Kumar Vijayendra

Kumar Vijayendra (KATZ ’20) left a successful career in India to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration. He wanted to earn his MBA in the U.S. because it would be respected globally, and he was drawn to the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business because of its excellent reputation and robust program.

However, he quickly realized that he and his wife (and then one-year-old daughter) would need a loan of nearly six million rupee ($80,000) to cover the cost. The dream appeared dead before it began—until Pitt provided a generous scholarship offer.

“Up to that point I was someone sitting in a far corner of the world just having a dream,” Kumar said. “The scholarships were the difference between just dreaming and realizing my goals.”

Kumar said he wanted to “stand up” for everyone who made his degree possible by taking advantage of as many internships and club activities as he could while in school and then by making a positive impact on the developing world after graduation.

“The gifts (to create these scholarships at Pitt) are the highest form of giving because they are made without any expectation of return, not even knowing to whom they are given,” said Kumar. “I want to make the donors proud of every dollar they invested, and the trust and faith they imposed without knowing who I am nor the subsequent scholarship recipients.”