Pranav Shah
University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce
“Huge San Francisco sports fan, lifelong learner and sharer, drinks hot chocolate year-round.”
Fun fact about yourself: My interest in business sparked after coming across Shark Tank while I was out of school during COVID.
Hometown: Pittsylvania County, Virginia
High School: Tunstall High School
Major: Commerce (Accounting & Management Concentrations)
Favorite Business Course: My favorite business course was one of my first, COMM 2010: Intro to Financial Accounting, taught by Professor Jill Mitchell. I took this class during my first year, and it helped me understand how the different pieces of a business fit together and ultimately work as a system.
Looking back, COMM 2010 played a key role in my decision to pursue a business career. The concepts I learned in that class are timeless, and I still rely on them today to understand businesses, ask questions, and make sense of the world around me.
Because the course was offered asynchronously, it also taught me how to be an effective independent learner. Much of my learning today happens outside the classroom, and this class gave me early experience in taking ownership of my education.
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
President: Rotaract Club at UVA
Teaching Assistant: COMM 2010: Intro to Financial Accounting, COMM 2020: Intro to Managerial Accounting, COMM 2001: Foundations of Financial Accounting, and COMM 2006: Foundations of Managerial Decision Making
Volunteering & Community Engagement Committee: McIntire Commerce Council
Analyst: McIntire Investment Institute
Scholar: Virginia Society of CPAs
Paul Harris Fellow: Rotary International
Where have you interned during your college career?
PwC, Audit Intern – New York, New York
Baker Tilly, Tax Intern – Tysons, Virginia
Paradigm Management Company, Accounting Intern – Arlington, Virginia
Where will you be working after graduation? PwC, Audit Associate – New York, New York
Who is your favorite business professor? My favorite business professor is Professor Katie McDermott. She consistently emphasizes the importance of kindness in business and at work, not just as an idea discussed in class, but as something she actively models with her students.
One lesson I will remember far beyond my time at UVA came from how she responded during an exam I was taking in her class when an emergency occurred on Grounds. She immediately set the exam aside and focused entirely on keeping us calm and supported. Watching her lead with compassion and steady judgment in a difficult moment showed me that leadership and character are revealed under pressure. That actions ultimately matter more than words do.
That experience shaped how I think about leadership. Professor McDermott showed me that strong leaders center people in uncertain moments. How you show up for others when things are difficult truly matters. I’ve done my best to pay this forward to my own students in various teaching assistant roles that I’ve held.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Everything in business is connected.
The different functional areas of a business do not operate in silos, which is one reason I have really appreciated McIntire’s Integrated Core curriculum. Decisions in one area inevitably affect others. The outputs of one organization often become the inputs of another. Stakeholders and people across organizations and industries are connected in ways I wouldn’t have expected.
Over time, business has started to feel less fragmented and more like a system, with each part influencing the whole. It can be easy, at times, to get stuck in the details, but there is always a bigger picture. The world seems smaller to me than it once did because everything is connected.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? I would offer three thoughts:
First, focus on the things in your control and don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Early on, many career outcomes may feel outside your control. All you can do is equip yourself with the best information and put yourself in the best position to succeed. Focus on inputs, not outputs, and trust that the results will take care of themselves over time. This is much easier said than done, and I still remind myself of this all the time.
Second, don’t forget where you came from. Don’t forget the people who believed in you and spent time with you, even when they didn’t have to. Make the time to say thank you and be willing to support those who are earlier on. I grew up in a small town in southern Virginia, and one of my first jobs was as a bank teller. I was excited to wake up each day serving our community. I still believe business, leadership, and careers are about serving others.
Finally, don’t forget to pause and reflect on what you’re learning. It’s easy to move on to the next thing. Keep track, in some way, of the important lessons along the way. Learning and sharing are central to my philosophy. Colleagues I haven’t worked with in years still get a periodic note from me with a reflection or learning. It’s a great way to stay in touch, and I find it makes me sharper.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? My answer would be a piece of advice I received from a partner at PwC last summer. Whenever you’re learning something, especially in school, try to understand its real-world implications. Ask what it would mean in practice and how it might influence an owner’s or manager’s decisions.
