For Diba Ahour, Accelerator® was something of a hand-me-down experience — in the best possible way.

In 2016, her older brother participated in the program. “I watched him grow from it firsthand, and he believed the program would significantly benefit me as well,” says Diba, who is majoring in Business Administration and Business Law at the University of Southern California.

“Once I started looking into the program and seeing all the different aspects of business life that Accelerator incorporates, I understood that this was the best way for me to get some of the big picture. But I also wanted to be in a business environment other than my usual environment in Southern California, as I suspected perspectives would be significantly different here (as I learned that, indeed, they are).”

Diba is still getting a sense about her professional aspirations. Meanwhile, while she learned a lot about business from Accelerator, she says she also learned a lot about herself: “Namely, the maximum quality of work I’m really capable of producing and how efficiently I can work. I also learned a lot about how people perceive my efforts, and that helped me improve a ton. 

“There are things I learned from the people around me in my teams, things I learned in class, from coaches, and a lot of things I learned just by doing the work. This program has really helped me grow.”

Fun Fact: After moving to Southern California from her native Switzerland, Diba took up boxing.

“I understood that this was the best way for me to get some of the big picture.”