introductions for Carmen, just as Carmen has done for her.

Recognizing the power of structured mentorship, Latinx MBA launched its inaugural mentorship program this year as part of its premium membership.

“We’re excited to empower the next generation of Latinx leaders,” says Noel Viramontes, who leads the program. “As a pilot year, we are intentionally designing a scalable, high-impact signature initiative that strengthens career mobility across our community.”

The inaugural cohort includes 33 mentees participating in a structured, nine-month program running from September through June, with mentor-mentee pairs meeting at least quarterly. Sixteen MBA programs are represented, including Columbia, Berkeley, and Duke, underscoring the national breadth of Latinx MBA’s network and influence.

Mentors bring substantial post-MBA leadership experience, whose backgrounds include venture capital general partners, AI product managers, CFOs at growth-stage technology companies, Fortune 500 functional leaders, and startup founders and CEOs. This depth of experience ensures mentees receive not only guidance, but access to decision-making perspectives across industries. By combining structure, representation, and executive access, the program is designed to accelerate readiness, expand opportunity, and institutionalize mentorship as a strategic advantage within the Latinx MBA community.

“It’s a two-way road,” Nikki says. “Mentors always say they get just as much out of it.”

Carmen agrees. Reflecting on her own career climb, often as the only woman, the only Latina, or the youngest person in the room, she remembers how isolating leadership can feel. For her, opening doors for others is deeply intentional. “Talent and potential are evenly distributed, but access is not.”

“It has a multiplying effect,” Carmen explains. When she helps someone like Nikki step into a bigger role, it doesn’t just change Nikki’s trajectory. It reshapes what others in the community believe is possible for themselves. “I love helping people step into their full power,” she adds.

Nikki often shares a phrase that captures the heart of mentorship: “We don’t just climb ladders. We build wider ones.” The idea is simple but powerful. As you move up, you create space for others to rise with you, because there is room for more than one.

How to Be a Strong Mentee

For MBA students and early- to mid-career alumni, mentorship begins with initiative.

1. Ask: Most people will say yes to a 20-minute conversation.

2. Build authentic relationships before you need something: Carmen admits she once viewed networking as transactional. Over time, she learned authentic connection compounds.

3. Be specific: Come prepared with context and clear questions.

4. Follow up: Many mentorships stall because there is no follow-through.

5. Show gratitude: “People do not owe you their time,” Nikki says. Thank you notes. Small gestures. Acknowledgment matters.

The Latinx MBA Association’s mentorship program is available through premium membership. Applications for the next cohort open in September. 

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