President's Report 2008

Meet Doshi wants a career in international business, and he is well on his way. In November of 2007, he was part of a four-student Villanova School of Business (VSB) team that won the top prize in the International Business University Competition, sponsored by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce as part of World Trade Week.

Students were charged with developing a global market strategy for Dole Foods. While most teams researched and chose an exotic fruit to simply import to the U.S., the Villanova students decided to launch a line of healthy smoothies.

“We developed a comprehensive business plan that addressed marketing, supply chain and distribution, import and trade restrictions and financial implications for Dole Foods,” Meet recalled. “It outlined how to achieve a higher profit margin —and that helped us win.”

Thinking outside the box is nothing new for Meet, who is on target to complete a dual major in Finance and International Business, with minors in German and Accountancy in three years of undergraduate study. He also is pursuing a rigorous Honors Concentration. His goal is to add an M.S. in Finance during what would have been his fourth undergraduate year.

He is president of the International Business Society and works as a research assistant in VSB’s Center for Global Leadership and as a VSB Web marketing assistant. He also is a peer counselor and captain of his intramural soccer team.

“At Villanova, it’s almost overwhelming all the opportunities we have available,” Meet laughed.

When it came time to select a college, “I only applied to Villanova,” he said. “All the other schools I looked at had top-tier business schools, but they weren’t growing like Villanova’s. In terms of facilities and resources for students, there was just no comparison.”

This past summer, Meet took courses at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, including a seminar on the European Union that stressed the interconnectedness of the world’s economies. “Commerce is about interaction and exchange, and I’ve never had a solely U.S. view. My reaction is always, ‘how will this impact the world?’”

Meet’s perspective also comes from his own international background. Born in India, he lived in New Zealand before coming to the U.S. with his parents at age 4.

“My parents came from very humble backgrounds and were able to overcome great odds,” he said. “They’re my role models, and like them I’m driven to succeed.