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Shine A Light On

Shine A Light On

By Mariah Manzano from Opal

The career search journey can be a dark one for students or professionals looking for a change. Opal empowers listeners to reach their career goals through tips and stories by experts. Hosted by Opal CEO Mariah Manzano.
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Recognizing and Preventing Burnout

Shine A Light OnJan 20, 2022

00:00
24:21
How I Got Here: Account Manager at Pinterest

How I Got Here: Account Manager at Pinterest

Beverlyn Law is an Account Manager at Pinterest. She shines a light on her experiences and recommendations for students and professionals interested in account management, as well as tips to landing an internship & the best skills to have for anyone interested in being an Account Manager.


Beverlyn Law is an Asian-American woman currently living in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a major in Marketing and minor in Retail Studies. After graduation, Beverlyn landed her first role at Walmart Marketplace as a Strategic Account Manager. She is now an Account Manager at Pinterest. Throughout her career, Beverlyn has always believed life comes before the job and that you can be authentic at work by creating a safe space with your peers. Outside of work, she is very passionate about her plants, aquascaping, and playing the kalimba.

Apr 20, 202334:00
How I Got Here: Software Engineer at Google

How I Got Here: Software Engineer at Google

Sherene Victor is a Software Engineer at Google. She shines a light on her experiences and recommendations for students and professionals interested in software engineering, as well as work/life balance, emotional awareness at work, and much more.

Sherene is a Software Engineer at Google, working on Spanner within Google Cloud Technical Infrastructure. She works on developing backend solutions for internal customers, while also improving Spanner debugging efforts across teams/rotations. Outside of work, you can find Sherene mentoring students, solving puzzles, or exploring the outdoors.

Jan 26, 202344:37
How I Got Here: Machine Learning Engineer
Jan 12, 202327:06
Elita Liu: Senior Product Manager at Amazon

Elita Liu: Senior Product Manager at Amazon

Elita Liu is a Senior Product Manager at Amazon. She shines a light on her experiences and recommendations for students and professionals interested in product management.

Prior to joining Amazon, Elita had experience in software developer and product manager roles to deliver end-to-end software solutions in the solar and medical device industries. She also worked at the Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University to help college students with their startups. Aside from work, Elita loves to do yoga on a daily basis and go hiking during the weekend.

Nov 03, 202217:33
How I Got Here: Reporter

How I Got Here: Reporter

Sarah Klearman, Reporter at the San Francisco Business Times, shares “How I Got Here” in our newest Shine a Light On podcast episode. We shine a light on Sarah’s experiences and recommendations for anyone interested in becoming a reporter.

Sarah Klearman is a reporter covering economic development and commercial real estate for the San Francisco Business Times. She previously covered the business of wine for the Napa Valley Register in Napa and has worked in newsrooms in Silicon Valley, Massachusetts and Connecticut. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University.

The opinions expressed in this podcast are Sarah Klearman's and not necessarily those of her employer.

Oct 20, 202224:25
How I Got Here: Technical Writer

How I Got Here: Technical Writer

Sarah Ahmed, Technical Writer at Salesforce, shares “How I Got Here” in our newest Shine a Light On podcast episode. We Shine a Light On Sarah’s experience and recommendations for students and professionals interested in Technical Writing.

Sarah is a Technical Writer at Salesforce. She spends her days creating different types of product content, including documentation, UI text, onboarding experiences, and video scripts. In her role, Sarah enjoys leveraging her natural curiosity and knack for simplifying things to help folks use complex technology.

Oct 06, 202223:43
How I Got Here: Technical Marketing Engineer

How I Got Here: Technical Marketing Engineer

Story DeWeese, Technical Marketing Engineer at Cisco and CTO of Opal, shares “How I Got Here” in our newest Shine a Light On podcast episode. We Shine a Light On Story’s experience and recommendations for students and professionals interested in the Technical Marketing Engineering roles.

Story is the CTO and a Co-Founder of Opal and a Technical Marketing Engineer (TME) at Cisco. At Opal, Story leads the engineering efforts in designing, building and managing of the Opal web application (app) to match people together for professional mentorship. This includes full-stack code development, building various Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and creating new solutions to complex problems. As a TME, Story is focused on new enterprise networking technologies, creating and presenting content to help employees and customers understand these new technologies, and hosting hands-on workshops. Story is particularly curious to learn about and develop cloud-based solutions.

Sep 22, 202230:35
How I Got Here: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

How I Got Here: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Rahimeh Ramezany, a DEI and Intercultural Specialist, shares her “How I Got Here” story. We Shine a Light On Rahimeh’s path to her entrepreneurial role in DEI and recommendations for students and professionals interested in the field.

