2019 Best & Brightest: Daniel Levine, Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)

Daniel Levine

Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University

“I’m an athlete that loves learning and challenging myself.”

Fun fact about yourself: I have a rare birthmark on my lower back that less than 0.1% of people have.

Hometown: Highland Park, IL

High School: Boca Prep International School

Major: Business Administration

Minor: Technology & Policy

Favorite Business Course: Modern Banks: Strategy & Regulation

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

  • Captain of CMU Men’s Tennis Team
  • 4-time All-American
  • 2-time ITA Scholar Athlete
  • National Singles Runner-Up
  • Member of Student Athlete Advisory Council
  • Member of Undergraduate Business Administration Student Advisory Council
  • Special Olympics Pennsylvania
  • 2-time Dean’s List

Where have you interned during your college career?

  1. Gar Wood Securities, Summer Analyst, Chicago, IL
  2. WP Global Partners, Analyst, Chicago, IL

Where will you be working after graduation? Valuation Analyst with Aon in Chicago.

What company do you admire most? Under Armour, because they were able to disrupt an already established sports retail market, dominated by Nike and Adidas, and become a leader in that industry. I also think that their shoes and apparel are the best quality of sports retailers.

Who is your favorite professor? Ron Placone was my favorite professor at CMU. He was my Business Presentations professor during my junior year. Not only did he make his class fun and enjoyable, but he really made an effort to get to know us and our interests both inside and outside the classroom. He even was kind enough to extend his personal network to me to help me play a round of golf at Oakmont Country Club, a famous course here in Pittsburgh.

What did you enjoy most about your business school? The thing I enjoy most about Tepper is the small class sizes. This allows me to get to know my professors and classmates a little better than at schools with bigger class sizes could.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The biggest lesson I’ve learned from studying business is to look at problems from multiple angles and always double check my work. It is always best to take a little more time and double check your work to make sure you’ve gotten it correct the first time rather than submitting work with mistakes whether it’s in a school or work setting.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? I would say definitely go for it. Business can be applied to basically any field and studying it can give you a great knowledge base that you can take with you wherever you end up in life.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? I think the thing that has surprised me the most about business is the importance of people skills and networking. I knew business would be math and quantitatively heavy but coming into college I didn’t realize how crucial public speaking, presenting, and networking would be.

If I didn’t major in business, I would be majoring in or studying…Law or Mechanical Engineering because that is what my dad studied in school.”

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? It was mostly my own interest to pursue business in college. I had a very good experience in my high school economics class and that was really what got me interested in economics and business. My parents were very supportive of me studying business even though neither of them studied it themselves, so they were also a part of my commitment to studying business.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am definitely most proud of my athletic achievements. I am the first person in school history to be a 4-time All-American in Men’s Tennis and I have also set several other school records in tennis. Tennis has been a big part of my life and I am very proud that I am able to have such great success in the sport during my college career.

Which classmate do you most admire? The classmate I admire most is Alex Cline because he is another student-athlete who has had great success both in and out of the classroom. It is very difficult to balance school and athletics and he has managed to do both at a very high level.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents. They have been so supportive of my athletics and academics and have always encouraged me to take risks and do my best. Certainly, without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today or have all of my successes both in and out of the classroom.

What are the top two items on your bucket list?

  1. Play a round of golf at Augusta National Golf Club
  2. Travel to Italy

What are your hobbies? I love playing golf, listening to country music and doing just about any outdoor activities.

What made Daniel such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2019?

“Dan embodies the spirit of a scholar-athlete at Carnegie Mellon as he achieves excellence in the classroom, the tennis courts, and in student leadership. Dan brings intellectual curiosity and reflection to each experience and was a critical participant in the formation of the Tepper Undergraduate Business Student Advisory Council, ensuring that the student’s voice is represented to the senior academic administrators.”

Burton Hollifield
PNC Professor of Finance, Professor of Financial Economics, Head of Undergraduate Business Administration Program
Tepper School of Business

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