Her Story
About Anushka
I grew up moving a lot, which gave me exposure to many new things, and one that caught my eye early was racing. I was a huge fan of World Rally Racing and Formula 1, which sparked my interest in the engineering aspects of motorsports. As I gained experience working in the industry as an intern in various aspects, I grew to love the data side of it, the data analysis and all the insights that come from it. This led me to Purdue to pursue a degree in data analytics and applied statistics. I have been passionate about motivating and uplifting women in STEM since junior year of high school and continue to work towards it. I helped co-found a collegiate racing team on campus in January, and we are in the works of going to our first race in the next few months. This is the first time Purdue has had an open wheel-to-wheel racing team. The team is driven not only by the opportunity to race, but also by making that opportunity available to students who may not be able to do it outside of college support, because racing is super expensive and a huge investment. Getting more women involved in motorsports has been the driving force of why I have been pursuing my degree at Purdue. I am also fortunate to work on the logistics aspect of hosting a race with the Purdue Grand Prix Foundation on campus as an incoming director of race, where I get to see firsthand on a large scale how different people work with data so differently. Currently, I am working as a product management intern at a financial firm, where I oversee the development and marketing of products and make sure they meet client and customer needs. My dream is to work in the data side of racing, doing performance analysis, ideally on the pit lane analyzing data and looking at cars go fast.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Anushka
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think it is primarily just understanding and accepting that I need help. It took me a while, being a firstborn, it is hard to sometimes accept that I need help. Once I came to terms that I am still growing into an adult and still not yet in the full-time world, just taking time to accountably understand that I don't know everything, and I am only going to learn how everything works when I reach out to people and make that communication. That has been key in not just my career, but also the academic side and the personal side as well, in pursuing my passions.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received, and something I say to myself every time I have a first day of a new job or a new semester of class, is: if I don't fail, I am not learning. I only learn through my mistakes. If I don't fail, I am not going to succeed, because what I am doing is clearly not perfect. It is only through my mistakes that I learn where to grow from.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering my field is to always reach out when you need help, even for something as small as understanding how something works. It is always good to ask for help and reach out, rather than going down the line and regretting not asking for help. Also, never shy away from trying something new. I wouldn't be where I am today as a student, or in whatever internship I am doing, and whatever I am pursuing with racing, if I didn't just go for it and see where it goes. Making that spontaneous jump every once in a while helps you grow as a person. The best advice I would give is just enjoy things, and don't be shy to say yes to something.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The value I hold most important in my life is trying to have as much open communication as possible. A lot of times, I have failed myself, or I have seen failure in projects or passions that I have tried to pursue, because of not having that open communication and the hesitance. Being completely transparent about something has gotten me places, and that is definitely something that I value the most in both my personal and professional lives. Having that open communication helps you grow and understand both your weaknesses and strengths, and I think that helps in success in the long term.
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