Meet UCLA Anderson’s MBA Class Of 2025

Laid-back. Super chill. Low-key.

Those are the words that often come to mind with Los Angeles. Think sand, surf, and sunsets – not to towering palms and salty breezes. Here, your waiter could be an aspiring actor or fledging entrepreneur. Call it the home of artists, techies, and engineers, ground zero for beautiful people, glitz, and pop culture – hella diverse, innovative, and sunny.

That makes for an unforgettable MBA experience. Whether students hope to budget a Paramount series in Hollywood or storyboard a Riot Games release in Silicon Beach, Los Angeles has something for everyone. At UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, MBAs carry what some call a “casual” vibe. While you’ll find students hitting the beach to get barreled or spike volleyballs, alumni will tell you that an MBA is serious business at Anderson.

LA CHECKS ALL THE BOXES

“I’ve met some of the most hard-working people at Anderson,” writes ’23 alum Lillian Fan. “People are incredibly passionate about their goals and work incredibly hard to make those dreams come to life, whether it’s a business they’re starting or a vision they had for an event at our campus.”

The Anderson MBA Class of 2025 has picked up where Fan left off. Indeed, the locale sold itself during recruiting season. Maria Carolina Travieso, a Venezuelan who runs a half marathon every day, lauds the diversity of industries. Running from entertainment to real estate to venture capital, Travieso says LA’s range makes it possible to develop a wide and deep network. That diversity extends to the geography, adds Amira Davis, who observes that “the natural beauty of the beach, mountains and desert create places of serenity and peace that keep you grounded.” After spending a decade in Los Angeles, Jacqueline Sims is happy to sing its praises.

“The weather is unmatched. The access to nature is unrivaled. The food scene is unreal. The amount of diversity in things to do is unbelievable. There is no other place within America that can check ALL those boxes. Hike with a view of the Pacific Ocean? Eat your way around the globe? Catch the sunset while on the beach? Want to see your favorite artist, band, sports team, or celebrity crush? Check! Professionally, Los Angeles checks the boxes for a diverse set of industries and companies, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. If you want to accelerate your career or pivot, Los Angeles is home to entertainment, aerospace, tech, sports – you name it.”

AN INSPIRING CLASS

Sims herself is a former digital marketer and product manager, who learned Spanish from salsa and bachata music. She is also a dancer, which gives her two things in common with Sadhvi Mathur, a digital marketing manager who was previously a competitive Indian dancer. Before business school, Mathur developed a digital advertising testing methodology that generated over $13 million dollars in incremental revenue for her firm. Her classmate, Joe Moita, graduated from Penn Law and worked as a real estate attorney before pursuing an MBA. By the same token, Maria Carolina Travieso is an entrepreneur who ran an investment advising operation before business school. If you’re looking for an inspirational story, check out Amira Davis, who transitioned from sports marketing to educational solutions.

“My biggest accomplishment in my career so far has been the success of my students. When I met many of them in 9th to 11th grade, they struggled academically and weren’t exposed to the myriad post-secondary opportunities available to them. Fast forward to 2023, many of them have pursued post-secondary education, taken up trades, or have jobs that are elevating their socioeconomic status. To see them not only thriving as adults but sharing how I impacted them warms my heart.”

Dru Chavez loves “comeback” stories. He experienced one of his own when he worked as a recruiter for Google. In his first performance review, he received a “needs improvement” score – potentially the kiss of death in a firm as a competitive and demanding as Google. While the review initially shook his confidence, he responded by going all out to prove his worth.

“I told myself I’d have one week to feel bad for myself but then I would take responsibility into my own hands,” Chavez tells P&Q. “I did just that, turning my performance around and prioritizing metrics and work the team valued. Ultimately, I jumped three buckets higher in my next performance review and a step closer to what would eventually be two promotions. I learned how to be my own advocate and cheerleader. I also learned that a rating, grade, job, achievement, accolade or degree doesn’t define you. It’s what you do with it that matters.”

