Sunny Murthy—The Well Dressed Student

“It's not about where you come from,” Sunny Murthy says, “it's about where you want to go.” Sunny Murthy is more than a student studying biochemistry at Virginia Tech. He’s an extraordinary young man who provides fashion advice to students through his popular blog The Well Dressed Student.

The launch of Sunny’s blog evolved from his popular Well Dressed Student Instagram account that gave tips and advice to students about everything from what to wear around campus to the latest brands and accessories. With provocative posts like “Do you need to upgrade your sock drawer? and “How to the most out of your suits,” it’s no wonder that his blog got noticed.

Daryl Calfee, director of marketing at Moore and Giles took note and invited Sunny out for early morning coffee. Soon Daryl Calfee began mentoring Sunny and gave him sage advice: Don’t watch TV. Successful people don’t have time for TV because they’re too busy achieving their goals.

When I interviewed Sunny, he happened to be at Yale University where he was taking a special course to learn how to go about getting into top-notch medical and dental schools.  The program is extremely competitive to get into and is offered only to students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Sunny is quick to point out that he will never forget where he came from. In 1988,.his parents arrived in the U.S., penniless, from Bangalore, India. His mother currently works at a Dollar Tree store and recently survived a terrifying malignant melanoma in her hands.  Sunny says his idea of success is when he will have the resources to by his mother her favorite car, a Toyota RAV4.

Back to the fashion Blog, Sunny has always been voted best dressed at school. He says, “I’m huge on making first impressions. You never know who you’re going to meet.” Sunny recalls getting compliments and questions from people who sought his advice about their own wardrobes.  He feels fashion is an art form and a way to express who we are. Sunny describes how important it is to look professional and yet still choose something subtle that shows it belongs to you.  Sunny’s wallet is bright yellow like his name. 

Achieving financial freedom is definitely in the works for Sunny Murthy. Despite his passion for fashion, he is on his way to medical school and also obtaining an MBA in a special five-program that grants student dual degrees in medicine and business. Eventually, Sunny would like to pursue a management team post for a hospital or a biotech company. Sunny is quick to point out that the most direct way to help large numbers of people is through medicine. He also had other projects he’s working on. One is a startup company manufacturing “a top secret” but very much needed product, for which he’s currently developing prototypes.