Shradha Ramchandani has been named the William G. McGowan Scholar for the upcoming year in the College of Business Administration. The scholarship will cover the tuition for her undergraduate senior year, which she has entered with a 3.904 GPA. Working toward her business degree with a double major in finance and management information systems, she looks forward to internships in both areas, then to getting an MA or MBA.
As part of the application process, students had to submit a 1,000-word essay about McGowan, a noted telecommunications leader—a task she found fascinating.
“At first, the requirement seemed very long,” she said. “But I learned so much about McGowan’s contributions to MCI and to the telecommunications industry that I had to shorten my document.”
Though she has steadfastly applied for scholarships, stipulations such as citizenship always eliminated her. This was her first success, and she almost missed it. On vacation in India, she wasn’t checking her e-mail. When she finally did, she had a message telling her that she had won the scholarship, but she needed to accept by a deadline—which was the next day.
“Fortunately, I saw the message and called the College right away,” she said.
In addition to her focus on her studies, Ramchandani has been active in many College organizations, serving as events coordinator for the Indian Student Association and an international peer mentor. She holds membership in the international honor society Phi Beta Delta, the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, the Honors College, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. A participant in the Collegiate Leadership and Development Program, Ramchandani currently is involved in the International Business Honors Society’s fund-raising events for the NICA Global Leadership Project, planned for Nicaragua in December.
Born in Brazil and raised in India, this accomplished young woman, who speaks five languages among her other abilities, chose Florida International University for two reasons.
“I felt I could fit into the environment because of the diversity, and I had heard they had a good business program,” she said.
She’s particularly grateful for the scholarship because of her hard-working parents, who have made it possible for her to attend the College.
“This scholarship is a great way for me to help them out,” Ramchandani said.
