A Firm Foundation

Nirav Shah ’13 VSB grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey, and upon graduating high school he knew he wanted to work in finance. After interning with Wells Fargo the summer after his junior year, he returned to work at Wells Fargo upon graduating VSB. He currently works in sales and trading. Shah credits Villanova’s detailed curriculum, dedicated clubs, and strong network with helping him secure his internship at Wells Fargo, which enabled him to launch his career in sales and trading.

When he was searching for a college one thing that appealed to Shah was VSB’s strong four-year curriculum. The Villanova core curriculum is something Shah strongly supports, and believes the required liberal arts classes allowed him to be a candidate with a versatile skill set and to stand out when applying for internships. Attending VSB and working through the core curriculum was a differentiating factor for him when marketing himself for internships.

Memories of Villanova basketball are prominent in Shah’s mind when he thinks of his time at VSB, and he can count with two hands the number of home games he missed during his four years at Villanova. His involvement with the Villanova Equity Society was also a fundamental part of his Villanova experience. The exposure to the market from the Equity Society allowed him to gain the first-hand technical knowledge necessary to be successful going into interviews at banks. The skills Shah learned from his time in the Equity Society, such as being able to pitch stocks and talk about the market, provided him invaluable real-world experiences that complemented the knowledge VSB taught him in the classroom.  

Shah also stressed the importance and impact of the VSB network on his professional career development. He found it extremely beneficial to be able to meet Villanova alumni at many major banks in New York City. He feels that connections he made with Villanova alumni served as a pipeline into the New York finance hub and have provided him opportunities to advance in his career. He hopes to continue to help Villanovans advance their careers much like how alumni helped him.