Meet USC Marshall’s MBA Class Of 2020

Sharon Dsouza

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

An inventor, engineer, and aspiring leader in technology who loves cooking, dancing, and the outdoors!”

Hometown: Bengaluru, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love organizing. Think Monica Geller! (F.R.I.E.N.D.S reference)

Undergraduate School and Major: PES Institute of Technology, Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering – Electronics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Quality Assurance Engineer at GE Transportation

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My patent in the tech domain just got granted 5 months ago!

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Family. Because we’re the Trojan Family – made up of kind yet fierce leaders. *hearts and hugs*

Aside from your classmates, 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? Exposure to the Tech industry and culture at School.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? High Tech Association, Challenge 4 Charity, & Marshall Eatz! Too excited to pick one.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  An MBA has been part of my career plan since high school. Guidance from mentors, an eagerness to leverage my talents, and a desire to transition into Technology Leadership has brought me thus far and will take me further.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Because I believed my potential was worth investing in and so did my family when I expressed my desire to pursue an MBA. Also, I really hoped for scholarships!

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Full-time MBA Programs at Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA Anderson, Kellogg, Tepper, and Stern.

How did you determine your fit at various schools?  I set priorities and refined what I wanted in terms of a career path. For instance, Los Angeles ranked #1 on my list of cities I’d move to. Technology-oriented companies are of interest to me. Talking to alumni gave me the most information. Since I started my application process late, I had very little time for extensive research. USC Marshall had a great response rate when it came to my questions. That spoke well of USC’s culture.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I once was nominated to work with the General Manager at my previous workplace to contribute towards organizational culture development. The work I did has had a lasting impact on leaders at the company and my view of work culture. The opportunity made me believe in my skills as a people leader.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Grow my career in technology. My aim as an MBA graduate is to work with and contribute to the Technology industry and be a part of its booming growth and outreach.

Where do you see yourself in five years? As a global tech company executive empowering workforce and making decisions towards expanding the reach of technology beyond developed countries.

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