Animals of Kellogg: Cookie Cherry-Zupan 2Y ‘26

Cathy Campo

Mar 29

3 min read

By: Cathy Campo, co-Editor-in-Chief & Cookie Cherry-Zupan

My Chewy CED headshot

My name is Cookie Cherry-Zupan, and I’m a second-year student (canine track) at Kellogg. My dad, Christopher Zupan 2Y ‘27, is also a student here which is… deeply unfortunate for my brand. (Though I admit it’s helpful when I need someone to explain Op-paw-rations to me.)

When co-Editors-in-Chief, Cathy and Shade, asked me to be the inaugural Animals of Kellogg feature, I was honored. Obviously they were familiar with my work, namely in DE&I (Dog Equity & Inclusion). It’s beautiful to see animals finally getting the representation they deserve in The Kelloggian. For too long, doggos have been excluded from the conversation.

*My pawrents embarrassing me in front of my classmates*

Before Kellogg, I was based in Seattle with my paw-rents, Christopher and Carlin Cherry. I served as Chief Executive Dog (CED) at Chewy, so I came in a little more experienced than most of my peers. At just three years old, I’m actually the youngest Fortune 500 CED and youngest student ever admitted to Kellogg. Clearly the admissions committee knows talent when they see it. Or pet it. (I insisted on doing my interview in person.)

I loved my time at Chewy, but like most everyone here, I came to Kellogg to pivot. As my name—Cookie Cherry—suggests, I love food. Like seriously. I. Love. It. This past summer, I interned in innovation strategy at Kraft Heinz where I focused on emerging snack opportunities and table-scrap adjacent markets. I’m still deciding whether to accept my return offer. Obviously, a lot depends on where my JV ends up.

Dogs at b-school sometimes get a bad rap for being paw-ty animals. With so many campus events and outdoor spaces, people assume the pups are constantly chasing tennis balls and living it up. But in reality, I take a far more studious approach to my MBA experience.

Instead of paw-ties, I’m extremely involved on campus. You might recognize me as co-Pawresident of the Food & Agriculture Club alongside Katie Carwell (2Y ’26) and Taylor Hurley (2Y ‘26). I took a step back from Special K9! this year—loved it, but the time commitment was ruff—to become more active in KFit where I lead three walks daily and occasional swims.

Or maybe you’ve seen me working alongside Kellogg Student Association (KSA) President Sidney O’Neal (2Y ’26) where I serve as her Pawresident counterpart of the Kellogg Dog Association (KDA). Sometimes I can’t tell if Sidney is saying I’m a good girl or if my ideas are good. Either way, I’m wagging.

Through my work at KDA, I meet with the deans weekly to advocate for DE&I initiatives. Our current priorities include kibble in Gordon’s, pee-pee pads in the Hub bathrooms (all two of them…), and expanding Kellogg merch offerings to more inclusive sizing (i.e., me). It’s important work and frankly long overdue.

*Performing in Special K9! last year. I was the lead.*

I also run a startup focused on netwoofing—a sort of LinkedIn for dogs, if you will. (Connect with me!) We’re currently pre-seed, but we’re already seeing strong traction in the treat-economy vertical. Our core value proposition is simple: help good boys and girls find good opportunities.

Of course, business school isn’t all work. When I’m not in class or building my startup, you can find me attending Northwestern tailgates (a lot less tails there than I expected?), optimizing my treat portfolio, or conducting informal user research on dropped food across campus. Kellogg is everything I expected—friendly students eager to pet me, easy access to netwoofing—and at the end of the day, I’m just grateful to be part of the community. It’s a place where everyone is encouraged to bring their whole selves to the table—even if sometimes I’m jumping on it.