Our Bureau
Stamford, CT
On October 4th, 2024, the Connecticut (CT) Chapter of the Global Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) hosted a program to welcome new students of Indian origin at the University of Connecticut (UConn). This event provided students with the opportunity to network with successful business executives, leaders, and GOPIO members working in fields related to their studies, as well as with the broader community. Students from across India who have come to UConn for further education attended the meet-and-greet and left with valuable insights on how to seize opportunities and leverage networking, social media, and technical and soft skills to enhance their educational and career prospects.
GOPIO-CT has been organizing a welcome networking dinner for the new students at UConn Business School from its Stamford and Hartford campuses since 2018. One of the objectives has been to connect the students with our community. The chapter also organized a panel on how to market oneself and succeed in America. It was chaired and moderated by GOPIO-CT Board Member Manish Maheshwari, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Victory Capital. Panelists included Akshay Chand, CTO and Partner MKP Capital; Gitika Jain, VP Shipping and Digital Experience Pitney Bowes; Hitesh Mittal, Founder CEO, BestEx Research; Joe Simon, Advisor, Activate Consulting; Ravi Tulsyan, CFA, ex-CFO XPO Logistics; and Vinod Addidam, Managing Director, Hedge Fund.
The seven panelists at the program have had decades of experience working at prominent financial tech, hedge fund and technology companies. They all shared invaluable advice with the students, gleaned from their professional experiences. Moderator Maheshwari asked the panelists about networking and career paths which led to specific questions from students in the audience. The panel session was followed by a dinner, giving students further opportunities to interact with the panelists and expand their connections. Upon interviewing the students, the salient takeaways from the program were:
Don’t be a generalist, try to be a specialist – an expert at what you do; Networking is key to kickstarting and advancing a career; Networking is more about giving than taking; Coach yourself to network, it is a lifelong career skill; Make sure to experiment and be open to failing fast; Seek mentors in your career; Communication is important in today’s world and so is the ability to collaborate; and Give your best to every opportunity – big or small.
The program started with a welcome by GOPIO-CT Chapter President Dr. Jaya Daptardar and was sponsored by BestEx Research. A highly successful program by GOPIO-CT as a service to the student community.
GOPIO-CT is one of the most active chapters of GOPIO International and has been serving the Connecticut Indian community since 2006.
