Shivani Desai

Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania)

“Fueled by conversation, recharged by cross-community connection.”

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve worked major elections in 2 states (2021 Georgia Senate Runoffs and the 2024 Pennsylvania Presidential Race.

Hometown: Duluth, GA

High School: Peachtree Ridge High School

Major: B.S. in Economics, Concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship

Minor: French & Francophone Studies

Favorite Business Course: IPD 5150: Integrated Product Design

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Wharton Dean’s Undergraduate Advisory Board Co-Chair: Collaborated with Wharton administration and stakeholders to enhance the undergraduate academic experience. alongside Wharton administrators on initiatives to improve the academic experience.

Sphinx Senior Honors Society: The University of Pennsylvania’s first senior honor society, recognizing top student leaders who have made significant contributions to the university community.

Financial Wellness at Penn: Worked for flagship new initiative within Penn’s Division of Finance to provide free personal finance counseling for dozens and deliver personal finance workshops for hundreds of undergraduate + graduate students.

Venture Lab: Consulted for startups in Venture Lab’s VIP-X accelerator through the Snider Center, reconstructed and led a new recruitment and training program for our new hires, and managed two teams as Engagement Manager.

West Philadelphia Tutoring Project: Tutored elementary students from local schools in-person and online and served on the Executive Board to manage hundreds of tutor-tutee pairings/logistics.

Netter Center: Volunteered with the Francophone Community Partnership to create after-school lesson plans and activities for French-speaking students at the Henry C. Lea Elementary School from West African immigrant backgrounds. Volunteered with the Campaign for Working Families to generate thousands of dollars in refunds under the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program for low-income Philadelphia residents.

Gates Scholarship:  Selective, last-dollar four-year scholarship for students from low-income households funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Where have you interned during your college career?

Forerunner Ventures, San Francisco, Venture Capital Summer Analyst

Industry Ventures, San Francisco, Venture Capital Summer Analyst

Brinley Partners, New York, Private Credit Summer Analyst

Where will you be working after graduation? LGT Capital Partners, New York, Incoming Private Equity Analyst

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The evolution of business and commercial development may look different depending on the city, neighborhood, or country you are in, yet we are all still driven by a commitment to advance our communities. This degree has taught me that responsibility exists for business leaders in many ways — the responsibility to innovate, maximize financial value, and constantly analyze our world for new opportunities. I’ve had the chance to discuss financial advancements with leaders in meetings across the globe, from Kampala to Dublin, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, and San Francisco. In every instance, I’ve noticed a shared ambition–and I will always keep this lesson about internal drive close to me even after graduation.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Always have an open mind. Being a business student is about keeping up-to-date with the latest news, innovations, and potential collaborations across industries worldwide.

Go on that trip. Take that extra class. Visit that new site. Join that new program. Experience the world and your community, not just your home campus, because it will truly shape how you perceive others in the future and how others perceive you.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I am incredibly grateful for my experience. If I had to do one thing differently, I suppose I would try to take a course in as many departments within Wharton. Wharton has 20 different concentrations, yet students choose a maximum of two to specialize. While answering this question, I did a little research on my transcript: I’ve taken courses in 8 out of 10 of our departments. Perhaps freshman-year Shivani could’ve crashed a new class or two. If you’re reading this, just grab a friend and audit that class that has always sounded exciting to you, even if you think you don’t have the right background for it.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? Dean James has created a strong vision for establishing Wharton as a leader in AI programming. Through Wharton’s AI Initiative, it has been incredible to see faculty publish research and more through Knowledge at Wharton. Wharton has also partnered with ChatGPT Edu, and students taking cross-listed MBA-level courses are able to utilize GPT 4.0 to assist in the classroom experience, truly leveling the playing field in terms of equity. The Wharton Dean’s Advisory Board has done extensive research and surveying into the student, alumni, and faculty perspectives on AI. Alumni wholeheartedly agree that AI literacy is essential for the future workforce, especially given the speed of adoption and competition in the space. Students are eager to learn more about how the technology works and how to engineer prompts efficiently. Whether we are ready to wrap our heads around it, it is important to be prepared for the level of automation we will experience in every aspect of our lives in the next few months, particularly as upcoming graduates in the United States.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? On a typical afternoon during my sophomore spring semester, I helped a freshman student open their first credit card. This might sound simple, as I’ve counseled dozens of undergraduates and graduates across 10 different schools at Penn through my job with Financial Wellness @ Penn. However, there is something so special about helping a first-generation, low-income international student understand what credit is, how building it is applicable for their future, and taking the full hour to submit the application with them. I am honored to have helped in leveling the playing field one counseling appointment at a time, especially given the high socioeconomic diversity within our student body. Since then, I’ve helped PhD candidates create plans to pay down their student loans, my friends create budgets, and undergraduates open a Roth IRA. As a Peer Educator, I am truly proud of each of my students after each session.

Which classmate do you most admire? I’ve known Daniel Min since the start of my freshman year – it has been incredible to see his creative evolution at the intersection of business, media, and entertainment. Daniel is unapologetically authentic, funny, and not afraid to put himself out there – literally. You might recognize him from street interviews with finance professionals and vlogs during his gap semester in NYC, growing the startup RecruitU to empower students in their recruiting journey. I will, however, always recognize him through his deadpan humor, challenging the ‘traditional’ notion of a business student status quo, and the fond memories of our sophomore summer living as roommates in a basement in San Francisco. I admire Daniel for going out of the box and being quite good at it.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? +Xavier Shankle was my first mentor at Penn, and now I consider him my honorary older brother and good friend. When I first met him through Wharton’s Successful Transition and Empowerment Program, I had no idea my fellow Atlanta twin would have such an impact on my life. Xavier empowered me to apply for the Wharton Dean’s Advisory Board, take a closer interest in the behind-the-scenes of my higher education, stick to my passions of civic engagement in Philadelphia without challenging my desire to learn more about finance, and truly reflect on how to make Penn a more welcoming and inclusive institution. Serving as Co-Chair of WAB with him in 2023, I learned so much about stakeholder engagement, proactive planning, and how to work towards our initiative goals with newfound efficiency. Xavier is creative, kind, analytical, funny, incredibly intelligent, and the most well-spoken person I know. He is humble, supportive, and works in silence while his actions speak volumes. I thank him for inspiring me to take advantage of my college experience, and I would not be where I am today without him. Thank you, Xavier!

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Receive my MBA abroad (I did a semester on exchange at HEC Paris last year and loved it).
2. Manage my own investment fund after learning from the top veterans of the PE industry.

What made Shevani such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Shivani Desai is an incredible leader whose character is defined by her strong work ethic, innovative mindset, and deep commitment to service. As co-chair of the Wharton Dean’s Undergraduate Advisory Board, she has demonstrated a thoughtful, inclusive leadership style, consistently focusing on improving the academic environment for her peers. Her approach to leadership is centered on collaboration, strategic vision, and empowering others to succeed, whether through organizing impactful events like the Wharton Undergraduate Business Summit or offering personalized financial guidance to students as a senior peer educator for Financial Wellness at Penn. Shivani’s passion for education and her drive to create positive change are evident in her work with underrepresented communities, as well as her dedication to growing her skills in the finance industry. Above all, she embodies a sense of altruism and responsibility, always seeking to help others thrive and succeed.”

Jen Murphy, Ed.D.
Director, Strategic Initiatives
The Wharton School

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