Smith Undergrad Receives Prestigious ACG Scholarship

Akshay Goyal - proud winner of the ACG scholarship

Akshay Goyal, a rising Smith School senior pursuing a double degree in finance and accounting, was awarded a prestigious scholarship by the National Capital chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, Inc. (ACG). ACG is a premier global association with over 12,000 members from corporations, private equity, finance, and professional service firms representing Fortune 500, Fortune1000, FTSE 100, and mid-market companies in 53 chapters in North America and Europe, for professionals involved in corporate growth, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions.

The preliminary evaluation for the scholarship started in November last year and involved a rigorous assessment of the student profiles. The process involved a thorough review of the candidate through an essay describing the student’s interest in business as a career, a description of his community involvement through service and/or direct philanthropic organizational support, a resume, and an official transcript. After an initial short listing by the Smith School, the top three candidate profiles were forwarded to ACG, who then shortlisted finalists from the region for further personal interviews. After being interviewed by members of the ACG National Capital in early February this year, Goyal was notified that he received the award.

Goyal, a stellar student, has been actively involved in extracurricular and social activities. He was selected for the Gemstone Program, a four year research program in which teams of students design, direct and conduct research under guidance of faculty mentors and Gemstone staff to explore the interdependence of science and technology with the society. Goyal has also been a part of the QUEST program, an innovative three-year quality management program established as a joint initiative by the A. James Clark School of Engineering and the College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, aimed at offering students an opportunity to study the integration of quality in the workplace while applying the knowledge and skill-set they have gained from their major in the field of engineering, business or computer science.

In addition, Goyal is part of the highly selective University’s Honors Program, Maryland's highly acclaimed living-learning program for intellectually gifted undergraduate students with exceptional academic talents and committed to acquiring a broad and balanced education through small classes in the form of seminars taught by outstanding faculty to foster innovative thinking.

Goyal is also among the 12 students selected for the Lemma Senbet Investment Fund, which is a year-long, advanced finance program available to undergraduate finance majors in their senior year in which students apply what they have learned in Finance classes to actual investment decisions, through researching real companies and managing a portfolio of real money. Additionally, Goyal is an officer for the Finance, Banking, and Investments Society at the University of Maryland

Outside the classroom, Goyal has obtained some real-world experience through internships in the financial industry. Last summer, he interned at Convergent Wealth Advisors, Inc., a wealth management firm providing a wide range of services for ultra-high net worth clients. Next summer, Goyal will be working in the Structured Finance Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Goyal, on being asked how he thinks he was able to differentiate himself from other top candidates, said, “Involvement in community service was a major factor for this scholarship. I have tried to make community service a part of my life and I feel that this aspect was also impressive to the selection panel.” Goyal elaborated that he has been involved with community service since high school volunteering at the local library, retirement homes, and tutoring. He continues to help students through tutoring and other such activities during college as well.

Goyal mentioned that receiving this award is a very significant achievement for him. “This scholarship will be a great financial help for me as I continue to pursue my dual degree in finance and accounting. The inability to pay for attending a university can stand between students and their dreams. I am thankful that organizations such as ACG are working hard to reduce these occurrences. In addition to the financial help, this award also serves a major morale booster as it indicates the appreciation of the hard work that I have been investing inside and outside the classroom everyday,” he said.

By winning this award, Goyal has again highlighted the exceptional value that Smith students are capable of creating, both academically and socially. The recognition by ACG of this value further endorses the Smith brand which lies in the pride the students hold while they take forward the legacy of contributing to the community as they themselves transform into global business leaders.

Siddhartha Jain, Smith Media Group, MBA Candidate 2010