Nisha Vodrahalli Creates Legacy at the Chaifetz School
Nisha Vodrahalli, a junior at the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business majoring in business technology management and accounting, is pioneering a professional legacy for herself and for other members of the business school as the president of Aspire STL.
Business technology management, a program that focuses on business analytics and managing enterprise technology, and accounting are both passions of Vodrahalli’s. She feels that each major is individualistic but works together to offer her a holistic education.
Classes for both her majors enhanced her leadership and business skills, allowing her to earn two competitive internships. In the summer of 2021, Vodrahalli earned a position at Boeing as a rates and overhead management Intern. Boeing accepted three SLU students, Vodrahalli being one of them.
The next summer, Vodrahalli worked for KPMG as an Embark Scholar Intern, where she rotated between tax, audit and advisory positions.
“It was the best experience,” Vodrahalli said. “It really helped me decide what I want to go into and the space I want to be in.”
The Chaifetz School’s close relationship with business leaders in the St. Louis area gave Vodrahalli a boost when earning her internships.
“Accounting firms come to SLU, all of the ‘Big Four’ midsize firms, everyone recruits out of SLU. It’s a really great stepping stone for anything you want to do.”
Vodrahalli’s achievements extend both to her career and the impact she’s leaving on Chaifetz School. She currently serves as the president of Aspire STL, a group that works to create space for underrepresented businesspeople. Aspire’s mission creates a community of inclusivity and promotes diversity and representation within the Chaifetz School. With no member dues or initiation fees, the group hosts speakers, interview workshops and headshot seminars.
“Nisha is a perfect example of how engaged our students are at the Chaifetz School, and how they strive to be ethical business leaders for and with others,” said Barnali Gupta, Ph.D, Edward Jones Dean of the Chaifetz School. “All of us are excited to see how Nisha uses her time at the Chaifetz School to be a force for positive change in the business world.”
“We’re all about empowering and creating a community,” Vodrahalli said. “Personally, there are a good amount of women in my classes but it’s great to be able to have a personal connection.”
The program fosters accessibility as younger undergraduate students can utilize practices that have allowed other students to become successful. The group also pairs members up through a mentorship program.
“My mentor was a junior when I was a first year and now she’s in the master's program and we talk all the time,” Vodrahalli said.
Vodrahalli is the first president in Aspire’s history to not have been a founding member of the group and is excited about continuing the mission “I’m getting into who I am as a person within Aspire and it feels really great,” Vodrahalli said.
The Chaifetz School works directly with Aspire to create publicity and fund certain events. Both leadership by students such as Vodrahalli and Chaifetz’s mission of emphasis on holistic business are working to create a sphere of diversity and inclusion.
Vodrahalli continues to grow Aspire and excel within the classroom. She loves the community of Chaifetz School of Business and has felt it from the beginning.
Founded in 1910, the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University has shaped the future of industry for more than a century. As one of the oldest business schools west of the Mississippi, the Chaifetz School has built a reputation as a leader in business education committed to innovation, inclusion and impact and recognized with eight undergraduate and graduate programs nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report.