Meet Shafaath Khan (BBA, ’26): Former Foster Kid Turned Finance Major

To get to the Zicklin School of Business, Shafaath Khan had to travel 16,000 miles.  

Though he was born in America, Shafaath grew up mostly in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the capital city his mother was from. The family faced many hardships there; they often lacked clean drinking water and eventually became homeless.  

To escape poverty and a severely limited life, Shafaath took a chance in July 2018, when he was 16. He flew to JFK Airport, alone, went to an information kiosk near a Dunkin’ Donuts, and reported that he had just arrived in the country and knew no one. The city’s children’s services department was contacted, and eventually Shafaath wound up in a foster home in Far Rockaway, Queens.  

Seizing every opportunity he could, Shafaath studied hard in school. He had to repeat many classes because he didn’t speak English yet (he studied by listening to pop songs by The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift), but eventually he became valedictorian of his high school.  

Shafaath first wanted to become a teacher, but sadly, the very teachers who had inspired him didn’t recommend it as a career. Then, when the pandemic hit he considered medicine: “I saw the role doctors played, and I wanted to be the person who risked their life to save other people.”  

But after realizing how many years he’d have to study and how many student loans he’d have to take on, Shafaath decided on business instead. Once his mind was made up, Baruch was the natural next step.  

Today Shafaath is a junior majoring in finance, a member of the Baruch Bearcats cross-country team, and a part-time employee at the Athletics and Recreation Complex. “I can learn so many things earning a BBA, like how to manage my own business or help other people grow their businesses,” Shafaath offers. “Baruch was the only CUNY school I applied to.” 

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