Personal Growth: Q & A with Praveen Kumar, MBA Candidate 2020
Hometown:
Chennai, India
Current Profession:
Software Engineer, Trips & Search Team, Expedia
Why Foster?
Although I like engineering, I realized I would add a higher value to the company and society if I complimented my technical knowledge with an MBA. I intend to stay in Seattle for the foreseeable future so choosing the UW was an easy choice since the Foster School of Business is the best MBA program in Washington.
I specifically chose the Evening MBA program since I wanted to be alongside students with similar work experience. I want to utilize the knowledge I gain from school, apply it at work at the same time, and get perspectives from my class-mates regarding business problems.
I realize that the concepts I have learned so far have not only helped me in my day job but have also positively enhanced my personal life. Apart from learning from some of the best faculty in business, Foster has introduced me to smart and hard-working students who constantly inspire me to push myself. My teammates are very supportive; I constantly learn from them. In retrospect, the decision to join Foster has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life so far.
Student Experience
What has been your favorite part of the Foster MBA experience so far?
My favorite part of the program is definitely the people I have met, especially my classmates. They are all very hard-working and motivated and inspire me to contribute beyond my comfort zone. Some of my classmates already feel like family and I look forward to many adventures with them in my career and personal life.
What are you looking forward to in the rest of the program and your MBA journey?
In my first quarter, I took a different approach from most of my classmates and took in additional workload outside classwork to figure out what I liked, my strengths, weaknesses and where I wanted to work. I hope to specialize further in the coming quarters so that I can be really solid in a specific area by the time I graduate. In my last year, I look forward to being more involved with club activities in my area of specialization, participate in case studies and develop my leadership potential. I also hope to continue forming new connections at Foster and beyond.
Praveen Kumar is a member of the Evening MBA Class of 2020. He is a software engineer at Expedia, having moved to Seattle from Chicago where he was previously a Software Quality Engineer for Orbitz. With a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Praveen is also passionate about financial technologies and blockchain, hoping to transition to that space upon graduation. When not at work or in school, he enjoys running, reading and working on personal software projects.
