Mónica Renta is an Associate Marketing Manager at General Mills. Born and raised in San Juan, PR, Mónica moved to MSP from Chicago in 2016 after completing her MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. We caught up with Mónica to learn how it’s going.
What were you interested in working on following your academic program?
As an undergrad, I wanted to pursue a career related to literature, which led me to explore research, teaching, and publishing. While working in publishing, I took on sales and marketing roles, and discovered a passion for listening to consumers and delivering solutions that would improve or enhance their lives. It’s why I went back to school to earn my MBA in Marketing, and why I now work in Brand Management for consumer goods.
What drew you to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area?
Although I’m not originally from the Midwest, I had spent two years in Michigan and then six in Illinois, so the Midwest had truly become home to me and my husband, who is also originally from Puerto Rico. We wanted to remain in the Midwest, and MSP had long appealed to us due to its size and how livable we felt it was (not too big, not too small), and due to the number of great companies at which we could continue building our two careers. We basically saw this as the perfect Midwestern destination for solid work-life balance.
What was your biggest concern about the area when you made the move?
I wasn’t concerned about the cold, as I’d already lived in plenty of cold places, and didn’t really think a few more degrees would make that much of a difference. What I was most concerned about was that it would not find as diverse a community as I had been used to living in while in Chicago. However, once I arrived I realized it was much more diverse than I had expected, and certainly very inclusive and welcoming.
What’s something that surprised you about living and working in MSP?
Just how easy it is to live here. While I knew its size would lend itself to less traffic and lower cost of living than, say, Chicago, I’ve been surprised by just how much there is to do and explore here, without ever feeling overwhelming. You can choose to live the life you want to lead here.
What advice would you give someone considering an offer to live and work here?
Come visit! If you’ve never been here, or even if you haven’t visited in the last 5 years or so, just come visit and experience it for yourself.
Mónica Renta is an Associate Marketing Manager at General Mills. Mónica graduated from Harvard University (2008) and the University of Michigan (2010) with a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Literature, respectively. After several years working in education and publishing in the Chicago area, she pursued her MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (2016), and has been living in MSP since graduation.