From left: Marie-Lise Perrault · Wendy Palomino Alvarez, MÁS Scholar · Amidat Sonekan, MÁS Scholar · Miguel Andrés Sossa-Mardomingo, Founder
Erb Institute · University of Michigan
The MÁS Scholarship, enabled by the University of Michigan's Erb Institute, emboldens a diverse array of leaders to step forward and forge unconventional paths, safeguarding the well-being of our planet and the potential of our shared and resilient future.
From left: Marie-Lise Perrault · Wendy Palomino Alvarez, MÁS Scholar · Amidat Sonekan, MÁS Scholar · Miguel Andrés Sossa-Mardomingo, Founder
About
The Miguel Andrés Sossa-Mardomingo (MÁS) Scholarship Fund was established in 2024 by Miguel Andrés Sossa-Mardomingo, MBA/MS '13, Vice President and Americas Sustainability GTM Lead at Capgemini. Miguel named it to honor his family's story — a mother who arrived in the United States as a Cuban refugee at age 13, and a father who grew up farming the mountains of Medellín, Colombia — both of whom instilled in him a deep respect for nature, for learning, and for those most vulnerable to the world's hardest challenges.
The name MÁS — Spanish for "more" — carries the full weight of that story: more opportunity, more representation, more diverse voices at the table where our planet's future is decided.
"We are in the race of a lifetime to create a more resilient world. Yet today we lack the necessary voices and ideas of leaders from underrepresented communities who are often most overburdened by the adverse effects of climate destabilization."
— Miguel Andrés Sossa-Mardomingo, MBA/MS '13 · Founder
With a founding gift of $100,000, Miguel established the fund to support dual-degree students at the Erb Institute over the next decade and beyond. He invites others to contribute — because the urgency of climate change demands more great thinkers and doers in every room.
The Erb Institute is the University of Michigan's flagship partnership between the Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), offering a dual MBA/MS degree in sustainable business enterprise — one of the world's premier programs at the intersection of commerce and the planet.
History
Scholarship established
Miguel Andrés Sossa-Mardomingo and Marie-Lise Perrault gift the founding $100,000 to launch the MÁS Scholarship Fund at the Erb Institute, timed to Earth Day 2024.
Amidat Sonekan
Engineer, artist, and community leader, Amidat Sonekan, becomes the inaugural MÁS Scholar, focusing on sustainable food systems and operations across global supply chains.
Wendy Palomino Alvarez
ESG strategist and urban cyclist Wendy Palomino Alvarez joins the MÁS cohort, bringing experience advising on sustainability standards across Latin America's insurance sector.
Maia Hatchett
Maia Hatchett, a sustainability and environmental policy leader from The Ocean Foundation, joins the MÁS Scholarship, bringing experience from global plastic treaty negotiations.
Eligibility
The MÁS Scholarship supports dual-degree students in the Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb Institute at the University of Michigan pursuing the joint MBA/MS degree in sustainable business enterprise. Applicants must be current or former members of one of the following pipeline organizations:
The Consortium
Graduate Study in Management — advancing diversity in business education since 1966
MLT
Management Leadership for Tomorrow — preparing diverse leaders for top careers
Forté Foundation
Accelerating women into business leadership through education and networks
Access
Expanding graduate business opportunities for underrepresented students
Selection is made by a coalition of staff from Michigan Ross, SEAS, and the Erb Institute, evaluated on application quality, prior professional and volunteer experience, academic focus, and commitment to the MÁS mission.
Scholars
Each MÁS Scholar is a rising leader who has already demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to sustainability and to the communities most affected by climate change.
Amidat Sonekan
Amidat is an engineer, artist, and community leader who came to the Erb Institute with experience spanning aerospace, defense, supply chain, and public health. A graduate of Georgia Tech and proud Nigerian-American, she is focused at Michigan Ross on improving food systems that preserve culture and provide a dignified livelihood — from farmers to consumers — through the lens of sustainable operations. She holds a dual degree in environment and sustainability with a concentration in design thinking and innovation, and is affiliated with the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management.
Wendy Palomino Alvarez
Wendy is an innovative and passionate ESG strategist, committed to embedding sustainability across organizations. She has dedicated her career to improving social impact, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability reporting within Latin America's health and insurance sectors — advising leaders on how to interpret and implement ESG standards across the EU, LATAM, and US. An avid urban cyclist and proud Peruvian, Wendy has always had a penchant for learning, connecting, and exploring new communities, and the MÁS community is proud to welcome her to continue doing so in Ann Arbor.
Maia Hatchett
Maia works at the intersection of sustainability, policy, and collaboration, supporting businesses, governments, and civil society as they navigate the world's most complex environmental challenges. As Program Manager for The Ocean Foundation's Plastics Initiative, she has led policy and grants work for a global circular economy partnership, representing the organization at the Global Plastic Treaty negotiations in Busan, South Korea, and managing a portfolio supporting circular innovation across Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her goal is to build systems that make sustainability the standard, not the exception.
Support the mission
Every contribution to the MÁS Scholarship Fund brings another diverse voice into the rooms where our shared future is decided. There is no time to waste.
Donate to the MÁS Fund$100K
Founding gift
3
Current scholars
10+
Years of support