Alumni spotlight: Alex Saadé ’19

In this brief interview, Alex Saadé ’19 shares his journey after Waynflete, including his academic success at Cornell University and his impactful work in strategy consulting. Alex also reflects on his experience as a Malone scholar at Waynflete and how this prepared him for his professional pursuits and motivated him to give back.

Can you tell us about your college experience? What did you major in? How did Waynflete prepare you/impact your career?
“I went to Cornell University where I majored in Political Science and French. The skills I built at Waynflete allowed me to hit the ground running in college. I found my writing, speaking, and critical-thinking abilities to be on par with my professors’ expectations and felt prepared to participate at a high level in class discussions, an important component of any liberal arts education. Waynflete also showed me that I could hold my own among incredibly smart, driven people. That sense of confidence followed me to Cornell and played a big role in my success there.

When it came time for my job search, I found so many components of my Waynflete experience applicable. Asking good questions, building relationships, and demonstrating problem-solving abilities are all central skills in today’s job market and central to Waynflete’s pedagogy. In a world where AI/computing advances will increasingly place a premium on human creativity and dynamism, Waynflete’s focus on developing creative and critical thinkers will be of tremendous value to students and the communities they come to impact.” 

What are you passionate about? What inspires you and motivates you?
“My greatest passions lie in education and business innovation. 

After graduating from Cornell, I was an assistant teacher in a Boston public school through City Year, a national public service non-profit. This experience was transformative and opened my eyes to the power of positive learning experiences both in and out of the classroom. I now lead an initiative at Deloitte that leverages the game of chess as a vehicle for mentorship. Built around a peer-mentor learning curriculum, the initiative aims to create risk-free environments where middle school students at a Boston public school can learn and master the rules of chess and, in so doing, gain confidence in learning broadly. 

In recognition of my contributions to the Boston community through my work at City Year and Deloitte, I was recently awarded the “Corporate Youth Leadership” Excellence in Mentoring Award by MENTOR, a non-profit dedicated to advancing mentorship initiatives across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. 

At Deloitte, I have helped to develop go-to-market, customer, growth, loyalty, and merger strategies for industry-leading technology, retail/consumer product, and travel and hospitality clients. Working in strategy has exposed me to the challenges businesses often face in taking innovative approaches to problem-solving. It also motivated me to focus my career in realizing innovation—whether through entrepreneurship, within organizations, or in my local community, leading bold, reasoned, creative, and practical solutions to better lives is my magnum opus.”

Why does what you do matter?
“I help organizations think differently about the challenges they face and pursue innovative ways to grow their businesses. I find my work meaningful because I can directly impact the creation of new opportunities and experiences for real people. I also find meaning in my work because of how difficult it often is—being able to focus my time on tackling difficult challenges brings me purpose.”

What do you love most about what you do?
“That I get to meet new, interesting people every day; build and communicate bold ideas; and create change that I believe in.” 

Waynflete’s designation as a Malone Scholar School provides a permanent endowment to support need-based scholarships for grades 7–12 students who demonstrate outstanding academic and leadership potential. How did being a Malone scholar change your life?
“The four years I spent at Waynflete were some of my most transformative: the Malone Scholarship made that possible for me. From discovering the beauty of Maine through Outdoor Experience to forming lifelong friendships and being challenged by inspiring teachers and coaches to think creatively, learn deeply, and explore a wide range of subjects and activities, every part of my Waynflete journey helped shape who I am today. It gave me the confidence to step into new environments, face challenges with curiosity, and pursue opportunities I might never have imagined for myself.

The generosity of the Malone scholarship unlocked tremendous opportunities for me that I am committed to re-creating for others.” 

How did Waynflete help get you where you are today?
“I owe so much of what I gained at Waynflete to the people I was lucky to call my teachers, coaches, and friends. 

My teachers gave me confidence as a thinker and communicator.

My coaches encouraged me to explore my strengths as a leader.

My friends inspired me to show up as my full self in everything I do.

Throughout my time at Waynflete, I was entrusted with leadership roles, asked to represent teams, and empowered to collaborate with my peers to create new opportunities for social impact.

From these early experiences in leadership, bringing new ideas to life, and building collaborative environments, I developed an interest in entrepreneurial thinking that continues to drive the decisions I make. Because of Waynflete, I find myself always looking for ways to make an impact, always looking to go where the problems are hard, and always looking for ways to bring others with me.” 

What would you say to donors who support financial aid at Waynflete?
“I credit many of my early career accomplishments to the foundation I built at Waynflete. By making that experience possible for students like me, donors set in motion a ripple effect that extends far beyond the scholarship recipient. To be in a place that was so invested in seeing me succeed not only gave me the confidence to dream, it taught me to invest in others in the same way. The premise of a philanthropic gift is to create as much good as a dollar can—inspiring a generation of leaders invested in lifting up those around them is as good a “good” as I can think of.”