When Gauri Nagaraj moved from Dubai to Indianapolis at the age of 17, there was a whole new window of opportunities to discover. Pursuing an education in the U.S. has always been her plan, and IUPUI helped assist her in her dreams within the Kelley School of Business.
"When I was in the ninth grade, I was very set on coming to the U.S. for education," Nagaraj said. "I knew I wanted to do business, so I started researching and looking at my options. I applied to seven universities, got accepted to all of them and finally made my decision to come to IUPUI, specifically for the business school."
Coming from a completely different educational system where there wasn’t much offered, Nagaraj saw that she could do as many extracurricular activities as she wanted at IUPUI, and she wasn’t limited to a set number of goals.
"When I came here, I saw that I could be one person who did multiple things," Nagaraj said.
In the span of four years, she has accomplished two internships, one with the Division of Student Affairs as a social media intern and one with IU Studios as a marketing research intern, where she worked her way up to becoming the internship program coordinator.
Along with that, she established herself within the International Club holding multiple officer roles and rising to become president, became VP of marketing in the Kelley Student Government and became VP of communications for Women in Business. Being active in all of these student-run organizations since freshman year made Nagaraj feel included, and she quickly found her purpose in Indianapolis.
"When I started my internships, worked my first on-campus job and attended club meetings, I liked the feeling of knowing I would show up and be able to meet new people," Nagaraj said. "That was really important to me, and all of these opportunities are great ways to meet people that are within and outside of your degree program."
The experiences Nagaraj has had on campus has taught her to be more outgoing, and she now feels comfortable reaching out to people with questions, for help or to collaborate on something. She is hoping to pursue a career in the sales field after graduating and IUPUI has set her up for success.
"[My experience] has taught me to be organized," Nagaraj said. "If I wasn't involved in so many activities, I would have way more time on my hands and procrastinate everything. I feel like all of the opportunities have taught me to be organized, detail oriented and has shaped me into a better, more confident and stronger person."
