By honoring loved ones who have passed on, two young lives are forever connected.
Described by his friends as “a greatest-of all-time personality,” Wharton graduate Sagar Shah, W’11 — who died in 2017 at age 28 — and Wharton undergraduate Kelly, W’21, whose mother died from breast cancer after Kelly’s freshman year, are an inspiration to others to live life fully — and to give back with gratitude.
Kelly is the recipient of the Sagar Sanjay Shah Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund. Shah was a trader and portfolio manager at BlackRock who has been memorialized by work colleagues, family, and friends with an endowed scholarship in his name that provides financial support to an undergraduate student (or students) in the Wharton School whose life has been impacted by cancer.
Because the University of Pennsylvania is the largest university in the nation with an exclusively grant-based financial aid program for undergraduate students, Kelly was able to continue her education after her mother’s passing and to look forward to a career in film production.
“When my mom became sick, attending Penn did not seem financially possible,” said Kelly, whose mother was her biggest cheerleader. “This scholarship has helped make my dream come true.
“I hope to come back to Penn and do for other students what Sagar Shah’s legacy has done for me. I honor him.”
Learn about scholarship giving opportunities at Wharton
