Krish Patel turns YSU involvement into Goldman Sachs career opportunity

Student Spotlight

When Krish Patel arrived at Youngstown State University, finance was not his major. Now, as he prepares to graduate in December with a degree in financial management from the Williamson College of Business Administration, Patel has turned his YSU experiences, campus involvement and professional opportunities into a full-time career opportunity with Goldman Sachs.

Patel completed a summer internship with Goldman Sachs in Dallas, working in investment banking operations within the company’s Global Banking and Markets division. During the internship, he worked with a team involved in the secondary trading of loans and gained firsthand experience with the systems, processes and collaboration involved in financial markets.

Following the internship, Patel received an offer to return to Goldman Sachs as a full-time analyst after graduation.

For Patel, the opportunity represents the culmination of a college journey shaped by persistence, connections and a willingness to explore a different path.

Patel initially enrolled at YSU as a computer science major but soon realized his interests were elsewhere.

“From childhood, I wanted to do finance,” Patel said.

After exploring his options, Patel transitioned into the Williamson College of Business Administration, where he began discovering programs, faculty members and student organizations that helped him better understand the finance industry and build professional experience.

One of the most influential experiences was joining YSU’s Student Investment Fund, where Patel later served as secretary. The student-managed fund oversees more than $4 million in investments and gives students hands-on experience with financial markets and investment decision-making.

Through the organization, Patel learned more about stock and bond markets and heard from professionals representing companies including Morgan Stanley and PNC.

“When you join one club, there are many doors that open for you,” Patel said. Those connections encouraged Patel to become increasingly involved throughout WCBA. He participated in employer events, joined the International Student Organization and pursued professional experiences in procurement, private equity and fund management before applying to Goldman Sachs.

Patel said the Student Investment Fund and International Student Organization became two of the most important parts of his college experience because they helped him build relationships and become aware of opportunities beyond the classroom.

“You don’t just learn about their organization,” Patel said of networking with professionals. “You also learn about how the world works around them.” That involvement eventually became part of the experience Patel brought with him when applying to Goldman Sachs.

The application began with encouragement from a former YSU student and mentor who alerted Patel that applications had opened. Patel initially questioned whether he was qualified enough to compete for an opportunity with the company.

“I told him, ‘I think I’m not capable enough to join Goldman Sachs,’” Patel said. “But he convinced me, and he believed in my hard work.”

Patel applied and advanced through several rounds of interviews. As the process continued, his uncertainty began turning into confidence.

“I directly told the interviewer that I would be coming next year to join that internship,” Patel said.

Several weeks later, Patel received the internship offer.

Once in Dallas, Patel approached the experience with the same persistence and consistency he said helped him throughout his time at YSU. In addition to completing his assigned responsibilities, he sought opportunities to understand how different teams within Goldman Sachs worked together.

Networking became an important part of that experience. Through informal “catch-ups,” Patel connected with dozens of professionals across different teams and levels of the organization to learn more about their work.

“I met 60 to 80 people during my two-month internship and learned about their teams and how all the teams were connected,” Patel said.

That curiosity eventually led Patel to develop a workflow illustrating how teams on his floor interacted, the tools they used and how work moved between groups.

“I made a whole workflow of how all these teams were working together, what tools they were working on, what clients they were working with and how they were delivering their deliverables,” Patel said.

The project allowed Patel to look beyond his individual responsibilities and better understand the broader operation of the organization.

Within weeks of completing the internship, Patel received a call offering him a full-time position after graduation.

For Patel, the offer was not the result of one internship alone. He sees it as the product of experiences that accumulated throughout his time at YSU — changing majors, becoming involved in student organizations, building relationships with faculty and professionals and continuing to pursue opportunities even after facing rejection.

“There were many failures that I faced in college,” Patel said. “But that was the golden opportunity. Because of those rejections and perseverance, I got into Goldman Sachs.”

Patel credits YSU faculty, mentors and opportunities within WCBA with helping him identify finance as the field he wanted to pursue. He said conversations with mentors and faculty members, including Peter Chen, helped him understand potential career paths in finance and gave him opportunities to explore the industry before graduation.

His experience also reflects what Patel believes is one of the most important lessons students can take advantage of at YSU: getting involved.

“If you are in nursing, engineering or any major, join student organizations and clubs,” Patel said. “They are the ones that will open the doors and opportunities for the world outside the college.”

For students hoping to turn internships into full-time opportunities, Patel returns to two qualities that have guided his own journey: perseverance and consistency.

“You can learn the technical basics wherever you go,” Patel said. “When you have consistency and perseverance, it will be very easy for you to learn.”

As Patel prepares to graduate in December and begin the next stage of his career, his journey reflects how YSU students can use classroom learning, faculty mentorship, student organizations and professional experiences to discover their interests and prepare for opportunities beyond campus.

Through the Williamson College of Business Administration, Patel found a field that matched his interests, built experience through multiple internships and developed the professional connections that helped move him from the classroom into a career with Goldman Sachs.

“Time passes, and you still show up wherever you have to go,” Patel said. “That’s the most important thing.”