Earlier on, I was more focused on checking items off my to-do list and earning good grades. It was easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the bigger picture: learning. Over time, and through this advice, I’ve started looking beyond grades and the classroom to understand how concepts actually apply in the real world. That shift has helped me connect ideas across disciplines, which I believe is where the true value of business education lies.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? This fall, I was a teaching assistant for our inaugural class of second-year students in their required accounting course. Our professors created a custom AI tutor designed specifically for our course, with outputs tailored to our students’ level.
In addition to classroom use, I’ve also enjoyed attending events and conferences hosted by the school that feature leaders in the field.
One insight I’ve gained is that AI will never replace the human elements of business. AI cannot build trust across stakeholders or form relationships. Some parts of business must, and always will, remain human.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? During my time as President of UVA’s Rotaract Club, I’m most proud of our team’s impact on the Charlottesville and UVA communities, our ability to bring people together, and the meaningful change we ultimately created. Rotaract is a partner of Rotary International, and my involvement began in high school. I was honored to be tapped as President midway through my second year at UVA, well before I ever thought I’d hold such a leadership role.
Along the way, there were two key lessons that I’ll always remember. First, I learned that people working together are far more powerful than I ever could have imagined. When aligned, collective effort can drive very meaningful progress. Second, as I look back, my success as president was actually the success of our team. Celebrating our people and our shared impact matters. It’s what drives a strong culture, which is far more important than anything I could ever say or do.
While there are plenty of things I’d do differently, this role fundamentally changed the way I think about business and leadership. It’s why I care deeply about people and culture today.
Which classmate do you most admire? Serious Pinchback and I have known each other since sixth grade. We were lucky enough not only to both attend UVA and McIntire, but also to be in the same Integrated Core block in our third years. One word I would use to describe Serious is authentic. No matter the environment or who’s in front of him, he is always himself. That’s been a constant for over a decade now, even when no one’s watching.
He brings an infectious energy to the classroom, is consistently engaged and curious, and is one of the hardest-working people I know. Serious continues to inspire me to show up with the same authenticity, enthusiasm, and intention.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? Without a doubt, it is my mom and dad. They grew up in India and didn’t come to the United States with much. They taught me the importance and value of hard work and serving people from a young age. Those principles continue to carry me today. The small-town values they instilled in me are what I take with me wherever I go, whether that’s back home, at UVA, or in New York City.
While neither has navigated a business career, they continue to support and encourage me. We still talk daily, and I share many of the exciting things I’m doing and learning. Thank you, mom and dad.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
1. I hope to lead a project that supports the local communities my organization operates in. Communities are critical stakeholders in business, and contributing meaningfully to them is something that really excites me.
2. I hope to work internationally and learn from business leaders across different geographies and cultures. Commerce connects the world, and gaining perspective beyond my own environment is something I think is essential to becoming a thoughtful, well-rounded leader.
What made Pranav such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?
“In 18 years of teaching, I’ve rarely encountered a student like Pranav. He pairs intellectual rigor with service to McIntire, and he carries himself with an integrity and humility that are genuinely uncommon. When an opportunity arose to recognize his work, he asked me not to put his name forward. For him, service should speak for itself, and that instinct captures who he is.
He once told me that, as a shy student, it took courage just to attend office hours. Fast forward to his Rotaract presidency when he spoke confidently in the Rotunda to students, faculty, and Charlottesville community members about striving to be “as helpful to the people around me as possible.” I see him live those words every day. As my first-ever third-year TA, he has served four consecutive semesters, supporting over 1,000 students and championing the accounting profession by quietly mentoring peers through pivotal early career decisions. Pranav will bring that same people-first commitment to the accounting profession. I have not taught a student more prepared to lead with both excellence and heart.”
Professor Jill Mitchell
McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia
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