Jordyn Osofsky

University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business

“A curious international business student with a love of learning languages, traveling, and hiking.”

Fun fact about yourself: I solo traveled Thailand for 2 months during my sophomore year of college!

Hometown: Fair Haven, New Jersey

High School: Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School

Major: International Business, Finance, Economics

Minor: Chinese and Spanish

Favorite Business Course: IBUS 433 (Economic Globalization and the Transnational Mindset) and ECON 436 (Econometrics)

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Organizations I Was Part Of During College: International Business and Chinese Enterprise Cohort (Specialized study abroad program that takes 12 USC students to study abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong), Honors College, Women in Business Council, Alpha Gamma Delta, Carolina Finance and Investment Association, Carolina Fund, Chabad

Leadership Roles: Women in Business Council Mentor, Planning Committee Member for Carolina Finance and Investment Association’s Women in Business Day, Recalc Finance Academy mentor

Awards: Dean’s List (Spring 2021, Spring 2023), President’s List (Fall 2020, Fall 2022, Fall 2023), Freeman Asia Scholarship, Darla Moore Alumni Scholarship

Community Work: Anne Frank Center, Meals on Wheels

Outside of School: Involved in Recalc Finance Academy, where I expand my finance skills and help to mentor sophomores who want to go into investment banking

Where have you interned during your college career? UBS Financial Services, Inc. New York City. Equity Research Summer Analyst.

Where will you be working after graduation? Jefferies, Investment Banking Analyst

Who is your favorite business professor? My favorite professor is Dr. Ostergaard. Not only is he extremely personable, but he also has so much real-life experience in international business and national security. He exposes us to extremely complex problems that we may encounter in the world of business. He asks us difficult questions about our morals in the business world to make us think. Two examples: Should we operate a business in a country that is sanctioned? How do we navigate complex political environments as future international business leaders? In addition, there are so many in class simulations that help us learn, prepare us to negotiate, and force us to take a stance on controversial issues while backing up our thinking.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The world of business, specifically international business, is extremely complex. You must know how to think critically, how to navigate different cultures and different interests while staying true to your morals and ethics.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Read as much as you can about the world, current events, and history. Be prepared to take a stance on current issues and back up your thinking.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of my year in Hong Kong. I’m a member of the International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) cohort, a four-year program that aims to develop Chinese language skills and to develop fluency in the Chinese business environment. Studying abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong during the COVID pandemic was not easy. My cohort had to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival and navigate Hong Kong’s many COVID rules while being a full-time student and exploring the city. In addition, six months into our study abroad, Hong Kong shut down due to increasing COVID cases and many people were placed in government quarantine camps. Due to this situation, I made the difficult decision to leave Hong Kong and continue my studies virtually while solo traveling Thailand for the rest of the semester (two months). My time in Hong Kong and Thailand was full of uncertainty, but I learned how to make the best of every situation I’m in!

Which classmate do you most admire? I admire Louis Minning. He is a triple major in International Business, Accounting, and Supply Chain. Before coming to USC, he knew that he wanted to study abroad in Brazil. However, he had to attain a certain fluency in Portuguese in order to make that happen. Not only did he hit his fluency goal, he was able to go to Brazil, and became even more fluent in Portuguese and explored the country, even going to the Amazon Rainforest and Iguazu Falls, a 24-hour bus ride from where he was staying in Rio.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I want to thank my mom. She has been an incredible part of my support system from my very first day at USC and always encouraged me to go out of my comfort zone and learn as much as I can. My mom has worked so hard to give me so many opportunities, and I am beyond grateful for her.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list:

-I want to live and work in another country

-I want to be recognized as an authority/expert in my field

What made Jordyn such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“Jordyn is an absolutely exceptional student. Beyond her intelligence, her hard work and ambition ensure her success in whichever goal she pursues. Jordyn took my econometrics class – which is known to be one of the most challenging classes in the curriculum- and scored full points in the course! Although I taught in class that grit is an unobservable characteristic to the econometrician, Jordyn’s grit shined through to me in class from very early on. Based on knowing her, I know that she has a very bright future ahead.”

Professor Deniz Sanin

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