Tec graduate gets scholarship from MIT for achievements in logistics

Mariana Otero Becerril, an Industrial and Systems Engineering graduate from the Tec’s Toluca campus, has received the 2025 MIT Supply Chain Excellence Award, an international scholarship that recognizes the best students working on logistics and supply chains.

Every year, the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics awards this scholarship to outstanding students from partner universities. It provides a 30,000-dollar grant to pursue a master’s degree in Supply Chain Management.

Mariana first learned about the scholarship at an information session that her program director invited her to. There, two previous scholarship winners shared their experience.

“I learned about the program a year ago; I loved it, and obviously I said, ‘This is where I belong.’ I kept it in mind for the whole year so when the time came to apply, I was ready,” she said.

Unexpected news

Mariana had to jump through several hoops in order to apply for the scholarship, including sending a detailed résumé, writing motivational essays, and acquiring letters of recommendation. The final test was an interview with Dr. María Jesús Sáenz, director of the program.

“I was having breakfast one Thursday, before going to work, and I got the email that I had won. I was so excited and honestly couldn’t believe it. I was incredibly excited because I know what this scholarship means, and I know that it can move my career forward ten times faster.

“During my Industrial and Systems Engineering degree, I discovered I had a strong interest in strategic planning, process optimization, and supply chain analysis,” she shared.

The student had already participated in a project with MIT, through the MIT LIFT Lab, during her university studies. Her project, which focused on the analysis of micro-businesses in Mexico, was selected at national level to be presented to the MIT team.

Her research on Canadian bus networks

Mariana participated in a research stay at the University of Calgary, Canada, as part of a program with the Mitacs organization to study the field of public transportation. She worked on identifying key stops on Canadian bus networks.

What’s more, she led work teams and organized events as a Project Leader for the Tecnológico de Monterrey Student Federation (FETEC) on Toluca campus from August 2023 to July 2024.

“What impacted me the most was FETEC, because it helped me transform all my soft skills into something professional,” she said.

Graduates have five years to qualify for the scholarship and must meet certain requirements, including two years of full-time work experience in the field of supply chains.

“When you enjoy something and put a lot of effort into it, results will happen. Also, when you dedicate time and passion to what you love, it’s easier to find your way,” she said.

“When you dedicate time and passion to what you love, it’s easier to find your way.” - Mariana Otero 

But first, Mariana plans to use another scholarship she has won in order to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Transportation Science at the University of Calgary, where she previously completed her research stay.

“It was my high school dream to go on an exchange program. I thought it was a very distant and almost impossible dream because it’s very expensive. Then I began to come across all the research opportunities that exist.

“It’s very important that we take advantage of everything the university offers, that we make the most of it, that we enjoy it, because when you enjoy something, that’s when you truly learn,” she concluded.

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