Kwasi Badu

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

“Full of life, purpose, and adventure with a unique sense of humor.”

Hometown: San Diego, California

Fun Fact About Yourself: I spent around month in Middle East on two different occasions in my early 20s. The countries in the order I went is Israel, Bahrain, and Dubai.

Undergraduate School and Major: San Diego State University, Business Administration (Management)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Wrike, Inc. Client Success Analyst

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. My impression of Marshall MBA students and alumni so far has been that they are a diverse group of people who are willing to go beyond convenience to help each other out. Moreover, they are people from all over the world who are easy to make friends with!

I remember meeting a recent Marshall alumna before moving to Los Angeles. We had planned to meet for around half an hour. Our meeting went way over an hour and I could tell that this person was not holding back and doing all that she could to be helpful. This encouraged me as I got a positive experience of the Trojan Network and knew that going to USC Marshall was a great decision.

What makes Los Angeles such a great place to earn an MBA? The city of Los Angeles is a beautiful convergence of potential, opportunity, and diversity. This unique blend makes LA a great place to earn an MBA.

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? The way the curriculum is structured was a huge bonus in that along with the Core Curriculum students can take elective classes at other schools such as USC’s Rossier School of Education. I am interested in taking a couple of classes at the Rossier School of Education because of the work I am doing in Ghana, West Africa.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at USC Marshall? The Marshall Consulting & Strategy Club is one that really stands out to me as I am excited about the opportunity offered by consulting to improve the lives of people, businesses, and industries.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I lived in Ghana, West Africa and worked to start and develop a school that combats illiteracy, child labor, and poverty. The school started in 2017 and has grown to over 20 staff members and around 200 students. We have sponsored many students and supported many widows and widowers who were not able to pay for their children to attend school. Additionally, we have supported children whose parents are deceased. Our school has brought hope to the community and given families, whose children would be caught in the cycle of illiteracy, child labor, and poverty due to a lack of education, a shot at an education.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into USC Marshall’s MBA program? I would say be yourself and share your unique story. Try not to fit into a particular mold of what you think the ideal MBA candidate is if that is not who you really are. Also, make sure to do your research of the program.

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