Harshil Sahai

Hometown: Saratoga, Calif.
High School: Saratoga High School
Intended major: Economics, mathematics
Possible career: Investment banking

Harshil attended a competitive public high school in northern California. Though his school routinely produced future scientists and engineers, Harshil found his niche in business. President of the DECA Club at his school, Harshil introduced students to fields such as marketing, finance, and sports, hotel, and fashion management. Taking an introductory business course his freshman year, Harshil was inspired to learn more about investing and finance. In his senior year, Harshil became president of the Investment Club, which focused on collaborative stock analysis and discussion. The club made its first investment his senior year with a capital of $2500 gained through local fundraisers and was eventually placed in the top ten percent of a national stock exchange competition, making a profit of 60%.

Harshil also has a profound interest in Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture and took four years of Chinese while in high school. Wanting to experience more, he travelled to China before his junior year on a State Department sponsored scholarship to study Chinese in Shanghai. While in Shanghai, Harshil took intensive Chinese reading, listening, and culture courses while living with a host family who spoke only a few words of English. After school, he volunteered at a local hospital teaching English to children with Cerebral Palsy. Harshil also volunteered as treasurer of the Interact Club and helped raise money towards eradicating polio.

In his free time Harshil enjoys playing tennis with his family and friends (as well as for his high school team), playing guitar and keeping up with the latest technology, finance, and political news.