Young Alumni Share Their Success Stories

At age 16, Dhvani Shah got her first introduction to supply chain management during a summer camp hosted by Rutgers Business School.  

“That camp is the reason why I picked Rutgers. It helped me understand how much I could do with a degree in business,” said Shah, 27. “When I was applying, supply chain was just emerging as a major field. Then the pandemic hit, and suddenly everyone recognized that supply chain was the place to be.”

A decade later, Shah continues to put her Rutgers Bachelor's degree in supply chain management to work as a Sales and Operations Planning Manager for global beauty leader L’Oréal.

Shah credits the professional network she built and internships she landed at UPS and Reckitt while at Rutgers with launching her career. Within a year of earning her degree, she was hired at L’Oréal, where she has steadily advanced ever since.

“Rutgers taught me to get out of my comfort zone. It’s such a big school.  

You learn to make it as big or small as you need it to be," said Shah, who helps oversee sales and operations planning for the eye category within L'Oréal's Consumer Products division, based at the company's Operations headquarters in Clark, N.J.

“That prepared me for the business world. Now, whether I’m in a big setting at work or one-on-one, I know I can handle it.”

Reflecting on her early career success, Shah said she feels fortunate to be in a role that challenges her while remaining rooted in Central Jersey.  

“There are so many avenues you can take from the business school—pharma, fashion and the beauty world, and all those big companies are in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia,” said Shah, who was raised in Hillsborough and now lives in Hopewell with her husband Rushi Shukla, a fellow Rutgers alumnus. “Ten years out from my initial journey, I’m still living in the same area with the same people I grew up with and secure in my career. I would say I owe that to Rutgers.” 

This story by Lisa Intrabartola was originally published as part of Young Alumni Share Their Success Stories in Rutgers Today.