We would like to extend our congratulations to Rishi Lahoti, for receiving the BP Future Talent Scholar Award!

Rishi is currently a freshman working toward a Bachelors of Science in FinTech and Big Data Analytics. He is also a member of COINS otherwise known as Commodity Investing by Students. Within COINS, he started as a Junior Analyst and then became a Crude Oil Analyst this past April. This summer, Rishi will be joining Nothrop Gruman as a Business Management Intern in their Fairfax office. We cannot wait to see what your bright future holds!

We got to meet with Rishi to discuss his award and hear about his summer plans. Here’s what he said:

What’s your Major?

I’m majoring in Finance right now and my concentration is FinTech and Big Data Analytics, and I’m a freshman.

Can you tell me a little bit more about the award you won? What made you apply for it?

So I found out about the award through Virginia Tech Alumni that I was in touch with at BP. They recommended this opportunity to me, especially scholarship wise. I think the award tries to capture anyone interested in the energy industry in whatever capacity that is. For me it’s more Finance oriented since I like the markets as they relate to oil and gas and that sort of stuff. That’s what they were trying to find applicants for, and that’s how the award is given out, I believe. I’m big into sustainability and that was also a big reason I applied. I think BP has been at the forefront of it for a while even though they are a more traditional oil and gas company. That along with my interest in those commodities, I think it made me a perfect fit for this award.

Are there any other awards you’ll be applying for soon?

Yeah, I think there is a lot out there through Virginia Tech or not for students. I think it’s a numbers game, you have to submit as many applications as you can and see what sticks. I don’t have one in mind right now, but once the next academic year rolls around again I’ll apply for more.

How do you think it’ll help advance your career?

I think BP has a lot of internships and jobs that are tailor fit to what I want to do that are related to energy and related to Financial Markets. So I think that the scholarship is a good pipeline for eventually breaking into one of those industries. I think it also helps put me in touch with people and has a lot of potential to help me grow.

Do you have a summer internship? If so, can you tell me about the position?

I’m going to be interning at Nothrop Gruman which is a defense contractor and I will be working in their Fairfax office as a Business Management Intern. It’s a 10 week program and is rotational in nature. Pretty excited for that!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

A lot of what I’ve learned about energy and my interest comes from that I’m in a Commodities Investing group in the energy division. I’ve had a lot of great help and mentors along the way that have really shown me and guided me through the field. So, I don’t think that I could have been close to winning this award without that.