MBA student hasn't lost 'Hope'

Sambamurthy Natarajan is no knight in shining armor. Just ask the Wharton MBA student, and he'll tell you that "you need to have intensely material objectives if you go to business school." Nevertheless, Natarajan has received a $50,000 scholarship from Hope Worldwide for his civic pursuits. Hope, an international charity based in Philadelphia, gives the scholarship annually to a foreign Wharton MBA who plans to return home and help his country. The Hope Unity Scholarship, first presented in 1995, is awarded in honor of an individual "who has sacrificed personal liberty for the sake of uniting people in peace," according to the award plaque. This year's honoree is Mother Teresa; next year the award will be given in Jimmy Carter's honor. The scholarship seeks to identify an individual from the honoree's country who will further the work carried on by that person. For Natarajan, "the scholarship came like a bolt out of the blue." He had already enrolled at Wharton this fall when he received a message in his mailbox from Hope. "It said 'Why don't you come and see us'," he recalled. But the choice of Natarajan was far from accidental. Hope chose to create a scholarship for MBA students precisely because it wants to inculcate business leaders with a sense of social responsibility. The organization believes successful businessmen are in a position to help, not just dream. Natarajan's future plans fit Hope's mold perfectly. His priority is success in business, but he evinces a determination "to do something for the underprivileged." It is this attitude -- a mindset that runs in his family -- that attracted Hope to Natarajan. His mother is the principal of a school in a small town in India. While not a charity school, all profits are plowed back into development and the school continues its efforts to expand scholarship programs. Natarajan shares his mother's interest in helping children. One of his concerns is adoption, something he said is neither "encouraged nor handled properly" in India. He also envisions setting up a nonprofit organization with career professionals like himself to fund charitable works. Though already a first-year MBA student when selected for the scholarship, Natarajan said the effect on his life has been significant. "Hope leaves me with a sense of responsibility," he said. "It empowers you to think that you must do something and that you can do something. I think about it every day."