Sep 07, 202233:34
Pandemic Reflections as a Student

Pandemic Reflections as a Student

In this week’s episode of the Pandemic Reflections season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Pandemic Reflections as a Student with Angie McNally.

Angelus McNally is currently a senior at Santa Clara University, majoring in Computer Science and Engineering and minoring in Philosophy. On campus, she serves as the President of the Society of Women Engineers and Vice-Regent of Theta Tau, a co-ed engineering fraternity, and is also an Engineering Tour Guide. Off campus, she has interned at Microsoft and Anduril Industries and plans to return to Microsoft as a full-time employee in September. In her free time, she loves skiing, photography, hiking, and eating with friends!

Apr 21, 202238:20
Mindful Movement

Mindful Movement

Valentine’s Day is coming up! Show yourself some love with our surprise bonus Shine A Light On episode. Today we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Mindful Movement with Jyo Gopinath.

Jyo is a body empowerment coach and fitness instructor dedicated to the decolonization of fitness and the celebration of the human body. Movement should feed the soul, not be a way to deplete the body. She hopes today’s discussion helps you seek the former!

Feb 10, 202235:06
Steps to Prepare for a Long Break
Jan 27, 202231:47
Recognizing and Preventing Burnout

Recognizing and Preventing Burnout

In this week’s episode of the Preparing for the New Year season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Recognizing and Preventing Burnout with Ramona Arora.

Ramona Arora is a South Asian data analyst and product enthusiast, currently based in San Francisco, California. She is a highly curious and impact-driven individual that uses data & empathy to improve decision making. She is also the creator of Solo Wave, a community platform for women solo explorers who are challenging the stigma behind alone time. She values equal representation and actively devotes her time supporting womxn of color and underprivileged communities.

Jan 20, 202224:21
How Resting Makes Us Human
Jan 14, 202227:28
How to Find "Me Time" When You're Busy

How to Find "Me Time" When You're Busy

In this week’s episode of the Preparing for the New Year season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 How to Find "Me Time" When You're Busy with Sarah Ahmed.

Sarah is a Technical Writer at Salesforce and is pursuing a Master's in Marketing at Santa Clara University. She is passionate about digital equity, mentorship, inclusivity, and education. Additionally, she's always up to chat about cats, crochet, mechanical keyboards, or anything really.

Jan 08, 202219:27
Why You Shouldn't Apply to Jobs
Nov 04, 202126:37
Becoming a Founder

Becoming a Founder

In this week’s episode of the Kickstart Your Career season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Becoming a Founder with Sandhya Iyer.


After graduating from Syracuse University in 2020, Sandhya Iyer began leading career exploration platform Geek Girl Careers, which empowers women to discover their dream careers in tech. She's also part of the marketing team at Chief, the first private network for women executive leaders. Sandhya is passionate about women empowerment, tech for social good and sustainability. In her spare time, you can find Sandhya reading a good book, experimenting in the kitchen or exploring a new coffee shop.

Oct 28, 202129:16
Why Productivity is Overrated

Why Productivity is Overrated

In this week’s episode of the Kickstart Your Career season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Why Productivity is Overrated with Mashiat Mutmainnah.


Mashiat is currently an Innovation Partner at Celo, a mobile -first platform dedicated to make crypto payments available to anyone with a smart phone. She loves looking at the intersection of design, innovation and financial inclusion to pioneer novel use cases of crypto. When she is not conducting pilots, she is running her South Asian magazine JORE, testing her cooking chops or learning new forms of portrait photography.

Oct 22, 202134:15
Gap Years & Startups

Gap Years & Startups

In this week’s episode of the Kickstart Your Career season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Gap Years and Startups with Shobha Dasari.


Shobha Dasari is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Ethics and Technology. She recently took a gap year from school, where she worked at 2 early-stage health tech startups, built an edtech startup, and published a book called Hacking Healthcare. Shobha is passionate about using technology to improve healthcare access and patient experiences. In her free time, you can find her exploring coffeeshops, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and trying new flavors of ice cream.

Oct 07, 202120:28
Taking a Gap Year

Taking a Gap Year

In this week’s episode of the Student Experiences season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Taking a Gap Year with Viruthihaa Baskar.

Viruthihaa is a Software Engineer Intern at Microsoft and a student at Rutgers University, where she is studying cognitive science. She is passionate about the intersection of technology and social good, especially the roles of empathy, education, inclusivity/diversity, and accessibility. Her many interests include UX, product management, mental health, and ethical tech.

Sep 03, 202118:22
Commuting in College

Commuting in College

In this week’s episode of the Underexposed Student Experiences season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Commuting in College with Daniela Balaguera.

