Meet USC Marshall’s MBA Class Of 2020

Rob Granados

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

“First-generation, Mexican-American professional passionate about helping individuals and organizations achieve ambitious goals.”

Hometown: Watsonville, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I collect sneakers! In 2009 I camped out for four days to secure a pair of Kanye West’s first signature shoe, the Air Yeezy.

Undergraduate School and Major: Harvard College – Sociology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: KIPP Houston Public Schools – Pre-kindergarten teacher

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishment in my career so far has been impacting 200 students and families over the course of my teaching career, initially through Teach For America – Houston and then at the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). Teaching pre-kindergarten for the entirety of my career, I met students at the onset of their academic careers and set them on trajectories of high achievement. I leveraged the fact that I shared my students’ experience – being a first-generation student from a low-income community – to anticipate and find solutions to the nuanced challenges they faced while still pushing them to reach their full potential. An added benefit to teaching pre-kindergarten was the degree of interaction I had with my students’ parents. I guided them to not simply hope their children attained a college education, but to set it as the expectation.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The quality that best describes my MBA classmates is genuine. In all my interactions with fellow Trojans, they have authentically engaged in conversations and sought to gain perspective from each other. My classmates recognize their strengths as well as opportunities for growth. Seeing the diversity of thought and experiences among my classmates come together during our first term has being quite exciting.

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? I came to Marshall to become a member of the Trojan Family. It was important for me to join warm, collaborative community and have access to an effective, engaged alumni network. The more I spoke to students and alumni, it became clear that the Marshall’s student community and alumni network had the qualities I was looking for. Trojans truly look out for each other and share success.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school?

I am most looking forward to joining the Marshall Consulting and Strategy Club. The club has a track record of preparing career switchers for consulting recruiting via a structured curriculum. I will trust the process to achieve my post-MBA goals.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I elected to pursue and MBA because I wanted to enhance my leadership skillset, learn how to solve unstructured problems, and expand my network so that I can one day make an impact on a grand scale. The MBA experience will provide insight into frameworks that are successful across all industries and expose me to global perspectives that I have not yet had access to.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? When deciding to pursue the MBA, I simply could not think of a scenario where investing in myself would not yield a positive outcome.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

UC Berkeley – Haas School of Business

UCLA – Anderson School of Management

Duke – Fuqua School of Business

Northwestern – Kellogg School of Management

Dartmouth – Tuck School of Business

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Prior to applying to business school, I participated in a year-long pre-MBA program – Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) – that guided me through the process. I was able to attend seminars to gain exposure to partner schools conducted school research to narrow my list of target schools. I knew that I wanted to attend a program where collaboration was engrained in the student culture. I visited all of the schools I applied to, either through diversity weekends or class visit programs, to better gain a sense of the student culture. I used these visits to build relationships with students and gain insight into the recruiting trends at each school. It was a long process, but I would do it all over again!

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was attending my oldest brother’s college graduation. He graduated from Marshall’s undergraduate program in 1997. At the time, I was only in third grade and seeing him graduate solidified that someone coming from my circumstances could graduate from college. That, coupled with the understanding of the sacrifices my parents made to be in this country, motivated me throughout the rest of my educational career. I always put forth my best effort to honor my family. The passion for educational attainment was so instilled in me that it led me to the teaching profession.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After I graduate, I plan to enter human capital consulting.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years I see myself as a manager in a consulting firm’s human capital practice.

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