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Brandon Scott MBA ’16 came to The UCI Paul Merage School of Business looking to pivot away from the finance world.

“Most of my experience before the Merage School had been in investment banking. Part of the reason why I came to California, and to UCI specifically, was to get into technology and to focus on entrepreneurship,” said Scott. 

After receiving his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin, Scott worked in public finance in Dallas before packing his bags and relocating to Orange County. He chose to pursue his MBA at the Merage School for a multitude of reasons.

He said, “I came to UCI because I wanted a smaller class size. I knew that I would know everybody on a more personal level. I really liked the people that I met when I visited the school. I also liked that we were going to have classmates from all over the world, so the international focus of the school was evident from the jump.” 

As a student in the Lone Star State, Scott was the president of Omega Psi Phi and treasurer of the Black Student Union. While attending UCI, Scott continued the trend of servant leadership. He became a student ambassador and assisted prospective students from all over the world. 

One of his favorite experiences was getting to travel overseas with the MBA exchange program at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). 

“Studying abroad was my favorite part of grad school,” he explained. “I got to live in Shanghai, and it was an amazing experience. I was around a diverse group of students from all over the world in my program.” 

Upon receiving his MBA, Scott worked in Irvine as a senior data analyst at the digitally focused real-estate company, Ten-X. In 2017, Scott continued to use his advanced technological skills in New York as director of the Loving on Me Career Success Academy. He performed a myriad of digital functions, including school setup, video production, software integration and digital marketing.

Scott transitioned back to his hometown of Dallas, Texas to take an opportunity with Uber’s micro mobility arm, JUMP, and to focus on building a new tequila brand, Tequila with Friends. He has now changed roles at Uber and is currently an operations manager at Uber Freight.

He said, “We’re the daily operations team for our clients. As an operations manager, I lead a team of account coordinators that service our client’s freight, ensuring that we get each load covered and communicate issues to our clients as they arise. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been really busy!” 

Scott’s experiences at The UCI Paul Merage School of Business allowed him to follow his passion to become a technological leader in a digitally driven world.

“Without a doubt, my experiences at the Merage School have contributed to my success today. From winning the entrepreneurship competition my first year, to studying abroad my second year and creating meaningful connections with classmates, I feel well equipped to succeed – as an entrepreneur and a leader in the tech industry.”

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