Daniela is a recent college grad from Santa Clara University with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in Management Information Systems. She is passionate about immigration, labor rights, educational equity, and helping first-gen and BIPOC high school and college students. In her free time, you can find Daniela dancing or creating content on LinkedIn and Instagram!

Aug 31, 202112:47
Exploring Tech for Social Good

Exploring Tech for Social Good

In this week’s episode of the Student Experiences season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 Exploring Tech for Social Good with Resham Khanna.

Resham is a Product Designer passionate about social impact, VR, and accessibility. She is currently on a gap year from studying Cognitive Science and Psychology at UC Berkeley. She is an incoming Game Design intern at Electronic Arts and has worked with organizations such as Oculus, UNICEF, Figma, EY and others.

Her hobbies include volunteering, writing on Medium, and gaming. As a trained opera and jazz singer, singing holds a special place in her heart.

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🗣 Want to chat with us? https://www.opal-app.org/podcast-sign-up#chatwithus ⁠

💜 Love what you hear? Support Opal https://anchor.fm/opal-app/support ⁠


Aug 12, 202127:22
International Student Experiences

International Student Experiences

In this week’s episode of the Underexposed Student Experiences season, we’ll shine a light on 🌟 International Student Experiences with Xin Yi Yap.

Xin Yi (She/Her) is a Diversity Peer Education Scholar (DPE) with Suffolk University’s Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion. As a first-generation international student from a low-income family, she looks forward to paving a career that advances equity in the workplace upon her graduation in May 2021. Her hobbies include writing (some are published on her website!), reading, and exploring the outdoors. Follow her journey on her website www.xincereyiyours.space, and on her Instagram @XincereYiYours.

Aug 05, 202128:53
Cultivating Courage in Yourself

Cultivating Courage in Yourself

In this week’s episode of the Reclaiming Your Best Self season, we’ll teach you how 🌟 Cultivating Courage in Yourself with Anuneet Kaur.

Anuneet is an aspiring marketer. She is a huge believer that with courage and faith, anything is possible.

Jul 07, 202110:03
How Collaboration Beats Competition

How Collaboration Beats Competition

In this week’s episode of the Reclaiming Your Best Self season, we’ll teach you how 🌟 Collaboration Beats Competition with Amy Lima.

Amy Lima is a NYC-based Product Designer, community-builder, and champion for marginalized voices.

A first-generation American and dedicated traveler (50 countries and counting), she leverages her appreciation for different perspectives and fascination with people to create meaningful digital experiences for community and well-being.

Jul 02, 202123:06
The Power in Asking for Help

The Power in Asking for Help

In this week’s episode of the Reclaiming Your Best Self season, we’ll teach you 🌟 The Power in Asking for Help with Sharon Kim.

Sharon is a licensed mental health therapist. Her clinical background includes working with individuals, families, and at-risk youth with a history of mental health illnesses. Sharon is also passionate about the intersection of tech and wellness and hopes to make mental health care accessible to all. Additionally, she is a content creator on IG focused on wellness, lifestyle, and career.

Jun 20, 202120:06
Setting Yourself Up for Success

Setting Yourself Up for Success

In this week’s episode of the Reclaiming Your Best Self season, we’ll teach you 🌟 Setting Yourself Up for Success with Janette Kim.

Janette Kim is a sophomore majoring in business technology management and operations logistics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She is currently a Salesforce Consultant at Traction on Demand and also a job search/career strategies mentor on LinkedIn. In her spare time, you can find her hiking or browsing through Netflix!

🌟 Follow #ShineALightOn to be the first to know about new episodes.

🗣 Want to chat with us? https://www.opal-app.org/podcast-sign-up#chatwithus ⁠

💜 Love what you hear? Support Opal https://anchor.fm/opal-app/support ⁠

Jun 18, 202126:37
How to Tell Your Story
Jun 13, 202127:34
Toxic Hustle Culture

Toxic Hustle Culture

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Toxic Hustle Culture with Milap Patel. Milap is a student at UC Davis majoring in Managerial Economics and minoring in Computer Science and Technology Management. He co-founded Products Buds, a community for aspiring Product Managers of all social and cultural identities, as well as educational and career backgrounds. This summer, Milap will be interning at Microsoft as a Program Manager Intern.


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Jun 04, 202120:54
How to Get Noticed

How to Get Noticed

In this week's episode, we shine a light on How to Get Noticed with Elizabeth Morgan. Liz was awarded the title "Top Graduating HR Student" at her college for her leadership and passion for the field. After she spent hundreds of hours networking on her LinkedIn, she was sourced by a fast growing start up, then asked to join Google's recruiting team and after 3 awesome years as a Googler, was sourced to join iCIMS and help them build out their online brand!! She has never applied for a company she's worked at, as all her opportunities have come to her through a LinkedIn outreach.

