As co-chair of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) committee for Bryant’s student-run Archway Investment Fund, Pallak Bhandari ’18 helps to evaluate the “ethical footprint” of potential stock buys, ensuring that they match the values of the fund, and of its managers.

At the urging of Professor of Finance and Archway advisor Asli Ascioglu, Ph.D., who noted Bhandari’s conviction to investing with a purpose, she applied for and received an SRI scholarship, which allowed her to attend the 28th annual SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing. The diverse group of 800 professionals, activists, and thought leaders  welcomed Bhandari’s unique voice and experience.

“It’s a nonstop, full day of learning about SRI from industry leaders,” notes Ascigliou. “They’re available to answer any questions students might have and they love to interact with them.”

“The numbers can never tell you the complete story,” says Bhandari.“It also matters that you support what you believe in.”

“Traditionally, finance has been seen as an industry that focuses on making as much money as possible without thinking about social values,” agrees Bhandari’s ESG committee co-chair Scott Tibert ’18, who was also selected as an a SRI scholar but was unable to attend the conference. “But being able to profit while aligning your values with your investments is something that’s a win-win for everyone.”

Bhandari believes her first-hand experience helping to manage Bryant’s Archway Investment Fund was a factor that helped her earn her SRI scholarship. “I think the fact that we are actually implementing ESG principles within our fund was what impressed them the most,” says Bhandari, who recently accepted a job at PwC as an Advanced Risk and Compliance Analytics associate. “We were not just talking about these things as theoretical ideas, but making real investment decisions using them as a guide.”