Faces on Campus – Sai Diksha Narahari

Faces on Campus – Sai Diksha Narahari

Sai Diksha Narahari moved to Seattle in December 2015. Having completed her undergraduate degree at GITAM, she decided she wanted to pursue a Masters in Information Systems at Northeastern University – Seattle. We caught up with Sai Diksha to gain some insight into how her previous experience influenced her decision to pursue a Masters degree in Information Systems.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m originally from Hyderabad, India. My father was in the Indian air force, so I’ve been traveling around from a young age. I’ve probably seen about 90 percent of India! We finally settled in Hyderabad when I was in 10th grade.
I completed my undergraduate degree in computer science at the Gandhi Institute of Information Technology and Management. After graduation, I started working as a senior test engineer at Cigniti Technologies, a software-testing services company. Although I am a computer science major, I had never ventured in test assurance, but it was a good domain and I learned a lot during my spell there.
December 2015 was a very busy month for me, as I got married and moved to Seattle with my husband, Teja. The weather was awful and it got dark so early, it definitely took me a little while to adjust! However, I loved the Christmas lights. They were so beautiful, I felt like it was something out of a fairy tale. Although I’m not a fan of the winters, the summers here are so pretty, and there are a lot of fun things to do. I really love living here now, I would say that I’m pretty much a Seattleite at this stage!

What influenced your decision to study at Northeastern University–Seattle?

I completed my undergraduate degree in computer science, so I had a basic knowledge of the fundamentals, like engineering, coding and web development. However, my experience at Cigniti Technologies has proven to be invaluable and insightful. I realized that coding is not my forte, but that I did have other skills to offer. It helped me to establish my career goals. My ideal role should have the perfect mix of computer science and business. My past experience helped me to realize that I excel at data analysis, and that definitely influenced my decision to do my Master’s in Information Systems.
Shortly after I moved to Seattle, I started researching different programs and universities. Northeastern-Seattle seemed like a perfect fit, because I was living right here, it has a great reputation, and some of my friends were studying at the Boston campus so they really encouraged me to apply. I did and the rest is history! My program is interesting and challenging, so I’m really enjoying it. I also like the fact that our professors are actually working in the tech industry in Seattle, they’re not typical professors. They get involved and make you challenge yourself.

What motivates you?

I just want to be better at what I do. I know that I have a particular set of skills and I just want to improve upon them. Seattle’s tech industry is thriving and it is very competitive, so I know that I can excel in this environment. A Master’s degree is going to make me much more attractive to the employers or the recruiters; I mean, having a Master’s is never a bad thing!

What do you hope to achieve after you graduate?

I won’t be specific about what role I hope to get in future, so I just hope that I reach my career goals. I hope that I don’t compromise and settle for something else. I am also hoping to learn from past mistakes, I definitely don’t want to repeat those! All in all, I just want to continue learning and actually be ready for any potential challenges that lie ahead. I have a plan, so I just need to remain focused and hopefully everything will fall into place!

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