She's using her free time to share her branding strategies with you, talk about her experience in corporate America, and start conversations about owning and maintaining a "side gig". When she's not on Linkedin sharing professional insight, she's in her home office making lightweight clay earrings, expanding her knowledge of Content Marketing, or watering her plants. :)


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May 22, 202145:16
How Involvement Beats GPA

How Involvement Beats GPA

In this week's episode, we shine a light on How Involvement Beats GPA with AJ Eckstein. AJ is a Strategy Consultant at Accenture, the founder of Career Coaching Company, and the Host of The Final Round Podcast. He recently graduated from USC in May 2020 where he interned at 5 companies, the most notable being The Walt Disney Company.


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Apr 29, 202129:22
How to Be a Great Mentor

How to Be a Great Mentor

In this week's episode, we shine a light on How to Be a Great Mentor with Marge Ang, an accomplished senior technology marketing professional with over 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies and startups in B2B SaaS, consumer tech, and healthcare. She is also a career management and leadership development coach, focused on helping clients build and sustain rewarding careers, or successfully pivot and adapt to a changing business environment. 


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Apr 22, 202119:32
Student Mental Health

Student Mental Health

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Student Mental Health with Mike Deng, a junior pursuing interaction design at ArtCenter College of Design. He is an active mental health advocate on LinkedIn, YouTube, and other media outlets. Beyond that he actively engages in creating communities at large and in creating inclusive communities. Within recent, he's been helping build out UX Growth, an inclusive design community for college students, new grads, and more.


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Apr 15, 202124:09
Finding Your Inner-Creativity

Finding Your Inner-Creativity

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Finding Your Inner-Creativity with Lindsay Zhou, a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, double majoring in computer science and linguistics with a minor in Japanese. She is also an incoming SWE Intern at Tableau. Since starting her own tech journey, she's been passionate not only about building technology that drives positive change, but also about uplifting others as they explore the world of tech. Outside of tech, she loves writing, and she's currently working on a fantasy novel. 


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Apr 08, 202113:40
Managing Your Career

Managing Your Career

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Managing Your Career with Jennifer Braganza, Vice President of intelligent Business Process Management (iBPM) at Pontoon Solutions, a subsidiary of The Adecco Group. She is an executive who leads process engineering teams to help organizations continuously improve and deliver for their clients, their shareholders, and their communities. Jennifer was recognized by The Charlotte Business Journal as one of their 40 under 40 in 2018.


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Apr 01, 202121:43
The Power in Exploring Passions

The Power in Exploring Passions

In this week's episode, we shine a light on The Power in Exploring Passions with Sharif Abbasi, a student at Cornell University as well as an incoming M&A/GTM Strategy Intern at VMware. He is also a Co-Founder and Head of Business Development for Cumulus. Abbasi and the Cumulus team are creating a platform hoping to provide underrepresented minority students with educational exploration, collegiate and professional mentorship, and a sense of community and belonging in the world of tech.

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Mar 26, 202115:42
Building Authentic Relationships

Building Authentic Relationships

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Building Authentic Relationships with Marcela Niemeyer, a Global Human Resources Executive with more than 16 years’ experience in people management for multinational companies. She has worked in the financial, automotive, chemical, and educational sectors, and is currently serving as the Executive Director of Global Human Resources at Laureate Education, an American, publicly-listed multinational in the higher education sector. Marcela holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in business administration, and is a certified Global Human Resources Professional (GPHR-HRCI).


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Mar 18, 202126:40
Public Speaking for STEM Students
Mar 11, 202119:00
How to Leverage Your "Student Card"

How to Leverage Your "Student Card"

In this week's episode, we shine a light on How to Leverage Your "Student Card" with Sumukh Setty. He currently works as the Chief of Staff at Bennu, a pre-seed startup helping engineering teams perform and communicate more effectively. He also runs Common Room, an AMA series that has had guests like Vivek Sodera, Eric Ries, Kara Goldin, and more. After spending time with Contrary Capital and Rough Draft Ventures in college, he founded and ran Green Line Ventures. He also ran eTower, Babson's entrepreneurship community, launching their external partnerships arm, and organizing Babson's biggest pitch competition ever. Sumukh's passion for startups and venture capital goes back several years, with his first startup in high school being acquired.


