Photo by Amy Nelson ’20
For Janak Singh-Sethi, Winona State University taught him that achieving your goals is possible with a little encouragement and a whole lot of persistence.
Singh-Sethi, originally from Pune, India, first attended the University of London before transferring to WSU to study Finance. The opportunities for close interaction between professors and students provided a huge advantage to him as a student.
“My learning curve has arguably been way better than my peers from other universities,” said. Singh-Sethi. “The support you get from WSU and the way everyone is selflessly involved in helping an individual achieve his/her goals is unmatched.”
He also appreciated that WSU offers an environment that is conducive for high growth, with competitive scholarships to encourage excellence in finance and economics, and dedicated faculty willing to help support student goals.
“Even though my aim of getting a full-time offer from an investment firm in New York looked far-fetched, professors always said that it’s achievable,” said Singh-Sethi. “This faith helped me focus my thoughts and think of strategies of how this could be possible.”
Along the way, Singh-Sethi found the biggest challenge to achieving his dream was procuring the ideal internship in the right location.
“Getting into the main finance industry in New York was a hurdle,” said Singh-Sethi, but he was determined to make his dream into a reality. He cold-emailed around 1,000 New York investment firms last January, and with the help of his professors and peers, secured an internship at a hedge fund in New York.
“I have always aimed at creating more since ‘create your more’ is the mantra that the College of Business teaches you from day-one,” said Singh-Sethi.
Singh-Sethi will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and is currently working to secure a full-time position at the hedge fund he interned with over the summer. He is convinced that anyone can reach their dreams, so long as they have passion and persistence.
“I strongly believe that if you love doing something, you do not need any added motivation or encouragement to excel at it,” said Singh-Sethi. “It practically works as a default setting and you effortlessly perform miracles.”
WSU Fall Commencement Ceremonies will take place Friday, Dec. 8, in McCown Gymnasium on the Winona campus. The 10 a.m. ceremony will feature the College of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Science and Engineering. The 2 p.m. ceremony will feature the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
For more information, visit http://www.winona.edu/graduation/commencement.asp or call University Communications at 507-457-5024.
