Brandon Whittington

For Brandon Whittington, Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy was the perfect way to bridge his academic background in Actuarial Science with real-world analytics experience. Originally from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Brandon earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara before joining Cal Poly’s MSBA program.

“For someone without much work experience, the opportunity to learn data analytics while working directly with companies was too good to pass up,” he explained. The industry projects gave him hands-on experience, teaching him how to extract tangible value from data and present actionable recommendations. “Overall, I learned to translate data into compelling storylines, which is a hugely valuable corporate skill.”

Brandon was highly active during the program, participating in career fairs and representing Cal Poly at the Iowa case competition. This event, where he worked with a team of four to analyze company data and present their findings to executives, was a standout experience. “It was challenging but incredibly rewarding,” he recalled. “I learned to collaborate under tight deadlines and networked with students from other universities.”

His impact extended beyond the classroom—Brandon was honored to give the graduation speech on behalf of his class. Since completing the program, he has continued to excel professionally. Starting at Niagara Bottling as a Senior Quantitative Financial Analyst, Brandon is now a Lead Business Analyst at SpaceX, where he manages a team of seven analysts.

Reflecting on his time at Cal Poly, Brandon credits the faculty as one of the program’s greatest strengths. “Every professor and program director I met took a genuine interest in my development,” he said.

His advice to incoming students? “It’s a quick ride—enjoy it with your classmates. The relationships you forge are just as valuable as what you learn in the classroom.”

Looking ahead, Brandon is focused on growing as a people-leader at SpaceX, embracing new challenges, and applying the skills he honed at Cal Poly to make an impact.

This profile was published in the Winter of 2024.