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Mar 04, 202115:37
Sustainable Self-Growth

Sustainable Self-Growth

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Sustainable Self-Growth with Harshini Sivakumar, a senior studying Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech. Her love for hands-on and challenging projects combined with her constant wonder at the sky and the world above lead her to choose Aerospace Engineering as her career path. She is passionate about empowering women and gender minorities to excel in STEM and aerospace, and hopes to see a day where all young people feel supported and encouraged to pursue their dreams. After graduation this May, she will be joining The Boeing Company as a Spacecraft Operations Engineer. 


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Feb 25, 202116:43
Staying Self-Aware

Staying Self-Aware

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Staying Self-Aware with Phyllis Njoroge, a product manager at Redfin. She also writes LinkedIn content about impostor syndrome, networking, the job search, and career development as a product manager. 


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Feb 17, 202124:31
Debunking Community College

Debunking Community College

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Debunking Community College with Guadalupe "Lupe" Medina and Brianna Proud. Lupe is currently a student at Joliet Junior College and will be graduating in the Spring of 2021. She will be transferring to Northern Illinois University to study computer science and business administration. Brianna is a third-year student at Pasadena City College. She is will be transferring into an Industrial Design program for Fall 2021.


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Feb 11, 202122:05
Navigating Jobs as a Person with Disabilities

Navigating Jobs as a Person with Disabilities

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Navigating Jobs as a Person with Disabilities with Sue Thao Do, a recent graduate of Santa Clara University and a self-published author with two previous works. She is a young woman who also lives with cerebral palsy. Sue hopes to pursue a career as a full-time writer and expand on her platform to make a difference for her community and others like her. 


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Feb 03, 202117:40
The Perks of Being a Generalist

The Perks of Being a Generalist

In this week's episode, we shine a light on The Perks Being a Generalist with Meghana Vinnakota, a senior studying Information Technology at the University of Washington and an incoming Program Manager at Microsoft. She aspires to work on building user-focused products and creating great tech experiences.


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Jan 29, 202119:14
Becoming an Entrepreneur

Becoming an Entrepreneur

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Becoming an Entrepreneur with Allison Kopf, the Founder and CEO of Artemis. Artemis is the market-leading Cultivation Management Platform serving the fruit, vegetable, floriculture, cannabis, and hemp industries. She is an internationally recognized expert on modern agriculture and has spoken at leading conferences including TEDx, TechCrunch Disrupt, and various Forbes summits. Kopf was recently named one of Forbes 2019 30 Under 30 as well as one of New York Business Journal's 2019 "Women of Influence." 


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Jan 20, 202132:29
The Art of Balance

The Art of Balance

In this week's episode, we #ShineALightOn The Art of Balance with Laura Jiang. Laura is a senior at Oregon State University majoring in Computer Science. She is currently a Product Management Intern at JusticeText and an incoming Product Manager at Microsoft.


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Jan 13, 202118:30
Finding Your Passions in College

Finding Your Passions in College

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Finding Your Passions in College with Joseph Choi. Joseph is a student at the University of Michigan and is an incoming Technical Writer at Salesforce. He's also the co-founder of Tech Pod, a community of students aspiring to break into the business side of the tech industry (no coding required!).


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Jan 06, 202120:36
Rewriting the Latina Story

Rewriting the Latina Story

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Rewriting the Latina story with Elsa Jimenez, a first-generation recent graduate and proud daughter of immigrants who aspires to break into the tech industry and to rewrite the Latina story. She is currently a Strategic Partnerships and Web Development at InternMakers. 


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Dec 30, 202019:26
How FAANG is Overrated

How FAANG is Overrated

In this week's episode, we shine a light on How FAANG is Overrated with Stormy Jackson, a senior at the University of Southern California studying Design. She is currently a Product Design Intern at Shopify and was previously at Lyft.


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Dec 16, 202019:59
Navigating Imposter Syndrome

Navigating Imposter Syndrome

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Navigating Imposter Syndrome with Ami Patel. Ami is a first-gen student, currently studying at the University of Southern California finishing her Masters in Project Management (Spring 2021). She went on to intern as program/product manager at Tesla for 9 months and most recently was a summer program manager intern at Splunk.


Uncut Gems by mezhdunami. https://soundcloud.com/mezhdunami
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-uncut-gems
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/9CC2Elmv9J4


Dec 10, 202019:30
Authenticity in a Digital World

Authenticity in a Digital World

In this week's episode, we shine a light on Authenticity in a Digital World with Linh Tran, a student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an Editor at Product Buds, a community of aspiring product managers. She’s also the author of Linhsights, a newsletter that focuses on personal development for students and young professionals.


Uncut Gems by mezhdunami. https://soundcloud.com/mezhdunami
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-uncut-gems
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/9CC2Elmv9J4

Dec 02, 202026:59