2018 Wharton and SEAS graduate Krish Mehta is the first Penn affiliate to receive the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate studies at Stanford University.
The Knight-Hennessy Scholarship funds an international set of graduate-level students for up to three years of study at Stanford University. Mehta, who cites his experiences at Penn as being partially responsible for his acceptance to the prestigious program, is pursuing studies in the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Doerr School of Sustainability.
The scholarship program emphasizes leadership and diversity, and the incoming 2023 Knight-Hennessy cohort consists of 85 scholars from 29 countries studying across 38 graduate degree programs. The scholarship recipients also take part in leadership development training to prepare them for leadership roles in a variety of fields, according to the program’s website.
During his time at Penn, Mehta centered his academic career around climate change and its implications. He conducted undergraduate research in energy finance and engineering, driven by the goal of finding solutions to climate crises, according to Penn Today.
During his first-year summer at Penn, Mehta participated in research related to biodegradable plastics with the VIPER program, growing his passion for sustainability practices and applications.
Alongside his engineering research, Mehta worked on the finance side of sustainability research, analyzing oil wells and finding fuel-efficient ways to optimize funding. He noted the value of Penn’s interdisciplinary education.
“It allowed me to approach problems like an engineer and a businessman," Mehta said. "I always found myself in situations where I was solving real-world problems.”
After graduating Penn, Mehta worked at McKinsey & Company with a focus on sustainability practice and in financial management at Tesla before beginning his studies at Stanford.
Mehta stated that he wanted to go back to school in part to hone the skills needed to build a business of his own. “School is the perfect place to come back to,” he said. “I will continue to learn how to work through business problems.”
He added that what he learned at Penn helped guide him through his early career and decision to pursue further education, and emphasized the idea of being “deliberate towards opportunities and personal goals.”
“Penn taught me how important it is to realize how valuable the people you’re connected with and the opportunities you have are,” Mehta said.
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