M.S. in Finance student Vidit Kanoi recently received the “All Rounder” award from his academic department for maintaining a 4.0 GPA while also managing a $1 million stock portfolio alongside a group of peers, sustaining an internship, and volunteering at Robinson. Award criteria include leadership, strong engagement in extracurricular and co-curricular activities, building relationships, and networking.
Kanoi began his graduate studies in August 2023 and quickly became a standout student. He serves as chief operating officer of the college’s Portfolio Management Team, a group of students who manage the aforementioned stock portfolio donated by Bank of America. The team meets weekly to discuss financial and economic data accessed through the college’s Bloomberg Service Terminals, ultimately making decisions on buying, selling, and trading shares.
He also has helped create a sense of belonging among his classmates by organizing holiday potlucks and volunteer excursions, such as a cleanup and tree-planting event at Piedmont Park last spring.
Kanoi organized a cleanup and tree-planting event in Piedmont Park last spring.
“I like to be involved in the community and work with nature, and I also like how volunteering opens opportunities to network with people,” Kanoi said.
Kanoi first learned about the master’s in finance program at a university fair held at a five-star hotel in his hometown of Mumbai.
"I was looking to pursue a graduate degree in the United States, and I met Richard James, [Robinson’s associate director of graduate recruiting], at the fair last year,” he said. “The opportunities to study and to work with the school's $1 million sponsored investment fund were appealing.”
One of Kanoi’s favorite classes so far is Derivative Markets with Gerald Gay.
“Dr. Gay engaged the whole class in discussions that pertain to real-world finance and things happening in the news every day,” he said. “That helped me understand more about investments and equity markets.”
Kanoi also works as a graduate assistant with faculty members Rasha Ashraf and Milind Shrikande. As part of the role, he researches national and global finance trends from the past 35 years and reviews academic journals, practitioner journals, and mainstream media to determine the lead or lag between the academic and corporate worlds.
Kanoi also is a senior accountant intern at United Consulting Group, an engineering consulting firm that specializes in environmental and geophysical services and geotechnical engineering.
Before graduating in December, Kanoi will travel to New York City with the Panthers on Wall Street program. The excursion will include visits to the New York Stock Exchange, BlackRock, Moody’s, and other major industry players. The trip, along with his culmination of experiences at Robinson, will prepare him for a career in investment management.
“I want to go into private equity, venture capital, or banking, and live the American dream,” Kanoi said.