One MSM Grad's Journey From Motorcycles to Management

Jessica Ostrowska, MSM ’21, forged fond memories growing up riding motorcycles and helping her father with his cars. Thanks to her M.S. in Management (MSM) degree from Mendoza, she steered her passion into a career in the automotive industry at Stellantis in Detroit. 

Ostrowska first planned a career in foreign policy, earning a bachelor’s degree in international/global studies at St. Mary’s College and applying to teach English in Japan. The COVID pandemic postponed those plans. Instead, she stayed near her Chicago-area home and worked for addiction treatment provider Stonybrook Center in Wheaton, where she managed accounts payable/receivable and discovered a whole new passion. “It gave me exposure to the business world,” she said. “I knew I wanted to pursue a business degree further.” 

Ostrowska returned to South Bend to enter the MSM program at Notre Dame. She said it gave her the freedom to explore, and working on projects for real businesses and with alumni consultants helped her develop new confidence. 

“They let us pursue what we were interested in,” she said. “Once we saw we could succeed in an area, it gave us confidence that we could do something like that in the real world.” 

She said it also gave her the skills she was missing. “The MSM program is geared for non-business majors, so it was ideal for me. The professors were phenomenal. They helped you understand the theory behind things, so you understand how what you’re doing impacts the business. The MSM gave me an intro to business and led to my job today.” 

Ostrowska also credits ND’s alumni network as a major factor leading to her current position as a financial analyst at Stellantis. In her role in technical safety and regulatory compliance, she manages financial planning and helps ensure Dodge and Jeep products satisfy government regulations in other countries. She also works in global customer experience, consolidating financial and warranty data from all Stellantis sales regions to analyze for the company as a whole. 

Now that her childhood love of cars has come full circle, Ostrowska is excited to see what happens down the road. “The company makes sure employees are aware of upcoming projects and understand the importance of the transition to electric vehicles. It’s such an exciting time to be a part of the automotive industry.” Learn more about how Mendoza’s MSM program can drive your success.