Matthew Maxwell personifies versatility. A man for all seasons, he holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Harvard and a Master’s in Music Production and Technology from the Berklee College of Music. From there, he founded the Family First Music Group, an independent label.

“I came to business school to scale my business,” he writes, “particularly focusing on building tech tools for the independent creator economy to better manage their businesses and to protect and monetize their content. I believe I have the space and resources to do that at Anderson.”

THE THREE PILLARS

Philosophically, UCLA Anderson is founded on three pillars: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. Think of them as the expectations that bond students together in a “One Anderson” culture. Among the Class of 2025, each pillar appeals to a different aspect of their experience. Drive Change represents Anderson’s action-driven ethos, which values applying knowledge to making an impact. This change is exactly what Maria Carolina Travieso hopes to achieve in her career.

“I was raised in a society where “girls should not talk about money” and “investing was similar to gambling”. Most of the people I know didn’t have savings for retirement, much less a financial plan. Being the curious and passionate person I am, I decided, from a young age, that I was going to study finance and follow this unconventional path for a Venezuelan woman. Now I have my own Investment firm and I’m determined to help Hispanics, especially Hispanic women, gain financial knowledge so they can make better financial decisions. I hope that during my MBA and beyond, I can create ripple effects by inspiring and empowering others, driving change for the better of society.”

Think Fearlessly is rooted in Anderson’s emphasis on being curious and creative – never shying away from hard choices and achieving goals. For Matthew Maxwell, this pillar resonates most because it is the heart of success.

“In my experience, it has been fear that limits us from sharing success with others. For example, there is the fear of being overlooked, being taken advantage of, or being devalued. In order to drive change, one must be able to choose faith over fear and to allow oneself to think beyond the bounds of what has been done, in favor of what should be done. When I think of leaders I admire, it’s either the absence of fear or, even more, the active decision to think and act beyond fear, that has led to incredible moments of personal growth and societal transformation.”

Share Success is a reminder that achievement is rarely an individual affair. In fact, Jacqueline Sims likens to the African philosophy of ubuntu.

“The concepts of sharing success and ubuntu embrace the concept of success as being a collective victory. Everyone is genuinely invested in helping each other succeed here at UCLA Anderson—the students, the staff, and the alumni. As I explored different business programs, it was the community that became the biggest deciding factor. If I were to invest two years of my life, I knew I had to find a community that wholeheartedly believes in helping each other succeed.”

A CLASS PROFILE

Where does the Class of 2025 hope to go after their two years in Westwood? Amira Davis envisions a career in women’s sports leagues in roles ranging from strategy to operations – with the goals of “expanding viewership and revenue.” In true UCLA spirit, Sadhvi Mathur hopes to enter TV, film, or streaming before pivoting to the news media. At the same time, Matthew Maxwell plans to continue melding his role as a creative and entrepreneur.

“The plan is to have an active career as an independent artist, producer, songwriter, label head, and overall performer. Simultaneously, I hope to have created some powerful tech tools that help the “95” of creatives scale their businesses. And if I’m able to live in this intersection fully after graduation… sheesh, look out, world, because it’s on!!!”

By the numbers, the Class of 2025 features 300 full-time MBA students, down from the previous year’s 330 student total. As a whole, the class averaged a 710 GMAT, with median GPA averages s ranging from 3.1-3.8. Women and U.S. minorities account for 37% and 28% of the class. International students make up 48% of the class. Overall, the class hails from 41 countries.

Academically, the largest segment of the class – 28% — majored in business-related fields. Engineering degrees represented 19% of the class, followed by Economics and the Humanities – each with a 15% share. Math and Computer Sciences majors also held 9% of the class seats. In terms of professional backgrounds, 24% of the class last worked in Tech, followed by Finance (22%), Consulting (14%), Health and Biotech (10%), and Marketing (9%).

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