Bhalani, Eldridge to receive Builders Award

Association of Rice Alumni honors duo for service to university and beyond

Rushi Bhalani ’19 and Will Eldridge ’16 ’17 will be recognized with the Builders Award Nov. 7 during the President’s Town Hall, a signature event of Rice University’s Alumni Weekend. The Builders Award is given to graduates of the past 10 years who go above and beyond in service to Rice.

“Rushi and Will exemplify what it means to be builders — alumni who not only carry the spirit of Rice into the world but actively shape its future,” said David Leal, president of the Association of Rice Alumni (ARA). “Their dedication to strengthening the Rice community and empowering the next generation of Owls is inspiring, and we’re proud to honor them with the Builders Award.”

The award was established by the ARA in 2005 to honor recent alumni who have made outstanding contributions to Rice since graduation.

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Bhalani graduated with a degree in computer science and has remained deeply engaged with the university community. Guided by a belief in building up others through connection and care, he has served on three alumni boards: the Rice Engineering Alumni board of directors, the ARA board of directors and the Center for Career Development advisory board. In these roles, he has helped lead efforts such as raising more than $200,000 through data-driven outreach, launching a summer internship program that has provided dozens of engineering students with their first professional experiences under alumni mentors and strengthening support for recent graduates.

Beyond board service, Bhalani has volunteered as a Baker College community associate, admissions interviewer, Rice Fund volunteer and mentor to more than 20 students during and after their time at the university.

Professionally, he has worked as a strategy consultant at Accenture and led go-to-market strategy for a billion-dollar platform at Indeed. He is currently pursuing an MBA and a master’s degree in design innovation through the MMM program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, preparing to design mission-driven, human-centered product experiences.

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Eldridge is a two-time Rice graduate who earned his bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and his master’s degree in accounting from the Jones Graduate School of Business.

His passion for contributing to his community through leadership and service started as a core part of the Rice experience. As an undergraduate, he was president of the French Club, an O-Week adviser and a Willy’s Pub bartender. His volunteerism has since expanded as a McMurtry College community associate, externship host, alumni board member, Rice Business mentor, five-year reunion co-chair and alumni admissions interviewer.

As the president of the Rice Business Alumni Association (RBAA) board and a member of Rice Business’ board of advisers, Eldridge is focused on defining the strategic plan for the RBAA. His passion for alumni community building extends beyond the hedges to the Awty International School, where he has also served as alumni board president.

Upon graduating from Rice, he worked at Deloitte, where he served oil and gas clients as a senior auditor. Eldridge earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is a consultant at Bain & Co.

For more information about the Builders Award, visit alumni.rice.edu/builders. For more information about Alumni Weekend and the President’s Town Hall, including registration for the events, visit alumniweekend.rice.edu.