May 19, 2020

Every spring, USC holds Awards Day to recognize the accomplishments of its students during the academic year. Although the ceremony had to be held virtually in spring 2020, USC was proud to recognize its exceptional students for their commitment to personal and academic excellence and their dedication to leadership, scholarship and service. Five Moore School seniors were awarded the Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Achievement: Haley Dietsch, Stephen Johnson, Ishani Joshi, Maxwell Nelson and Shane Poch.

This award honors exemplary graduating seniors for their academic achievements, extra-curricular leadership, and contributions to the Darla Moore School of Business. The recipients are selected by faculty and staff in the Moore School.

Haley Dietsch

Haley Dietsch, now a Moore School international business and finance graduate, has been extremely involved in the business school during the past four years. Originally from Shawnee, Kansas, Dietsch knew she was interested in finance but was unsure of the potential career paths the degree had to offer her. She joined the Carolina Finance and Investment Association during her sophomore year and became even more “passionate” about pursuing a career in finance.

Dietsch remained involved in the Carolina Finance and Investment Association through her time at the Moore School and became president of the organization during her senior year. She also got involved in the Moore School’s case competition teams. Dietsch was on the team that competed in the Raymond James Student Managed Investment Fund Case Competition in spring 2018 and the Moore School team that won the John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition in spring 2020.

“The Darla Moore School of Business and its finance department have given me so much during my four years at USC,” Dietsch said. “They have shaped me into the best version of myself and have given me so many opportunities to learn and grow both inside and outside the classroom.”

Dietsch has accepted an investment banking analyst position at Credit Suisse and is moving to New York City after graduation in May 2020. 

Ishani Joshi

Moore School marketing major Ishani Joshi has been involved in the Moore School since her freshman year when she joined Sigma Omega Upsilon, an international business fraternity. Joshi said her membership in this organization helped her decide on her future career path while simultaneously fostering strong friendships with other business students. Joshi served as chief development officer of the fraternity and helped two younger pledge classes complete the organization’s professional development process.

Outside of the Moore School, Joshi contributed to the larger USC community by serving as both a freshman orientation leader the summer after her freshman year and a University 101 peer leader for two years.

Through her various involvement in the Moore School and USC, Joshi said that she “gained many leadership skills such as how to lead a group and network with the peers and faculty around me.”

As she prepares to graduate from USC in May 2020, Joshi said that she is “honored” to be recognized for her involvement with the Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Achievement.

“I am thankful for the people and experiences that impacted my time,” she said. “The lessons I’ve learned [at the Moore School] are ones that will stay with me for a lifetime.”

After graduation, Joshi plans to pursue a passion she realized while completing two internships with Sony Music Entertainment: music. She hopes to move to Los Angeles and work in the music industry as part of a record label or an entertainment venue while working on developing her own music and eventually transitioning to a full-time artistic career.

“Music is an unpredictable and hard industry to get into, but even if my dreams of being a singer does not work out, I still want to work in the music industry,” Joshi said. “I would love to work for a big record label and be in their marketing department. All I know is that I want to be surrounded by music for the rest of my life.”

Maxwell Nelson

Moore School May 2020 graduate Maxwell Nelson won a “most likely to join yet another organization” superlative during his freshman year at USC. Actively involved in Alpha Kappa Psi, Gamecock Consulting Club, Moore School Student Ambassadors and the Student Alumni Board, Nelson said that “I am at my best when I’m busy.”

Nelson spent the year after he graduated high school living with a host family in Chile and said he found a passion for global education while abroad. Therefore, when he returned home to Florida, he wanted to find a university with an emphasis on global business.

“I found that at the Moore School,” Nelson said.

Deciding to major in operations and supply chain with a concentration in data analytics, Nelson tacked on Spanish and French minors to make his degree one that he can use globally.

Through his time at USC, Nelson said that he has learned to code, apply new technology and “even to speak another language.” He said he feels prepared to apply this learning in the business world.

“The Moore School has invested so much in me over the past few years, both inside and out of the classroom, so receiving the Dean’s Award is an incredible compliment,” Nelson said. “Graduation is always an exciting time, but to me this award is even more exciting because it represents the culmination of my on-campus experiences over the past four years.”

Nelson will move to Charlotte, North Carolina, to begin his career at Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory once the coronavirus pandemic subsides. While he is excited to begin this new chapter of his life, Nelson said it is a “stressful time to begin a career.”

“My start date has changed, plans have been canceled, but I’m doing my best to make use of the time I have,” Nelson said. “It's nice to have some free time after staying so busy.”

However, not one to stay idle for long, Nelson hopes to earn a graduate degree after working for a few years and take on a management role in his career. He also plans to give back to the Moore School as an alumnus through serving on the alumni board and mentoring students.

“Outside of work, I want to learn to speak a fifth language and travel to every continent,” Nelson added. 

Stephen Johnson and Shane Poch were also recipients of the Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Achievement and declined to be featured.

 -Erin Mooney