Shreyansh Gala, a finance major who recently completed his Bachelor of Science in business at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, has been selected as the student speaker for Indiana University Bloomington’s Winter Commencement. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. on December 19 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Gala, originally from Mumbai, India, described his time at IU Bloomington as transformative. He credited interactions with people from diverse backgrounds and involvement in campus organizations for shaping his outlook. During his commencement address, he plans to share three main lessons: “Stop letting other people’s opinions define you. The journey matters more than the goal. Value your relationships above everything else.”
“These are simple lessons, but personalized lessons from my experience,” said Gala.
Gala’s interest in business began early due to exposure from his parents, who operate their own business and shared financial principles with him and his brother. As a teenager, he co-founded the Mumbai chapter of the Global Association of Economics Education to promote youth financial literacy. “What we realized is not everyone around us in Mumbai had that basic knowledge about investing, saving money and financial literacy,” Gala said. “And we thought that it’s a very important life skill to have.”
When choosing a university, Gala sought diversity and strong business programs and found IU’s Kelley School appealing because of its reputation and specialized workshops.
Reflecting on challenges faced as an international student, Gala noted initial skepticism from peers about joining certain organizations but persisted regardless. He joined Phi Gamma Nu professional business fraternity and later served as rush director in 2023. “That opened my mind that it’s time to ignore a lot of noise and trust yourself, trust your work, trust your ethics, trust your principles,” he said.
He also addressed concerns about language barriers: “I realized from my experiences and accomplishments at IU that English is not something you need to be perfect at in order to achieve the things you want to do,” Gala said.
During his senior year, Gala mentored students interested in investment banking and served as president of the Jain Student Association. He completed the Kelley Business Honors program and received several scholarships recognizing academic achievement and global engagement.
Tatiana Kolovou, teaching professor at Kelley School who taught Gala both as an undergraduate and MBA student, commented on his character: “He has a presence that is a combination of being very respectful, thoughtful and professional,” she said. “Right away I knew that he would do really great things.” She added: “He is a sponge in all classes and does a great job with all the projects we do and how we learn. He’s highly regarded by his classmates.”
Gala will begin IU’s Accelerated Master’s Program in January to earn a Master of Science in finance before joining Bank of America as an investment banking analyst after graduation next May.
Looking ahead, Gala expressed ambitions beyond personal career advancement: “I want to not only create a lot of employment across the world, but also I want to create an organization where a good portion of the profits are put toward the benefit of society,” he said.
