Rohil Chada

University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration

“A diligent, empathetic, and intellectually curious aspiring business professional.”

Fun fact about yourself: I lived in India for 10 years and was an aspiring cricketer.

Hometown: Hillsborough, NJ

High School: Hillsborough High School

Major: Finance and Business Information Systems

Minor: None (Certificate in Business Analytics)

Favorite Business Course: Applied Business Analytics Project

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College: Prior to entering college, I had been highly active and engaged with extracurricular activities in high school. To emulate a similar balanced educational experience as high school, I was immediately prepared to stretch myself across varying academic, professional, and recreational activities that I knew would keep me engaged and interested. At Pitt, I’ve served as the following:

• Vice President of Corporate Relations for the League of Emerging Analytics Professionals
• Director of Professional Development for the Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Fraternity
• Senior Analyst for the Socially Responsible Investment Portfolio
• Sector Head of Panther Equity

Additionally, I was fortunate to be a part of a temporary consulting engagement for the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank in early 2019 as one of my mentors, a current consultant at Deloitte, took me on board to help me develop my professional skills. Through this engagement, I developed an interest for pro-bono consulting and non-profit involvement and hope to explore these opportunities further going forward.

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Summer Private Equity Intern at Summerlakes, LLC Search Fund (New York, NY)
• Business Performance Management Intern at Everest RE Group (Liberty Corner, NJ)
• Research Analytics Intern at Othot, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA)

Where will you be working after graduation? Beginning this summer, I will be working as a Solutions Engineering Analyst at Deloitte Consulting in Pittsburgh, PA.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Coming to Pitt, studying business was just another option among the several that I was considering at the time. Among the likes of biomedical engineering, computer science, and economics, I felt that my interpersonal skills and interest in mathematics and science paired well to study a field in business, notably finance. Once I chose finance as my primary major, I felt right at home working on mentally stimulating quantitative problems in class while constantly being in contact with teammates, professors, and peers inside and outside the classroom.

My biggest takeaway from business school is the importance of communication. With Pitt Business being a mirror of a real-world work environment, the unwritten importance of communication is priceless. Constant involvement with peers, professors, and teammates inside and outside the classroom requires proper communication to emerge with the best results, and Pitt Business has properly instilled this sense of importance in me.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? My personal recommendation for any student looking to major in a business-related field is to anticipate working with others and develop a skillset true to yourself instead of acquiescing with what seems to be the “best practice.” In other words, communication is of utmost importance in a business major. However, what is even more important is bringing a unique skillset that compliments your ability to communicate effectively. In a team environment, having different thought processes among each member allows for more creative thinking without infringing on the primary importance of communication.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? Having the ability to take classes from multiple majors prior to settling on majoring in finance and business information systems allowed me to develop transferrable skills across different functional areas of business. To properly go through these classes, extracurricular activities, and intramural sports, I had to learn to proactively plan using calendars and reminders. However, I had only begun properly using my calendar, agenda, and reminders late into my freshman year.

In hindsight, I regret not being proactive in my planning and time management before arriving at Pitt. That being said, I am confident that learning these skills along the way have also played an integral role in helping me grow on a daily basis while in college.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? Undoubtedly, I am most proud of the fact that I am able to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh in 3 years. This feat had always been a possibility for me due to the amount of AP credits I was able to transfer from high school. While that indicates diligence to secure college credits in high school, I am prouder of the fact that I was able to compound on my efforts from high school by engaging in three highly productive and rewarding years at Pitt Business. Being able to complete a double major and a certificate while being involved as a leader in multiple student organizations is a feat that I could only dream of 3 years ago. I am incredibly happy with how my undergraduate career has shaped out and hope to carry this multi-faceted involvement into my professional career.

Which classmate do you most admire? Jack Keeler is a peer of mine that I admire the most from Pitt Business. Jack and I met our first semester here, back in fall of 2018, while attending a Thursday night meeting for the data analytics student organization, the League of Emerging Analytics Professionals. Before long, Jack and I had both secured positions on the executive board that following spring. Unbeknownst to me, Jack and I would hold our positions for two whole years, a period of extensive growth for both of us during which I was able to witness first-hand Jack’s attention to detail and proactiveness.

Freshman year, Jack could be considered fully opposite in terms of our studying and working habits. I was more impulsive and outspoken, while Jack was more composed and thorough. However, as we progressed in our undergraduate careers, we learned from one another—being around Jack for the latter part of my undergraduate career certainly played a role in my adoption of proactive planning—and I am certain we will continue to be professionally connected in the future.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? The person I would most like to thank for my success is my brother, Neil Chada. Currently an MD/PhD student at Vanderbilt University, my brother is three years older than I am and constantly played the role of anchor in my high school and collegiate education. Being three years apart ensured that every time I was a freshman, he was a senior. Therefore, I was able to witness Neil’s work ethic and approach to challenges first-hand at home. Although he attended a different undergraduate college, watching him navigate through any obstacle in an educational environment helped me navigate unexpected trials and tribulations in college that were markedly different from those faced in high school. Additionally, Neil was the one that encouraged me to join multiple extracurricular activities while in high school. Without having his guidance early in either of my educational careers, I would not have had that push to take on extracurricular involvements that I now find integral to my daily life.

Additionally, Neil was constantly developing his professional skillset, even as a biomedical engineering major. Watching him being active on LinkedIn and looking for internships early helped me with that difficult transition once I arrived in college. I am grateful to have had his tutelage throughout my educational career and I am certain that his early assistance will help me help him in the future.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? At the moment, the top two items on my professional bucket list are to do the following:

• Become the CEO of a tech-oriented company
• Launch at least one company

What are your hobbies? Beyond my academic and professional involvements, I like to spend my time playing numerous sports and exploring different musical experiences. After coming to Pitt, I played golf for the first time at the Undergraduate Finance Club’s Annual Golf Outing and immediately fell in love with the sport. Since then, I have been playing the sport at least once a week—should the weather permit. Since high school, I actively play soccer, basketball, and tennis when I get the chance. Additionally, I have retained my passion for track as I still love to run and relive the high school track days.

Although I have always been an avid fan of jazz and classical music, I finally took it upon myself to purchase a piano and practice an instrument that has always been my favorite. This has been my favorite pastime throughout the pandemic months. I am beyond excited to continue to improve at these activities as a means to develop a facet of my life that I enjoy beyond school or business.

What made Rohil such an invaluable member of the Class of 2021?

“Rohil’s intellectual curiosity and is his drive to deeply explore the newest business topics – such as the impact of advanced analytics and AI on the business world – is contagious and makes it fun to work with him.  What is equally remarkable about Rohil is his passion to help and mentor younger students so that they can have rich experiences at the University of Pittsburgh.”

Andrew W. Hannah, MBA
University of Pittsburgh – Pitt Business
Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Analytics
Entrepreneur in Residence

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