Keith Beasley, Jr., UCLA Anderson MBA Class of 2025
Age: 26
Hometown: Durham, NC
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Bachelors of Science in Business Administration; Minor in Entrepreneurship
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): Strategic Transformation Consultant, EY, 4 years; Director of Business Development, C-Town Sports, 3 years
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Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
As a former athlete and avid consumer of sports, I’ve always wanted to intersect my career ambitions with my personal interests. However, I pursued a career in Consulting over pursuing an entry-level position in the sports industry to maximize the compensation that I could receive coming out of my undergraduate program. After developing a myriad of skills through my consulting practice, coupled with my experience at C-Town Sports, I felt confident that I now possessed the ability to attain a managerial role in sports. This role would allow me to leverage my core consulting skills, knowledge of the athlete representation industry and passion for sports daily and I was extremely excited about the prospect of doing so. Since I want to pursue a role in the sports industry and I’m coming from a financial services background, an MBA provides me the best opportunity to pivot at this stage of my career.
Why did you choose UCLA Anderson? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Located in the creative capital of the world, with proximity to prominent sports organizations, UCLA Anderson possesses the resources necessary for me to thrive, post-MBA, as a Digital Marketing Manager in the short term, and as a Director of Strategic Planning in the long term. I plan to leverage Anderson’s flexible curriculum by specializing in Brand Management and Entertainment through courses like “Innovations in Sports Marketing” in the Center for Media, Sports and Entertainment, and gaining foundational business skills from faculty members, like Peter Guber and Jay Tucker. Anderson’s provision of the Business Creation Project, as a Capstone alternative, is a key differentiator that would also allow me to explore my personal interests through entrepreneurship. UCLA Anderson will position me as a leader in the sports/media industry by providing access to a large network of industry experts and organizations in my desired function, as well as comprehensive academic resources.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
My most valuable contribution to the Class of 2025 would have to be my involvement with the Sports Leadership and Management Program at UCLA Anderson. Announced in January 2024, this program didn’t exist when I applied so being a part of this program is so much more special to me. I’m a member of the inaugural cohort of sports fellows, helping to build out the program, and am a TA for the first class ever created for the program, “The Global Ecosystem of Sport.” As a sports fellow, I’m able to assist with the development of a Sports Management specialization for all other MBA students as well as create a minor for the undergraduate students at UCLA as well. My involvement as a TA allows me the opportunity to set the stage for career exploration in the sports industry for all Anderson students as well as the class of 2025.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I really enjoy cooking and use it as a tool to decompress.
Post-MBA career interests:
Post-MBA, I want to pursue a career in either marketing, strategy, or business development within the sports industry with the goal to eventually land in sports partnerships.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Enrolling in the MBA Prep program provided by Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). From the excellent coaching I got throughout the process, to the insight that I gained from actual admissions officers at prospective programs, there wasn’t a single aspect of the program provided to me that wasn’t beneficial to my process.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I think it would’ve been beneficial to have had a tutor for the GMAT in addition to the preparatory course I took. That could’ve been an additional resource that I leveraged during my testing process.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I would’ve skipped the test-taking portion of my application process if I could’ve. Taking a standardized test isn’t the best display of my competency, but my MLT community and coaches really supported me during that process and made it tremendously better.
What is your initial impression of the UCLA Anderson students/culture/community?
The community is diverse, ethnically, culturally, and geographically, and blends very cohesively into everything that we do on campus. The amount of genuinely authentic interactions that I’ve routinely had really impressed me as I engaged with the community and its culture.
What is one thing you have learned about UCLA Anderson that has surprised you?
I was surprised at how many clubs there were at UCLA Anderson as well as how involved they are in shaping the student experience. There are so many amazing events happening all the time so you’re constantly joining different clubs to get access to them.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I’m honestly not too anxious about much in my first year. Recruiting occurred early for me, and I was involved in everything that I wanted to be in, so I didn’t experience much anxiousness outside of preparing for the finals in my core classes.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m most excited about having the opportunity to build relationships in the sports industry through all the resources that UCLA Anderson has available for students (clubs, centers, programs, etc.).
