Business Analytics Grad Student Lands Three Impressive Internship Offers

Rishav Kant ’24 M.S. has always wanted to simplify decision-making in the financial world. When he began to explore internship opportunities, he hoped to find one that would prepare him to do just that. He ended up receiving three incredible offers from leading companies.

A candidate in the University’s graduate program in business analytics, Kant received offers for internships at Amazon in Seattle, Barclays in New York, and Country Financial in Bloomington, IL. After carefully considering the opportunities, Kant has accepted an internship with Amazon. He will soon relocate to Seattle for the summer. He says he was “extremely grateful” to receive these offers.

“It was an incredible feeling that I can’t put into words, but definitely an ecstatic moment for me,” he said. “Being an ardent fan of the stock market and e-commerce, I felt it was a dream come true – particularly when I received offers from Amazon and Barclays Capital.”

‘The right decisions at the right time’

Kant has excelled at the University, taking advantage of every opportunity to gain experience and build his skills. He says the resources available, such as the Peterson Library and its book collection to the Career Development Center and its staff members’ assistance with helping him prepare his resume, have been invaluable.

Whether he’s building an internship analytics application or working on a project exploring the influence of economic indicators on stock prices under the mentorship of Armando Rodriguez, Ph.D., Kant has been dedicated to gaining experience through analytics projects. During his first semester as a Charger, he also worked on a faculty-mentored project focused on exchange-traded funds and stock options.

“I am crazy about problem solving and developing analytics applications that can unriddle business problems,” he said. “This has inspired me to work in the business analytics arena. It can be an arcane task to take business decisions using reports and drive the company's future, but with business-intelligence applications, stakeholders can unravel hidden insights about business and leverage historical data to make the right decisions at the right time.”

‘An incredible atmosphere to learn and grow’

Kant’s dedication has impressed his fellow Chargers. He presented his startup, PartyBuff, as part of the University’s 2022 Smerd Pitch Competition and received the “crowd favorite” award. He founded the company in 2020 to cater to the party décor and events market in his native India. At the competition, he presented the startup with new additions to the website, such as augmented reality-visualization technology.

“Rishav has what I call a ‘quiet, relentless determination,’” said Anthony Calabro, EMBA, a practitioner in residence and director of internships for the Pompea College of Business. “He enjoys and embraces the journey it takes to be successful. As an Indian student in the U.S., he’s shown what those characteristics can achieve. His multiple accomplishments are a testament to his hard work, dedication, and potential.”

Kant says his time at the University has prepared him well to achieve his goals. He believes he’s built an important foundation that will enable him to deliver on his tasks and solve business problems once he’s in the corporate world.

“The University is a great place to collaborate and build innovation for the future,” he said. “The professors are very supportive, and the students are kind and friendly. This creates an incredible atmosphere to learn and grow.”