Spotlight on Nandini Agarwal

SPOTLIGHT: NANDINI AGARWAL

“If you want to be extraordinary, you have to create your own opportunities.”

NANDINI AGARWAL, A 2020 GRADUATE of both the Judy Genshaft Honors College and the Provost’s Scholars Program (PSP), shared this sentiment as a theme and guiding principle of her time at USF. Nandini says she seized every available opportunity in her three-year academic journey as a double major in Finance and Accounting. Those opportunities included studying abroad in London, completing an Honors thesis, balancing various leadership roles and pre-professional internships, and even founding her own start-up consulting company.

She attributes much of her success to “saying yes” and creating her own opportunities; sound advice she received from one of her mentors, Dr. Sayan Basu, Director of the USF Office of National Scholarships. Nandini further explained her mindset and her recipe for success: “We need to have willingness, ability, and exposure to pursue opportunities,” she says. “The Honors College and PSP exposed me to opportunities, and because I had the willingness and ability, I achieved what I wanted.” She emphasizes the importance of going beyond attending events to, as she says, “making connections, learning something new, and building something from it.”

Reflecting on her PSP and Honors experiences, Nandini joyfully shared that studying abroad in London, was “the best summer of my life!” She recalled feeling homesick the first few weeks and fondly remembers Honors Dean, Dr. Charles Adams, accompanying her on their return to the hostel after a group dinner. She says that their conversation helped her adjust to—and embrace—being abroad in unfamiliar surroundings, which fostered in her a love of travel.

Although Nandini envisioned becoming a certified public accountant, her internships with Goldman Sachs, Price Waterhouse Coopers, and an India-based nonprofit made her reconsider her previous corporate goals. Surprisingly, after watching the television show Shark Tank, she grew an interest in the field of venture capitalism and utilized the networking site LinkedIn to meet and connect with professionals in this field. There, she found Florida Funders, a local venture capital firm, where she now works helping small business owners achieve their dreams by facilitating funding sources for their budding companies.

While at USF, Nandini’s extensive academic and co-curricular involvement made the value of time a consistent theme. She says that honing her time management skills in college was necessary, as these skills are paramount in the post-graduate working world, where free time is finite. Working full-time has deepened her appreciation of time as well and revealed a need to do things with intentionality for herself, outside of work. She prioritizes time with friends and family, exploring hobbies, eating well, staying fit, and planning weekend getaways each month.

She advises current Scholars and Honors students to “Soak up the moment!” She says that three years will pass quickly, especially for Provost’s Scholars, so it’s important to be present. Despite her impressive involvement, Nandini still believes she could have planned better and done even more. She encourages students to evaluate how they are spending their time, and to spend it in meaningful ways. “Ask yourself: What is worth it? What deserves your time?” she says. “Make good investments of your limited resources and energy in order to maximize your college experience. It will be worth it!”