Meet USC Marshall’s MBA Class of 2019

Clarysse Blanchard

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Enthusiastic, caring, relentless go-getter dedicated to empowering my peers and making an impact.

Hometown: Paris, France

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have surfed in 10 countries and performed music concerts in two of these.

Undergraduate School and Major: Engineering at the Ecole des Mines (Nantes, France)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: EDF – Project Engineer

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Being offered a project in a country where culturally women are not equal. I was not only the youngest member of the team, but I was also the only woman. The 30+ men I was working with on site were all masters in their field, with above 20 years of experience in the construction of power plants. Managing the client relationship and being able to offer recommendations that would be heard was a huge accomplishment for me.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Persistence. The application process is a journey. A hard journey. When everything seems not to make sense anymore, when it seems too hard and unachievable, the key word is persistence. You have it in you. You have what it takes to take the GMAT one more time, to make sacrifices in order to polish your resume or to get the skeleton of your essay ready. And more importantly, remember to ask those close to you for feedback. External point of view is crucial.

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? Having the choice is the hardest part. At the end of the day, it came down to the fit. The location and people where my two reasons for choosing USC. USC’s environment is extremely collaborative and the Trojan Network is very real and incredibly powerful. I knew I wanted to live in LA, USC was a no brainer.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? The MBA world is extremely diverse, challenging and motivating. In addition to gaining amazing knowledge in areas that are foreign to me, success would mean achieving the goals I have set to myself to leave a mark: Holding leadership roles in school clubs (Graduate Women in Business, MBA Ambassadors, Consulting & Strategy Club), landing my dream internship and developing lifelong relationships. In a word: Impact. Impact school. Impact companies. Impact lives.