Meet the MBA Class of 2025: Joe Moita, UCLA (Anderson)

“I am an aspiring real estate developer with a background in law.”

Hometown: Clayton, California

Fun fact about yourself: I grew up raising cows, goats and sheep!

Undergraduate school and major: Columbia University, economics; Penn Law

Most recent employer and job title: Associate Real Estate Lawyer at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher

UCLA Anderson is founded on the three pillars: sharing success, thinking fearlessly, and leading change. Which pillar speaks to you the most and why? Share Success touches me the most. Whether at school, at work or with family, I believe that the success of those around me translates into success for me.

What makes Los Angeles a great place to get an MBA? The opportunity to return to the West Coast and build a network near the Bay Area, where I was born – but in a bigger city – is what made Los Angeles my first choice.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key element of the UCLA Anderson MBA program that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?

Anderson’s broad curriculum and real estate programs led me to choose UCLA. As someone interested in becoming a real estate developer in California, Anderson provided me with the best program to achieve my goals.

What class, club, or activity are you most excited about at UCLA Anderson (and why)? I am very excited to become an active member of the Association for Real Estate at Anderson (AREA), so that I can continue to grow my real estate network in California.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishment of my career so far was learning how to practice real estate financing law in 2021. At that time, the real estate financing market was hot, so I worked on a ton of interesting deals in a short time.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? Work in real estate development or finance.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission to the UCLA Anderson MBA program? Prospective applicants should start their admissions process early, say two years before matriculation, as the application package contains many requirements.