Meet USC Marshall’s MBA Class of 2019

Sammy Ahmed

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A technologist who designs products to make the world a more thoughtful, inclusive place.

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was Twitter’s unofficial historian. I presented Twitter History to new hires every Monday morning.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of California, Berkeley – Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Twitter, Client Partner (2015-2017)

TechCrunch, Sales Strategy Manager (2012-2015)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Early on in my tenure at TechCrunch, I helped launch a digital newsletter ad product. I was a year removed from college and had no experience. I did, however, have an amazing boss who empowered me to be creative and to take calculated risks. It was fun to see something that I mocked-up in PowerPoint become a real product sent to thousands of TechCrunch readers. This experience inspired me to pursue product management post-Marshall.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Stay off the forums! The forums will drive you crazy if you let them. I won’t even mention or link to specific forums because knowing the audience that reads Poets & Quants would head straight to them after reading this. The forums are not helpful at all. Not even directionally. There are people who even anonymously post misinformation to freak you out. No one can predict when or if a school is going to call you. Just let it happen. It’ll make your life much easier if you just hit ‘submit’ and forget about it until decision day.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The Trojan Network. While applying for business school, I heard time-and-time again that the people you attend business school with make the experience memorable. Moreover, I knew from experience that the most reliable way to find the perfect role was through friends or friends of friends. So, I thought: What could be a better way to expand my network than to join one of the strongest ones in the nation? Since becoming a Trojan, I’ve seen the power of the network firsthand. Trojans are everywhere. Recently, I wore a Marshall t-shirt on a remote hike in the San Francisco North bay and had a hiker yell in my direction­—Fight On!

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? I came to business school to experience accelerated personal growth. If I can look back at my first year of business school and say that I have undoubtedly become a better version of myself for having gone to business school, I would consider that success.