Alex Wang (Photo/Courtesy of Alex Wang)
When Alex Wang arrived at USC, he didn’t have a master plan.
What he had was a willingness to say yes.
Yes to a student club meeting. Yes to a research opportunity. Yes to a conference, an internship, a new class or a challenge he wasn’t sure he was ready for.
Then came the part that mattered most: following through.
That simple philosophy helped Wang, a 2026 graduate of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, make the most of every opportunity.
Wang, who graduated with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A., served simultaneously as president of USC’s chapters of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), growing membership and expanding programming in both organizations. Under his leadership, USC’s IISE chapter earned the organization’s National Gold Award in 2025.
He also received the ISE department’s 2025 Outstanding Achievement in Leadership Award, the 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award for transportation-related research, and the department’s highest student honor, the 2026 Outstanding Undergraduate Student of the Year Award.
“Almost everything I’ve done at USC started because I said yes to something that wasn’t originally part of the plan,” Wang said. “I’ve learned that if you’re willing to explore, put yourself out there and commit to opportunities when they come along, incredible things can happen.”
Building Better Systems
At first glance, Wang’s interests seem remarkably broad.
He’s studied engineering and public policy. He’s conducted transportation research, worked in consulting, explored cybersecurity, competed in moot court competitions and helped organize engineering conferences that brought together hundreds of students and professionals.
But to him, the connections are obvious.
“What ties everything together is systems,” Wang said. “Whether it’s transportation, government, business or technology, I’m interested in understanding how systems function and how they can work better for people.”
That perspective was shaped long before he arrived at USC.
Wang was born in Toronto after his parents immigrated to Canada. The family later moved to the Detroit area when his father accepted a position to work in cybersecurity for the automotive industry. Growing up, Wang watched both of his parents devote time to helping others and serving their community.
“My parents always emphasized that success isn’t just about what you accomplish for yourself,” he said. “It’s also about whether you’re making life better for other people. That’s something that has stayed with me.”
A University Built for Exploration
Wang had no shortage of college options.
He was admitted to several highly regarded universities and received a full scholarship offer from Michigan State University. But when he compared his choices, USC stood out for one reason: it gave him room to explore.
As a USC Presidential Scholar, he arrived on campus interested in engineering, transportation, public policy and technology. Rather than forcing him to choose among them, USC encouraged him to pursue all of them.
The freedom to explore paid off. Through USC’s Progressive Degree Program, Wang earned both his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering and a master’s degree in public policy in just four years.
Just as important were the opportunities he found outside the classroom.
As a freshman, Wang stopped by a meeting of USC’s Institute of Transportation Engineers chapter. Before long, he was helping organize a major transportation conference that attracted hundreds of students and professionals.
“The biggest lesson USC taught me is that opportunities usually go to the people who raise their hands,” he said. “If you’re willing to step forward, people here will support you. That culture pushed me to be more ambitious than I ever thought I could be.”
Moving People Forward
Wang will soon join McKinsey & Company as a business analyst, building on the consulting experience he gained last summer during his internship with the firm.
But he suspects transportation will remain part of his future.
“It shapes access to almost everything else,” Wang said. “Transportation affects where people can work, where they can live, where they can go to school and what opportunities are available to them. When transportation improves, communities improve.”
Whatever path he ultimately takes, Wang hopes to keep working on problems that improve people’s lives.
It wouldn’t be surprising if that path looks different from what he imagines today. After all, much of his USC experience grew from a willingness to say yes. A transportation club meeting became a leadership role. A leadership role became conferences, research projects, internships and friendships that shaped his college career.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to know exactly where everything is going to lead,” Wang said. “A lot of the best things that happened to me at USC started because I decided to show up, get involved and see what happened. If you’re willing to do that, you end up meeting incredible people, having incredible experiences and finding opportunities you never would have expected.”
Published on July 9th, 2026
Last updated on July 9th, 2026