SETH O'BYRNE

1: What have you been up to since graduation?

I started my real estate team while I was at USD. I began selling homes my junior year in 2002. Since then I grew a real estate team, which is under the Pacific Sotheby's International Realty brand. Here in San Diego, we are nearing 1/2 of a billion dollars in real estate sales. Our focus is innovative marketing and customer service in the residential real estate industry. We have continued to hire through the past decade and today employ 10 full time professionals. We have offices in La Jolla and Downtown with Sotheby's, but our service areas stretch north to Carlsbad and inland through Rancho Santa Fe. Our business was actually built at USD and today, nearly 20% of our clients come from the University of San Diego community. We have built a business around being Toreros and every year we work with USD interns to help other Toreros get into this exciting and fulfilling industry.

2: What is your fondest memory of USD?

I always loved the camaraderie I experienced with USD. I was surrounded by other entrepreneurial people and it helped feed my passion for growth in the industry. I spent countless afternoons at Aromas dreaming up ideas for our company and I had so many other friends in school join me. It was a hot bed of passionate thinking. Today I serve on several boards both in the business and charitable arenas and every one has a USD grad in them. Over the past 11 years since being out of USD, I have continuously seen other Toreros make a major mark on our city. It makes me so very proud to be a USD alumnus.

3: What is your favorite place on campus, why?

Tecolote Canyon lookouts have always been my favorite. I love that there is a natural preserve attached to the campus. When I attended USD, I always loved slowing down my day and just sitting on some of the perfectly placed benches to just enjoy the scenery and think up ideas. I have always loved that USD has such amazing architecture, but it is its connection with the canyon that always kept my school life paced and thoughtful. I still come to campus and enjoy walking along the sideways that line the southern edge of the canyon.

4: Who was your favorite USD professor or class?

Dr. Rivetti made a major impact on my decision to pursue real estate. I have since seen him professionally out in the real estate world and have made many connections to active USD professors. With Dr. Rivetti, I felt like his real world experience in real estate gave me a sense that his classroom was connected to the real business community. That always made me value his advice so much.

5: How have you remained involved with USD since graduation?

I serve on the committee for the San Diego Torero Club and regularly come back on campus to speak to students at events or in classrooms. I have sponsored the USD surf team over the past few years and hire Torero interns to help keep the connection between USD and the business community strong for future generations. I believe I have a responsibility to give back and it has been something I am very proud of.


6: If you could offer a current USD student advice, what would it be?

Start internships early into your schooling. Learning what you don't like is just as important as what you do like and it is much easier to learn now when your livelihood doesn't depend on it. I started internships sophomore year and I even wish I could have started my freshman year. These allowed me to understand what corporate environment I would thrive in and how important corporate culture is to personal growth and success. This allowed me to also make a handful of connections that even today I call on to grow my company and broaden what we do in the community. Classwork and theory is so very important to development, but I know now looking back how equally important long lasting relationships are as well. My career, company, and personal life all really started at USD and for that I am eternally grateful.  

Interested in connecting with Seth? Email him at [email protected].