Graduate Student Refined Business Skills at Prestigious Summer Learning Opportunity

The spring semester might have concluded in May 2025, but for St. John’s University graduate student Uday Kumar, the learning continued through the end of August.

Uday, who is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Enterprise Risk Management at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, completed a three-week, summer immersion at Hult International Business School in Cambridge, MA, where he learned from entrepreneurs, global business leaders, innovators, and others.     

The prestigious Hult Summer Bootcamp brought together select students from around the world for lessons in business fundamentals, client consulting, networking, skills workshops, and more. Uday was chosen from among hundreds of global applicants for one of 50 spots in the Boston, MA, cohort, and attended from August 4 to 22.

“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” said Uday, who was born in Utter Pradesh, India, and attended college in nearby Lucknow, India. “I gained a broader perspective and learned to think in a more value-oriented way. I gained access to resources that can be put to practical use when I enter the business community full time.”

Even before attending the Hult boot camp, Uday had well-established business and entrepreneurial roots. After his college graduation, he worked for two large software development companies. Eager to continue his education in the United States, he was drawn to St. John’s Queens, NY, location and vast alumni network. 

Once here, he and two fellow graduate students started KnotHastags, a distributor of ethically manufactured Indian clothing to consumers in the United States. The founders won $750 in the Johnny’s Innovation Challenge business development competition and later earned second place at the prestigious 2025 New York Business Plan Competition at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

KnotHastags remains a going concern for Uday and teammates Prasoon Saha ’25TCB and Matthew Siegel ’25TCB. But Uday is equally committed to a career as a business consultant, and the opportunity to attend the Hult Summer Bootcamp was too good to pass up.

Hult awarded Uday a partial scholarship to attend the boot camp. The Tobin College of Business and The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies contributed as well.

“I really enjoy being an entrepreneur, but I also feel I can add value to a company on the consulting side,” Uday said. “Because of my start-up background, I understand how business development works and the problems of clients. The experience at Hult helped me develop a more technical mindset. I think more deeply and can brainstorm better for solutions.”          

Hult says the boot camp combines education with real-world business challenges. For the soft-spoken Uday, those challenges included public speaking, which is essential for entrepreneurs eager to recruit investors.

The three-week curriculum included instruction in business presentation, pitching, and storytelling. By the end of the third week, Uday had completed and delivered a sample TEDx Talk, in which he discussed his roots in India, his decision to attend to St. John’s, and his enthusiasm for entrepreneurship.

He titled his talk “Never Give Up, Keep Smiling.”

“That platform reinforces your confidence that you can be an industry leader,” Uday said. “It confirms in you a belief that you are a subject-matter expert. I gained courage doing that and now feel comfortable speaking in public.”