Averie Roskwitalski is weeks away from graduating college, moving to New York City, and kicking off her career with a full-time offer in her chosen field.
What is she looking forward to the most?
“The Excel keyboard shortcuts,” she said. “This Mac has served me well, but I can’t wait to get my hands on a company PC and learn them all. There are people who can build an entire financial model without clicking once. I’m going to be one of them.”
Roskwitalski, who will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Development from the USC Price School of Public Policy, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from USC Marshall School of Business, has cultivated a powerful technical skill set that she will be put to good use as an analyst at Rialto Capital, a real estate investment and asset management firm.
Unusual for someone whose passion for pivot tables headlines their horizons, Roskwitalski credits her love of connection and conversation for her success.
“It’s all about relationships for me,” Roskwitalski said. “USC excels in creating and maintaining networks inside and outside campus, and that was perfect for my learning style and interests.”
For her, the hard skills are important because they serve a larger purpose.
“I love working in real estate because it’s so people-centric,” she said. “A lot of meticulous work goes into underwriting a deal. But there’s so much more that goes into making it happen: persuasion, confidence, trust, decision-making, collaboration. It’s a deeply human industry.”
Sharing the wealth
These relational priorities have shaped the legacy Roskwitalski leaves at USC.
“Averie is passionate about pursuing a career in real estate and has the skills to thrive in high-performing professional settings,” said USC Price School Professor Mary Lynne Boorn. “I believe her ability to share her knowledge and excitement about the real estate industry with her classmates and peers is remarkable and has allowed her to succeed both in and out of the classroom.
She graduates as co-president of the Trojan Real Estate Association (TREA), an organization that provides students in all schools and majors the opportunity to explore and pursue careers in real estate private equity, investments, development, and brokerage. With perspective from her previous positions as a member, director of membership, and director of on-campus events, she set her sights on improving one of TREA’s most essential services: mentorship.
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Find Out More“Our mentorship program, where we pair students up with real estate professionals, has always been extremely popular,” she said. “But that meant that we never had enough professionals to pair with every interested TREA member. We were running it more like a competitive application process for a scarce resource than a targeted service, so that’s where we organized some effective changes.”
Roskwitalski and her fellow executives drew on their own experiences to redefine mentorship at every stage of the educational process. It only took a short while to debut their new mentorship programming, which pairs freshman and sophomores with juniors and seniors, leaving the upperclassman to benefit from the direct industry networks.
“We realized that upperclassmen had a wealth of institutional and professional knowledge that newer students needed,” she said.
In the beginning, she explained, it’s important to have a trusted person you can ask, for example, what classes to take, what mistakes to avoid, when an internship is needed, or who are the most helpful professors.
It’s only after a student has their bearings that it makes sense to progress to a partnership with a real estate professional, someone who can introduce them to the day-to-day of their career or guide them through the transition from school to industry.
“My leadership style is very empathetic. Understanding everyone’s strengths and perspectives is key to the way that I approach decision-making,” Roskwitalski said.
Entrepreneurial drive, collaborative vision
It’s no small task to take on two demanding majors, and it takes serious commitment to fulfill all the requirements in just four years.
As she stacked up summer classes and maxed out credit loads, Roskwitalski was driven by more than just a sense of accomplishment. She brings an entrepreneurial perspective to her work.
“Down the line, I’d like to start my own real estate business,” she said. “I’ll be learning and growing for a long time, but working toward that level of leadership appeals to me.”
In her business coursework, Roskwitalski pursued coursework that strengthened her skills in real estate, singling out a business communication class that helped her build a strong foundation in representing interests in flexible, persuasive ways.
“I love working in real estate because it’s so people-centric,” Roskwitalski said. “It’s a deeply human industry.”
“As an analyst, for example, I’ll be building financial models. But then it’s also up to me to stand by my recommendations and help leadership make successful decisions. These public speaking and presentation skills are how you become a respected and trusted collaborator.”
At the same time, Roskwitalski brought an entrepreneurial bent to building community at USC Price, founding Price Student Government. Created to serve as a localized student government, one of its core purposes will be to act as a liaison between students and the school’s faculty and administration, while also strengthening relationships with alumni and giving students a greater voice in shaping their experience at Price.
As founder, Roskwitalski pitched it to school leadership, secured an academic advisor, and drafted a constitution that USC Price accepted and officially recognized. She leaves these foundations in place for future students to operationalize.
“It was rewarding to build consensus and lay the groundwork for student government at our school of public policy,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how students use and grow it.”
