Spriha Kumari

University of California Riverside School of Business, A Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM)

“Aspiring leader fostering supportive relationships with employees: The technical world needs technical and generous leaders.”

Hometown: Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: Jack-of-all-trades. I know five different dance forms, and I sketch, paint, volunteer, workout at the gym to stay fit, and still get my office work done on time.

Undergraduate School and Major: Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: HPE Aruba, Senior Software Engineer

What word best describes the UC Riverside MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far? Spirited. Everyone is so courageous and talented and loves to accept and take up challenges. They uplift and keep everyone together. Most students participate in clubs and work part-time, which makes them well-rounded people.

Aside from classmates, what was the key part of UC Riverside’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? UCR offers a STEM-designated MBA, which is the main factor for choosing this business school. It is important for me to maintain and strengthen quantitative and technical skills while pursuing my MBA as my background is in computer science. The STEM designation also provides the added benefit for international students to stay in the U.S. to work for up to three years on optional practical training. Apart from this, the responsive and helpful nature of the alumni and the professors I interacted with when I was applying for admission also convinced me to select UCR.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at UC Riverside? UCR has so many opportunities to stay healthy and be part of building something new. I really enjoy UCR’s Tennis Club and the Dance Club. I am a professional dancer (classical Indian dancer and Zumba instructor). Dancing and playing sports provide me with lasting energy and are healthy outlets. I’m also involved with two new student-led clubs at the School of Business: the Programming Club and the AGSM Women in Business Club. The Programming Club caters to students like me interested in keeping up with the latest technologies. We meet each week to learn SQL and Python programming languages. The club is supported by our information systems professor, Rich Yueh, and includes members who tutor club members in these programs. The AGSM Women in Business Club is also an exciting new opportunity. The group plans to provide role models and facilitate connections with women leaders in the surrounding community.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was promoted in less than five years because of the results-driven approach I had toward the projects I managed. Handling multiple tasks simultaneously and good camaraderie with colleges were among my strongest skills. My results-driven approach was beneficial in shaping my career.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? Pursuing my MBA has made me a more confident person. I now know how to represent and distinguish myself from the crowd and have become good at what I do. I have excelled in my courses while working a dining shift, participating in programs and dance clubs, and staying healthy. I’ve also been offered a teaching assistant position.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? In the short term, I plan to be a product manager at a leading technical firm. I was a quality assurance engineer, and with experience in the technical industry, I realized I should explore leadership. My managers told me I would be a great manager because of my interpersonal skills, and I decided to pursue an MBA degree to shape and improve my career path. I know access to an unparalleled network is important, and that helped me decide to pursue my degree at UCR. To me, success means striving to achieve any type of goal (large or small) and becoming a better version of yourself every day. Success is indeed a journey, and there is no success without failure. So, we should not put a full stop after failure. The key to success is moving on.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into UC Riverside’s MBA program? We have a very supportive admissions panel, and applicants should get in touch with them. I believe a person’s hard work pays off one way or another. Everybody’s story is different and so is everybody’s definition of success. You need to work for your success, and the rest will follow. Admission into UC Riverside will definitely add to your success stories.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE UC RIVERSIDE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MBA CLASS OF 2023