Sahiba Kaur is a senior financial analyst at a business consulting firm where she coordinates cash and revenue projections for clients across multiple sectors.
“No one thought I would study economics and go to the United States for my higher education,” she said.
Kaur’s grandfather was a Sikh priest. Her parents practice the religion as well. She grew up volunteering at the temple, and singing and playing the harmonium for the congregation.
“That’s my background,” she said. “It’s so different from finance.”
The young expat navigates her high-powered, competitive career with an unflappable sense of calm that she attributes to her strong faith, values, and upbringing.
Growing up in central India, Kaur attended a missionary school. Through top marks and a lot of ambition, she landed the role of head girl: a leadership position requiring her to serve as a role model to the entire student population. Kaur also led her soccer team to three national-level tournaments. By grade 11, she’d developed an interest in economics. While earning a bachelor’s in commerce from the Institute for Excellence in Higher Education (IEHE) in Bhopal, she also balanced internships, spearheaded the establishment of her college’s first women’s soccer team, and rescued injured street dogs.
From the time she began her undergraduate studies, Kaur knew she wanted to attend graduate school in the U.S. It took a few years to put her plan in motion—most American master’s programs only consider applicants with four-year degrees, and her bachelor’s took just three years. But she was patient. After wrapping up a one-year master’s degree in economics at IEHE in 2022, Sahiba was offered a scholarship at Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business and enrolled in the STEM-designated M.S. in Finance program.
Kaur’s flight to Atlanta was her first-ever excursion outside of India, and it was a major adjustment—but worth it.
“I gained exponential skills during my time at Robinson,” she said.
From learning how to code in Python, to working in Tableau, to building financial models in Excel, her classes equipped her with a strong foundation and standout skills. She snagged her first internship in summer 2023 on the business integration and data analytics team at Assurant, an insurance company.
Through the program, Kaur also polished her networking skills, which aren’t the norm in India. After submitting more than 300 internship applications with no luck, she got paired with a mentor. He invited her to an event where she was introduced to the CEO of a corporate finance advisory firm, resulting in a second internship.
As part of Panthers on Wall Street, Kaur visited New York City's financial district.
Kaur also participated in the Panthers on Wall Street program. Through the immersive experience, she spent six months preparing for a business trip to New York City’s financial district. Knowing she would get face time with industry executives and finance professionals, she researched football and baseball so she would have conversation fodder.
“I was new to the country. I had a different accent and looked different,” she said. “But honestly, Georgia State did a great job of welcoming diversity and making sure I never felt that way. It was more in my mind.”
Kaur graduated in December 2023 and assumed her current position just three months later.
“All of my experiences at Robinson are actually helping me at this consulting company right now,” she said.