Megan Strawther, Cohort 1
Bio: Megan Strawther is from Southern California and leads the Clinton Global Initiative University's communications and marketing efforts, enrollment activities, alumni engagement, and university partnerships. While at USC, she served as the president and founding member of the MSSE Student Association, won the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge, wrote case studies for the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, and co-organized a social innovation trek to Guatemala for fellow classmates. Prior to the MSSE program, she worked in communications and development for an arts education organization in Los Angeles and earned a B.A. in communication from Virginia Tech, where she also played on the women’s soccer team.
Current city: New York City
I am passionate about...
traveling, soccer, long walks, fun restaurants, happy hour, and finding ways to bring good people together.
What led you to USC and specifically the MSSE program?
I was very interested in understanding different organizational models - how to be highly impactful as well as financially sustainable. I was also excited at the opportunity to expand my understanding of the world and the many problems it faces, and be challenged to find solutions for addressing those problems.
What personal or professional experiences do you believe helped shape your values and worldview?
I have been very fortunate to travel to different countries and meet people from all walks of life - it's the conversations I've had with people very different than me that have shaped me and molded my curiosity. Some people are born with access to certain opportunities, and some are not, and not because they are any less deserving - wanting to close this opportunity gap was a huge inspiration when I applied to USC.
What lessons and experiences at USC and the MSSE program helped build the foundation for your career today?
My two favorite aspects of the MSSE program were 1) the diversity of our cohort. Representation matters and bringing in people with different backgrounds and perspectives allows you to tackle complex problems. And 2) the hands-on learning. The group projects where we essentially had to develop our own social enterprises from scratch really contributed to my learning.
What advice do you have for current students?
Fully immerse yourself in your studies and all that USC has to offer! I did everything I possibly could during my two years in the MSSE program - attended every class, served on the MSSE SA board, competed in business competitions, joined other student clubs, organized and attended events with my classmates - and it was two of the best years of my life.
