Jessica Hong

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

“Friends have called me honest, serious, funny, adventurous, and bold. I value people and relationships.”

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a die-hard Eagles fan, long before they were any good. I teared when they won Super Bowl LII.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bryn Mawr College, Psychology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York, NY), Community Group Director

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I had the privilege of organizing and implementing a sold-out, 900+ attendee conference (with 4,000 livestream viewers) at my former nonprofit organization. Since the event had a budget of $0, strategizing was initially a challenge; I was able to build a coalition among colleagues to volunteer their time to help in implementing my vision for the conference. The conference eventually paid for itself through ticket sales, and the teamwork and collaboration that led to the realization of this conference made it one of the most exciting projects I worked on.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My classmates are incredibly personal and kind. Their eager willingness to engage in conversation with others from diverse backgrounds and collaborate together has been pretty amazing.

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 spoke with six alumni, each introducing me to the next one. All of them spoke effusively about the strength of USC Marshall’s program. The willingness of alumni to take time out of their schedules to answer my questions made a lasting impact. The familial bond that USC forms between their students and alumni was the key factor in deciding to attend Marshall.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to being part of the Leadership & Organization club, Data Analytics club and Consulting & Strategy club.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? While working at a large nonprofit organization, I was on the executive team for the Upper East Side location in Manhattan. On this team, my favorite part was strategizing, collaborating, and implementing our vision. I realized, however, that nonprofits often lack the fundamentals of business, and I became convinced that financial literacy is necessary in many industries and branches (even faith-based nonprofits).

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? In some ways I thought I was too late to start my MBA being in my early thirties. But as I paused to think about my career timeline and goals, I realized it wasn’t too late, and a two-year investment in school would provide me invaluable tools for many sectors.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Temple University and Vanderbilt University

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I researched collaborative programs as well as global programs. Temple fit the global aspect, while Vanderbilt fit the collaborative. USC met both my priorities of being collaborative and developing global leaders.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Rather than a defining moment, I had a defining season. Two-and-a-half years ago, my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer (without a history of smoking) and it came as a shock to our entire family. My mother, who ran my father’s medical practice, was unable to continue in her role and unfortunately, my father moved to Seoul to work for a hospital there to provide for her. Unexpectedly, I became the primary caregiver for my mother. During this season, I became in charge of my parent’s finances without much experience myself and realized how important it is to have financial knowledge. Seeing my father’s courage to transition in his sixties to another country and a new position – and also receiving my mother’s endless encouragement to pursue my dream of getting an MBA – I moved to Los Angeles last year after she passed to study for my GMAT and apply to schools. Today, I have the privilege of being part of USC Marshall’s 2020 class.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I look forward to gaining more skills and experience in the private sector. I have experience in collaborating on teams to create structures, programs and culture to align key stakeholders to an organization’s goals. My goal is to apply my community development background coupled with my training in business fundamentals to transition into human capital consulting.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I believe the success of an organization is driven by thoughtful strategy and accomplished through a healthy organization. If given the opportunity, I see myself in an executive role creating an environment in which employees can not only flourish, but also recognize and understand how their role is integral to accomplishing the organization’s vision.