Brick by brick; Rodrigo Tello has been constructing his masterpiece at OSU one block at a time
Monday, June 9, 2025
Media Contact: Stephen Howard | Director of Marketing & Communications | 405.744.4363 | stephen.howard@okstate.edu
The original “Starry Night” painting by Vincent van Gogh has been hanging in New York’s Museum of Modern Art for decades. But for Rodrigo Tello, a more sentimental version sits on a bookshelf in his office at the Spears School of Business.
Tello’s expressionist classic is made from LEGOS, of course, its intense circular brush strokes are represented by dozens of intricately placed blocks. It took him around 15 hours to build, and the 3D representation is so realistic it feels like the church spires pop out to greet you.
When Tello first opened the box to begin building the miniature masterpiece, 2,316 pieces lay scattered before him, their purpose unclear. But as he clicked them together, one by one, something magnificent began to slowly emerge. A little village appeared, then a swirling blue sky. Dark, tall cypress trees popped into place. It turns out, the miniature Starry Night existed all along in those seemingly random pieces.
The work of art is an apt metaphor for Tello’s own journey from Puebla, Mexico, to building a life and career at Oklahoma State University. Like those LEGO pieces, each step of his path — from international student to doctoral candidate, from intern to MBA program manager, student visa holder to proud American citizen — has been painstakingly placed, each one contributing to something greater.
Over 4 million people reside in the Puebla metropolitan area, which makes it the fourth-largest city in Mexico. Nearly 400 institutions of higher education call it home. Puebla is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the snowcapped peaks of the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes sit just 25 miles east of town.
A vibrant metropolis with rich Indigenous traditions and a robust auto industry, Puebla is where Tello’s Spanish and Cuban heritage blended with local Mexican culture.
Puebla also couldn’t be more different than Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Tello wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into when he said yes to a new dual-degree study-abroad partnership between OSU and his undergraduate alma mater, the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP, pronounced ew-PIE-ep).
The program called for Tello to spend the first year of his master’s program in Puebla and the second in Stillwater, and he would leave with a diploma from both schools. First, he just needed to figure out where Oklahoma was.
“The only thing I knew about Oklahoma was from the movie ‘Twister,’” he said with a laugh. “That’s it. I had no clue about Oklahoma.”
Luckily, Hollywood missed the mark on our delightful college town, and it didn’t take Tello long to figure that out. He fell in love with the charming campus and was quickly inspired by the OSU faculty. He found a best friend and a graduate assistantship in the university’s International Programs Office.
His yearlong stay in Oklahoma flew by and Tello was counting down the days until he could return to Mexico with his new degree in hand. He and his friends even planned to move to Mexico City, which is just a quick two-hour drive from Puebla. That’s when his OSU boss and mentor, Dr. David Henneberry, unknowingly opened the metaphorical LEGO box and poured out the pieces that represented the next phase of his life.
“He was like, ‘What are your plans now that you’re about to graduate? Have you thought about staying? I think we need you here,’” Tello said.
Until that moment, Tello hadn’t considered sticking around in Stillwater. He liked the OSU community and a full-time job in the rapidly growing International Programs Office sounded intriguing. Still, he wrangled over the decision with family and friends. In the end, something told him to stay. There was something that needed to be built here at OSU.
Tello didn’t know it then, but that decision was the first building block in his masterpiece. It was at that moment Tello’s seemingly random parts started to turn into something more significant.
The next block fell into place in February 2020. Tello was ready for a new adventure, so he took a job in the crescent-shaped Business Building to manage OSU’s MBA program. The MBA program was a unique challenge for Tello, but he’s never backed down from one of those.
“If Rodrigo says something, he’s going to do it,” said Stacey Brandhorst, Tello’s best friend who he met during the OSU/UPAEP dual-degree master’s program. As the day-to-day touchpoint for students and the strategic planner for the program, Tello has helped orchestrate a remarkable ascent in the MBA program’s national standing. Under his guidance, the program has climbed steadily in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. The full-time MBA jumped 18 spots last year and is now ranked No. 58 in the country. The online MBA has made an even more staggering leap, rising from No. 40 in 2020 to No. 11 in 2025. Now, he has the top 10 in his sights.
