Ujwala Sreeram

I would definitely say my work ethic - I believe I'm a very hardworking individual. I think a lot of it comes from external motivations, too. Being an only child and an immigrant, I feel like there were always pressures to do good, not necessarily by my family, but by society as a whole. You kind of get that thought in your head at a very young age, like this seed that's planted, and it makes you want to make a name for yourself. That has always been a motivator for me to keep pushing forward and working hard.

Honestly, it's a very intimidating industry, especially being very male-dominated. But I believe that even without having formal finance courses - I just knew financial concepts in a vague way - just putting effort into learning and showing that you are interested, and that you are willing to learn and adapt to the situations you're presented with, can really go a long way and help you get the experience you need to go wherever you want to go. I think taking baby steps is important, and also never losing confidence in yourself. That's something I've always struggled with, but maintaining that confidence is crucial as you navigate this field.

I would say that with the rise of tech, understanding how finances are organized within a certain company can be very different from another company or area I would work in. So understanding how these new technologies are incorporated, and the amount of training that goes into them, is definitely challenging. But I would also say it's a fun challenge - it shows that the work isn't stagnant, so you always do something new each day. I think that's the fun aspect of it, that constant evolution and learning.

I believe that being ambitious is really important to me. I think it's crucial to set higher goals for yourself and keep going - it shows how passionate you are. You can obviously adjust your goals, and I've done that in the past, but I think it's a motivation for me to always do something, whether in my personal life like making sure I leave the house and hang out with friends before break, or in my career. For example, initially I wanted to go into marketing, but then I realized I got burnt out a little bit with the design aspect, so I shifted my goal toward finance. Setting ambitious goals just helps you grow as a person, and it keeps you moving forward in meaningful ways.