Afshar Sanati

At age 14 Afshar Sanati created a zipcode-targeted postcard mailing for his father’s packaging and shipping store that helped drum up business during the slow summer months. At the University of Arkansas, with fellowship funding, he took his passion for business to the next level, studying abroad in Argentina, India, and Tanzania, completing two internships, and managing an $11 million portfolio in a year-long undergraduate course. “It’s really cool that students have that much control over actual money,” Afshar said. “We used returns on the portfolio to travel to New York City, Dallas and Houston, where we visited firms in the finance and energy sectors. It was a great opportunity to network.”

A cup of coffee with an alumnus opened the door to a new career path in consulting and eventually, an interview for an internship with The Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm with a branch office in Dallas. “I chose the option to interview in person,” Afshar recalled. He drove to Dallas, changed into his suit at a gas station, tackled three case studies in a two-hour round of interviews, and then returned to Fayetteville, all in one day. “I ended up getting that job,” he said with a grin, “and I realized, when I did my interview, that the experience I’ve received here has prepared me to hold my own with students from any university.”

Of the U of A experience, Afshar says: “Great classes, great profs, great peers – I was ready to hit the ground running when I started my internship.”