Enrollment has skyrocketed as well. Since 2020, the online program has experienced a 124% increase in students. This spring, 418 people were enrolled in online MBA classes through OSU, and both the Stillwater and Tulsa programs are busting at the seams as well.
“We simply wouldn’t be where we are today without Rodrigo’s hard work,” said Matt Bowler, OSU’s MBA director. “Rodrigo was the first person I got to hire when building our MBA team. I knew when I met him that he would be a great program manager while also emulating an ideal professional and lifelong learner that we desire in our MBA alumni. He helps keep everything moving forward. He’s helped take us to the next level.”
Tello has a passion for helping students accomplish their dreams. Now, he’s doing that for himself through the Ph.D. in Business for Executives program at Spears Business. His journey through the three-year, 60-hour hybrid program is nearly complete. All his coursework has been turned in, and he is set to defend his dissertation on strategic management in the fall. Tello has specifically explored chronotype and employee voice in the workplace.
Tello currently co-leads two classes in OSU’s MBA program — professional development and case consulting — but the goal is to expand that. With a doctorate, he can teach a number of different courses and be the faculty of record. Still, it will always be about helping the students along their journey.
The prospective MBA student he meets during the application process is completely different from the one he sees crossing the stage during their hooding ceremony. The prospect of a closer relationship with those students in a classroom setting, as opposed to an office, warms Tello’s heart.
“I’m passionate about education for several reasons,” Tello said. “It changed my life entirely, but I love seeing how I can change other people’s lives through education as well. With a terminal degree, I can open the doors, not only for new challenges, but also to keep growing professionally. I also found that I like research as well. I like finding something that no one has thought about before.”
With his educational and professional blocks snapping into place, Tello was ready to go after his toughest and most rewarding brick yet. He felt the call to dual citizenship.
Tello remains proud of his Mexican roots and nationality, but living in the United States is an honor not lost on him. There are also challenges and headaches for those without citizenship. Travel can be a nuisance, the constant paperwork can be a hassle, and the limbo of the lengthy documentation process is full of stress.
Fourteen years ago, Tello arrived on American soil with an F-1 student visa, which allowed him to study in the U.S. and work 20 hours per week on campus. After graduating, he transitioned to Optional Practical Training (OPT) status, which allowed him to stay in the U.S. for one year. OSU sponsored his H-1B work visa, which had to be renewed annually and required expensive and time-consuming travel to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
In 2019, Tello was awarded Permanent Residency (commonly known as the Green Card) after a process he could only describe as a “nightmare,” which included endless delays and government forms. There is a five-year waiting period for a Permanent Resident to apply for full citizenship, but it was all worth it when he said the Pledge of Allegiance during his Naturalization Ceremony in front of friends and family last fall.
“I was in tears,” Tello said. “It’s hard to describe the feeling of going to school and working in this country for over a decade, developing a love for this country, but knowing that you don’t have a voice, that you’re not really American. That all changed that day. I earned it and no one can take it away from me.”
Celebrations immediately ensued with Tello and his supporters.
Brandhorst and Tello only speak with each other in Spanish, and the moments after Tello’s Naturalization Ceremony were no different.
“Cuando me cae el veinte?” Brandhorst asked Tello.
The literal translation of this popular Mexican expression doesn’t make much sense to English-speaking Americans. It refers to when a coin clanks its way through the machinery of a payphone and a call can finally be placed. But, it’s really about when the magnitude of something finally sets in for someone, when it really hits home. Brandhorst wanted to know when it would finally hit Tello that all his sacrifices and dedication had paid off.
Tello didn’t hesitate. The moment it all hit him — the instant the last brick snapped into place in his masterpiece — was when his blue American passport touched his hand. That’s when it all came together.
Story by: Stephen Howard | Engage@Spears magazine
Photos by: Adam Luther