Forbes has selected several UC Berkeley business and technology students out of thousands around the world to participate in the Forbes Under 30 Scholar Summit this fall.
For more than six years, Forbes has partnered with schools and organizations across the United States to provide an opportunity for underrepresented college students to attend the summit. This year, the summit will be held Oct. 27-30 in Detroit, Michigan.
“This program is designed to increase diversity and give entrepreneurial minded, high-achieving students low-cost access to four days of programming that will help them think more broadly about social, economic, and geo-political issues impacting our world today,” said Laura Brusca, Forbes vice president of corporate communications, in an email.
According to Brusca, Forbes accepts between 1,000 and 1,500 students each year and is still in the process of reviewing applications.
Brusca added that scholars are chosen based on various criteria, including a written statement on how they embody the “Under 30” tenets of leadership and innovation.
“At Forbes, we champion success and those who aspire to be successful, and our goal is to nurture self-starters,” Brusca said in an email.
The scholarship program provides free access to the summit and grants students the chance to participate in networking opportunities. Students can also meet investors, entrepreneurs, celebrities, musicians, fashion designers, sports stars, cultural icons, world-renowned chefs, educators, political leaders and business icons.
Campus sophomore Arth Vidyarthi and campus junior Yuna Tae were both encouraged by a mutual friend and former scholar, Christopher Gu, to apply for the program.
As an electrical engineering and computer science student, Vidyarthi said in an email that he was motivated to apply because he believes in one of Forbes’ core tenets: the celebration of leadership and innovation, which can be associated with people and technology.
According to Vidyarthi, the program could represent a collection of minds that share the same beliefs. He hopes to be exposed to new ideas and inspired by the people he meets.
“Philanthropy is one of the areas being focused on at this year’s summit, and I’d love to find out more about the way technology is being used to revolutionize the way it’s being carried out,” Vidyarthi said in an email.
Tae is a student in the College of Natural Resources with a concentration in sustainable business. She has also been involved in sustainability efforts for the past six years. Tae said that she was excited to see that more business leaders are valuing sustainable, ethical business strategies.
“I look forward to interacting with other scholars and professionals in diverse fields who are passionately working towards purpose-driven business,” Tae said in an email.
