David Iwanowski

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

“Collision of quant nerd, sports fan, and art enthusiast wrapped in gravitational pull of curiosity.”

Hometown: New York City, NY

Fun Fact About Yourself: My chorus sang National Anthem at Shea Stadium and Citi Field a bunch of times! Definitely one of my best school memories.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Chicago – Economics Major (Also a Statistics Minor)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Research and Innovation Analyst- Milwaukee Bucks

What has been your first impression of the Marshall MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Marshall story so far. The Marshall students and the few alumni I’ve met have been really great so far! So far, I’d say my best memories of the people have been from the social events. In particular, we had two great nights at the Brig in Venice and one night essentially taking over a karaoke bar in Santa Monica. Stepping back and seeing how we bonded so quick was really impressive to me, and I’m appreciative of those events. I also want to shout out the second years who coordinate these!

What makes Los Angeles such a great place to earn an MBA? First off, Los Angeles is a great place for anything! This location was a huge driving factor for me to come here. I was definitely drawn in by the proximity to the arts and media and entertainment, but also the culture and aesthetic of the city.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of USC Marshall’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? There were a few key reasons. For me, I think the top factor was the relationship it has with the key industries in the city (particularly Entertainment and Tech) and how that aligned with the industries that excite me the most.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at USC Marshall? I’m very excited for BEA! The people and events seem really great, and I think it should help prepare me for a potential career in the broader entertainment industry outside of just the sports subsector I’ve been in my whole career.

Course-wise, I’m really excited to learn about business strategy and leadership. Also, anything that involves decision science and probability, as those have always been my most passionate subjects and skills.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Easy choice! Definitely being a part of an NBA Championship! I’m not going to pretend I was super crucial to the games – although every little point/possession matters in the playoffs. However, being able to contribute and work on such an exciting goal day-in-and-day-out energized me. The target, challenge, and teamwork involved in that run was exhilarating, and I was able to overcome the stress and lack of sleep. The payoff of seeing the impact of our work on the city was something I’ll never forget.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into USC Marshall’s MBA program? I want to preface this by saying I’m clearly not an expert; I’m one observation in a huge sample of applicants. So, my top advice would be to get to know admissions people who have more complete predictions for improving your odds! However, I would suggest potential applicants really show their true self in the writing and applications and bring out their uniqueness. Showcase yourself, your value, and your why!

DON’T MISS: MEET USC MARSHALL’S MBA CLASS OF 2025