Mudit Lal

In choosing a college, Mudit Lal found something rare at Arizona State University — the resources of a large research university with the close-knit feel of a small community he was looking for.

“The Polytechnic campus gave me exactly that balance,” he says. “It was the perfect environment for someone who wanted to learn, build and grow in a space that encourages both independence and collaboration.”

Lal is graduating with two Bachelor of Science degrees — one in engineering with a concentration in robotics and another in technological entrepreneurship and management. The combination reflects both his curiosity and his ambition. Robotics provides the logic and creativity he wants, while entrepreneurship helps sell those ideas to the right stakeholders.

“Together, they let me bridge technology, business and design, an intersection where I feel I can create the most impact,” he says.

He has done just that at ASU. Lal has served as a residential peer mentor for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, participated in undergraduate student government, and worked at the International Students and Scholars Center. He also founded Devalok Design and Strategy Studio, which has already generated over six figures in revenue in the first year, and helped develop an entrepreneurship search engine with the guidance of Brent Sebold, director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Fulton Schools. 

But the achievement he is most proud of is starting the India Policy and Economy Research Club, or PIERA, which is ASU’s first student organization dedicated to Indic policy, governance and technology. He attributes its success to their national body, and the PIERA team. Their symposium brought together students who had never studied this topic before and helped them develop actionable strategies to help impact lives in the future.

“It’s redefining how ASU’s charter can extend beyond institutional partnerships into actual public-policy collaboration with Bharat and create policy leaders of tomorrow,” Lal says.

That mission came into full focus when PIERA hosted its first major event. 

“Seeing leaders like ASU President Michael Crow; Smt. Smriti Irani, former Cabinet Minister of the government of India and Vivek Lall, chief executive of General Atomics, sharing the stage for a student-led event was surreal,” he says.

Lal says two mentors shaped his ASU experience: President Crow and Steve Cho, associate teaching professor and program chair of the technological entrepreneurship and management program in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools. 

President Crow’s class, Science, Technology and Public Affairs, transformed how Lal thought about leadership. Cho, meanwhile, helped him learn how to break down complex problems into their core variables, which changed how he approached challenges from that point forward. He says it’s a mindset he now applies not just to engineering, but to life.

Following graduation, Lal will return to Lucknow, India, but his work will take him far beyond home. He will focus on scaling Devalok into a physical creative studio that celebrates all forms of design. He will also continue to work on his venture Oshm, a technology platform for neighborhood mom and pop shops to tap into tech enabled logistics.

Lal is very grateful to Ira A. Fulton and all other donors who made his education possible, especially Amit Kumar Sinha at the Nurture Foundation. As a result, his time at ASU has provided opportunities, personal and professional growth and experiences that will shape his future.

“ASU has given me equal opportunity, equal growth and a home where I’ve never felt out of place.”

Favorites

Hobby: Being a DJ
Movie: Mahavatar Narsimha (2024)
Activity: Learning
Last book read: Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda
Artist: Skrillex

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ fall 2025 class.

Written by Joy Gaeraths