Her Story
About Khushi
I'm currently a graduate student pursuing my master's degree in business analytics at Columbia University. I moved to New York City from Mumbai, India about 6 months ago to start this program. My educational journey began with an undergraduate degree in economics and finance from the University of London through their international program, where I stayed in Mumbai but earned my degree from University of London. During my undergrad, subjects like econometrics helped me discover my passion for working with data. To build my profile and gain diverse experience, I completed internships in three different sectors: healthcare, finance, and not-for-profit youth organizations like ISAC. In all three roles, I used data for market research, improving sales, and conversions. This semester at Columbia, I'm taking machine learning and analytics and operations management classes, where we focus on building models to solve problems. In the operations management class, we work towards making sure that the product or service is delivered efficiently to the customer using Python models and MM1 models. Moving to New York by myself has been a significant challenge, essentially starting over in a very big, fast-paced city without any family here, but I've learned that being alone is also a skill that I'm currently developing. Being at Columbia and in New York has given me tremendous opportunities to network with young professionals and people from very different industries and cultural backgrounds, which has helped broaden my perspective on the world.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Khushi
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success so far to the support of my parents, who have been my biggest inspiration for everything that I am doing and would like to do. They've guided me and supported me through everything that I've done so far. But I also attribute it to my willingness to do the hard work, to do the stuff that was not fun, that had to be done anyway. It's that combination of having strong support behind me and being willing to put in the effort even when things get difficult that has gotten me to where I am today.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I'm pretty early in my career and I actually haven't started working full-time yet, but with all the people that I have networked with so far and mentors I've had, the one piece of advice they've given me is that I need to be open to new possibilities, to different industries. I may not end up working in the same industry that I've studied in, but it takes time to discover my passion, so I need to be open to exploring new opportunities. This advice has really resonated with me as I navigate my path forward.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
With AI and technology moving so fast and changing so quickly, and with Gen AI being able to do a lot of the things that you would need people to do earlier, I think it's really important to focus on the human aspects of all the work that we do that AI cannot replicate. Focus on the soft skills, focus on critical thinking and reasoning that humans can do better than AI. As the landscape continues to evolve, these uniquely human capabilities will become even more valuable and essential to success in analytics and data-driven fields.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Being at Columbia and being in New York has given me the opportunity to network with young professionals and with actually a lot of professionals from very different industries. I think New York is kind of like the financial hub of the States, and it has all the big companies and all the big startups as well, so I've had a lot of opportunity to meet different kinds of people and network with them. I've also been able to meet people from different cultural backgrounds and learn more about their lives and broaden my perspective on the world. These networking opportunities and exposure to diverse industries and perspectives represent some of the biggest opportunities available in my field right now.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most meaningful to me in both my work and personal life are integrity, sincerity, and being disciplined. I don't think you can get anything done if you're not disciplined. These principles guide how I approach my studies, my relationships, and my goals. Discipline especially has been crucial as I've navigated the challenges of moving to a new city and pursuing my graduate degree.
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