Alumni Profile: Victor Hugo Vazquez Cortes, MPP’20

While working as a risk analyst in the banking industry, Victor Hugo Vazquez Cortes realized he had a different calling.

“Through both my undergraduate studies and work in banking, I gained a much better understanding of how Mexico’s economic system works—and all its contradictions,” said Cortes. “I’ve seen the wealth disparities of Mexico, and I’m aware I’m not going to ‘solve’ the system. And while I had the financial experience through my banking career, I wanted to do something that would more directly contribute to reducing the poverty and income inequality we have in Mexico—and that’s when I began looking into public policy.

“When I told my boss I was interested in going to the University of Chicago, he said, ‘Oh that’s good! You’re planning on getting an MBA?’ I said, ‘No, I’m going to study public policy.’” Cortes explained to his boss that he wanted to leave the private sector and eventually work for the government. “I told him I wanted to combat issues like poverty and inequality in a more direct way.”

Cortes’s boss subsequently wrote one of his letters of recommendation for Harris.

While earning his Master of Public Policy degree from Harris, Cortes focused on public finance, which he said enhanced his previous academic experience. “My undergraduate degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México was in economics and more based in macroeconomics and monetary policy. While these skills were very useful when I worked in banking, I wanted to learn more quantitative and qualitative skills I could apply to larger scale, broader issues.”

Cortes said Harris delivered on providing those skillsets. “At Harris, I learned about applied economics, which added to my previous skills. I wanted to be able to solve issues of inequality using skills and concepts that had practical applications and were grounded in practice—not only theory.” Cortes also said at Harris he “explored courses that seemed to have more of an American perspective, like state and local public finance.” Cortes remembered his friends thinking his coursework choice was unusual, but Cortes said it ended up being even more beneficial than he’d anticipated. “As the Senior Advisor to the Deputy Finance Minister, I often compare the public finances of Mexico and the United States.”

Overall, Cortes said the skills he gained from Harris were key to his success in his current position. “I think coming into my government position with an MPP from the University of Chicago was very important because of the prestige that the university has among economists in Mexico.”

Looking back on his Harris experience, Cortes emphasized the holistic nature of Harris. “Harris is much more than going to school and attending your classes. Harris is talking to people, being involved in the student organizations, and exploring the city of Chicago, which is really beautiful. Harris is an investment that pays back in many ways."