“I love music. I have been singing since I was a child,” shares Rithika Nistala, offering a glimpse into her multifaceted identity. It’s an intriguing mix; you wouldn’t necessarily expect someone deeply immersed in mathematics and quantitative studies to harbor such passionate devotion to music and singing.
Nistala, a dual major in Commerce and Statistics, who concentrated in Management at McIntire with tracks in Global Commerce and Quantitative Finance, and concentrated in Data Science for her Statistics studies, credits her coursework with reshaping her perspective and unlocking numerous opportunities along the way.
She cites Professor Mark White’s Integrated Core Finance class in her third year as a turning point: “It was such an amazing experience because he taught us what it was like to engage with finance in the real world and understand that it’s not just running numbers and telling people they can make millions if they invest in your product,” she says. “That’s what led me to realize that finance can be used for good. Having gone through that my first semester during fall ICE with finance allowed me to take advantage of the difficult and diverse coursework that Comm offers. I would have never touched finance as a field. I would have never considered marketing research and analytics because it’s so research focused. Because I had taken the time to try, it opened me to opportunities and courses in the Comm School that make me a more diverse individual in terms of the skills I can bring to the table.”
Regarding her imminent career, she’ll be starting in early August with Herndon, VA-based EdgeConneX, a company Nistala describes as a “real estate company for data centers.” In a hybrid role as a Treasury Analyst where she’ll be building reports and models to support the firm’s transaction deals, she’ll be responsible for executing the company’s financing strategy, which includes raising capital to support M&A and organic growth initiatives, supporting the preparation and execution of complex financing transactions, as well as debt portfolio management.
That technical proficiency, coupled with practical experience gained during Professor Paul Seaborn’s Global Commerce Immersion class project in Costa Rica and the impactful education she received in Professor Peter Maillet’s Foundations of Global Commerce course, positions her well with essential analytical and interpersonal skills. “Both of those courses deal with interacting with different people from different backgrounds, and in this role, I believe our clients come from all over the world,” she says of her remote position. “Not only will I need to interact with co-workers from different regions, but our clients might also be from different countries.”
Nistala’s educational journey has spanned continents. Having studied Mandarin during her first two years at UVA, which was supplemented by living at immersive language learning dorm Shea House as a second- through fourth-year, she prepared for learning abroad for a three-month stint in Taiwan. And through Seaborn’s Global Commerce course in Costa Rica, Nistala also implemented strategies with a local business. Each experience imparted valuable lessons, fueling her enthusiasm for future global endeavors while maintaining strong ties to her family. A recent trip to India presented her with cultural adaptations: “Last year, I went alone, which was really fun. I tried to speak my mother tongue at the airport and pretend I was native.”
Alongside her academic pursuits, she served as a member of Commerce Council and the Indian Student Association at UVA, the latter of which has empowered her. “I’ve been able to lead my own community, put on events, and be a guide for others,” she says. “Having a space like this and putting on events that cater to different people with as many different interests is really fun. For me, that’s probably the most rewarding experience: to know that I’ve put on an event or been there for people in a way that gave them a community they didn’t even know could exist until they found it.”
But let’s get back to that love of music. Nistala was also heavily engaged as the Music Director of Ektaal A Cappella. Her dedication to the singing group led her to write, perform, and even book time in a Charlottesville studio where the group tracked some songs, one of which, a cover of Billy Eilish’s “Lovely,” is currently streaming. “It’s really fun to know that I wrote a song, we sang it, and it’s published. I feel fulfilled in my music career, a career that I’ve been trying to figure out how to engage in.” Having managed to strike a balance between rigorous academics and furthering her musical aspirations, she plans to continue performing after graduation. “Being in a space to interact with music here has given me a lot of relief along with my academics. Everything can be so hard sometimes, but just being able to go and sing with my friends has been really fun.”
Looking ahead, Nistala envisions a professional path where her expertise aligns seamlessly with her personal interests. Her remote role at ESM Engines facilitates travel, supporting her aspiration to explore national parks and engage with diverse communities.
That also leaves space for more music, as well as potential for global travel and relocation opportunities, as her future employer EdgeConneX has offices worldwide. While she intends to return to Northern Virginia to be near her family in the near term, Nistala is weighing the possibilities of moving to other cities where, in addition to advancing her analyst career, she could also perform and refine her repertoire within a local music scene.
But where she is now as a self-described low-income, first-generation student is the result of a lot of soul-searching. She realized early on that she had to make the most of going to UVA and receiving aid, “but a lot of the time, I was also thinking about how I was going to support my family after I graduate,” she recalls. “How I was going to make a difference but doing so in a way that balances my interests and needs? While I might be interested in pursuing music or doing creative work, how can I blend that into a career path or an activity that allows me to support financially those I need to? That was a challenge.”
Nistala had an epiphany that seems to have defined her time on Grounds and her openness towards the years ahead. “I reconciled the fact that maybe I won’t be able to do everything all at once. Sometimes just finding a starting point to enter is more than enough to get you where you want to be.”
