Kendrick Asril Lee

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

“Adaptable, motivated, and loyal. I am committed to tackling climate change as a first-generation graduate student.”

Hometown: Singapore

Fun Fact About Yourself: I taught confirmation classes to kids at my local church while working in South Carolina. I always begin my classes by attempting to reconcile the conflict between faith and reason by “proving” the existence of God using a mathematical equation. It was a hit with my students, as they were not expecting such an unconventional pedagogy.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Notre Dame, Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Asril Estates LLC, Chief Financial Officer; PBI Performance Products, Process & Wastewater Treatment Engineer

What makes Los Angeles such a great place to earn an MBA? When I think of Los Angeles, vivid imagery of its sunny Mediterranean climate, vibrant and diverse cultural scene, and status as a global cosmopolitan city come to mind – it is a city that has so much to offer. Professionally, Los Angeles is filled with many networking opportunities, both domestically and internationally, across a multitude of different industries. This wide array of industries ensures that MBA students can access a broad range of potential employers and ultimately find one that would suit their professional aspirations.

Personally, I believe Los Angeles provides an excellent quality of life that suits almost any individual. Anyone can find themselves hiking up Griffith Observatory, unwinding at Venice Beach, and choosing to dine from a diverse range of culinary options – from your local taco stands to your Michelin-star restaurants – all in a day. With so much to do and endless opportunities for career growth, Los Angeles should be a top consideration for anyone deciding on where to pursue their 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? As a hands-on practical learner, an MBA education at Marshall would provide me with a plethora of opportunities to put into practice what I learned in the classroom and hone my business and management skills. I look forward to leveraging the newly-launched Business of Energy Transition Initiative through USC Marshall, where I seek to take an active role in organizing the annual USC Marshall Energy Summit. This experience would help me learn about the latest energy transition trends and challenges, providing me with valuable insights that would benefit me as I aim to pivot into management consulting, specializing in delivering climate and sustainability strategies.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at USC Marshall? The courses that excite me most are Environmental Sustainability and Competitive Advantage and Structured Analysis for Unstructured Problems. I want to build my strategy toolkit related to the climate and sustainability space while strengthening my decision-making ability under incomplete information. Both electives will complement each other; through the Environmental Sustainability and Competitive Advantage elective, I will gain insights into how companies adapt to environmental sustainability challenges to remain competitive in the market. Additionally, the Structured Analysis for Unstructured Problems elective would help foster my ability to navigate ambiguous situations and develop viable solutions. I am confident the knowledge gained from these courses will help me as a consultant as I seek to guide future clients in managing the uncertainties associated with addressing sustainability and its related issues.

Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized that USC Marshall was the right program for you? Why? Talking to second-year Marshall MBA students, who had successfully transitioned into consulting roles, was a significant factor in helping me realize that USC Marshall was the right program for me as I seek to pivot into consulting post-MBA. I heard about their experiences of how resources such as USC Marshall’s Graduate Career Services and Marshall Consulting & Strategy Club (MCSC) assiduously prepared them for the rigorous demands of consulting recruitment. At the same time, the steadfast support they received from the Trojan network reassured me that I would receive all the help needed in facilitating my career transition.

Additionally, coming from a nontraditional background, it was vital for me to find a collaborative learning atmosphere alongside my classmates where I would feel supported to challenge myself and navigate the demanding recruiting process. First-hand accounts from second-year students about Marshall’s tight-knit community, where everyone is genuinely committed to each other’s success, convinced me that USC Marshall was the best program to help me succeed not only academically and socially but also professionally.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: As PBI’s Process and Wastewater Treatment Engineer, I developed solutions to treat the wastewater from our chemical production plants in a way that would mitigate the environmental impact of pollution on the local South Carolina ecosystem while minimizing costs. I partnered with plant engineers, vendors, and government officials. In the process, I performed research, design, and testing to implement strategies to make the production process more regenerative and to introduce innovative technologies that minimize operating carbon footprint. This experience underscored the intersection of strategy, sustainability, and environmental stewardship, inspiring my future goals of working toward tackling the pressing issue of climate change.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? In addition to securing the desired career that aligns with my professional goals, what would make my MBA experience truly successful is the ability to emerge from my time at Marshall to have forged meaningful and lasting personal and professional friendships with my peers, professors, and alumni. I believe these connections would not only enhance my experience at Marshall, but also provide me with a supportive network that I can continue to rely on long beyond my two years.

DON’T MISS: MEET USC MARSHALL’S MBA CLASS OF 2026