When Jonathan Abejuela (BSBA ’11, MBA ’17) reflects on his time as an undergraduate student at NIU, he sees a young man who was “making mistakes and getting better as a person.”
He had to see what not to do in order to learn a different way.
Growing up on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, Abejuela was originally interested in becoming a pilot, but his dreams were dashed when a military recruiter looked at his glasses and explained he had “no chance.”
“I spent many years wondering what my next steps would be until I eventually moved to Gurnee, Illinois, to live with my dad and think about college. I didn’t know what my future should be, but I knew that I needed to make a change. I was inspired to change my stars by my parents who immigrated here from the Philippines. Looking at their experiences, I saw my opportunity was quickly coming.”
Abejuela decided to attend NIU and roomed with his best friend and high school football teammate.
“I believed we were on the same track. However, I learned quickly that these things do not always work out for the best. I was on academic probation my freshman year, with my college career looking like it would quickly come to an end,” he said. “However, I made a big change and pushed myself outside of the comfort bubble of friends I knew. I moved to another dorm and expanded my horizons. I was able to get back on track and focus on school.”
While Abejuela still keeps in contact with his group of high school friends, he was able to make new friends and create new experiences by branching out and doing what was best for his education. He pushed himself and discovered that college was “more than just partying.”
“I joined every business student association and university club I could find—from a tackle football club, the Business Administration Student Association, the Society for the Advancement of Management, and Campus Ministry at the Newman Center. I made great friends in each and learned more and more as I constantly tried to find myself.”
After earning his bachelor of science in business administration, Abejuela went on to work at PPI Beauty and Nestlé, forging his dreams in the retail industry.
“My post-graduate career was interesting, because I had spent many years away from the NIU community in the process. I regularly attended football games and tailgating events, even attending the Orange Bowl in 2013, but I was not a part of the NIU academic or development community,” he said. “When I went back for a master degree in 2016, I was on a path in my career where I felt that I was getting stagnant. I was in a good job, but I was not where I wanted to be in my career.”
With support from mentors at Nestlé, Abejuela pursued an MBA at NIU.
“I quickly jumped at the opportunity. NIU had already given me so much to help me become who I am,” he said. “The experience was very much a continuation of the meaningful experiences I received during my undergrad. We had terrific professors who constantly challenged us to be better business people as well as better individuals, no matter the levels of success we achieved.”
Abejuela notes that the NIU student community reflects how he was as an undergraduate —characterized by students who were most often the first in their families to pursue a college experience and were looking to change their stars or elevation in life. They commit to their academic journey and go on to prove they are gifted and can do great things.
“Attitude is everything,” he said. “You have to show you will out-work those who behave as if they are above the work at hand. I’ve taken this attitude in everything I do and, as a result, have seen some success. I constantly find myself working with people who come from a perceived higher pedigree than myself, but I remain undaunted by what I can contribute.”
After earning his MBA, Abejuela took on the role of associate insights manager for Topco Associates, the largest American retail food group purchasing organization and the third largest private company in Illinois. Currently, he serves as a category development manager for Wells Enterprises, the largest family-owned privately-held ice cream processor in the United States, producing more than 900 ice cream and frozen novelties treats, including Blue Bunny® ice cream and desserts, along with the iconic Bomb Pop® brand.
Whenever an opportunity to speak to students comes his way, Abejuela takes it. Recently, he spoke to CHANCE University 101 students about starting steps in the college experience. He also regularly speaks to prospective MBA students on behalf of the university’s College of Business, pushing MBA candidates to take that next step in their collegiate careers. In November, he hosted a football watch party and served as a judge for the Ethics Bowl competition, an annual event hosted by the NIU College of Business BELIEF program.
“I was once where the people I am trying to help find themselves,” he explained. “Now is my chance to be a leader and help others find a level of success at or greater than mine so far. I am always so happy to see the next generation of NIU students and graduates achieve new successes. It may help some of them to hear a story of someone who felt like college was an impossible goal but who found a way to complete a rigorous and rewarding journey. I help them see that just because it hasn’t been perfect so far, that doesn’t mean they can’t change their stars. My background was very similar to some of theirs … I was far from a perfect student, but I too wanted to make a change.”
Abejuela describes his love of NIU and what the institution represents by sharing, “NIU gave me everything I needed to succeed. No matter who we go up against, we put our best foot forward and surprise many. NIU gave me the foundation I needed to be successful in anything I chose to do in life.”
written by E. Richards and reposted from the NIU Alumni Association; repost editorial oversight by M. De Jean, Director of Marketing, NIU College of Business
