Thinking Strategically About Her Future

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Thinking Strategically About Her Future

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Diksha Kishore Shandil always wanted a seat at the table. Her MBA from the Stevens School of Business gave her the tools that one day could put her at the head of it.

After earning her Bachelor of Engineering in information technology from SJB Institute of Technology in her native India, Diksha began her professional career as a project engineer at Wipro, an IT services and consulting company. After three years, the company promoted her to senior project engineer before she moved on to Software AG, a software development firm. She worked as an associate consultant, business analyst and consultant for the next four years.

"I am a software engineer with seven years of industry experience, both in a core technical role and the product side," she said. "Working toward an MBA was always part of my vision because, in today's innovative world, everyone values data-driven decision-making. I wanted to be where the strategic decisions are made, and the visions are drafted. That's what made me excited about pursuing an MBA from Stevens. Stevens is a technology institution focused on innovation, so it was an ideal match for me. In addition to the curriculum, I feel that everybody is involved in your journey, and it gives you a place to craft your own MBA experience."

Diksha's time in the MBA program[IR1] was rooted in real-world experience through the Industry Capstone Program and her internship at JPMorgan Chase, where she recently accepted a full-time offer. She'll be part of the two-year rotational program, gaining exposure to various parts of the consumer and community banking operation, including product execution strategy, credit cards and innovation.

Her capstone work was particularly meaningful. Despite having no previous marketing experience, her task was to help a startup company create a marketing plan. Relying on her related coursework, she was able to not only provide an actual solution to a real company but also expand her career opportunities. She chose the internship on the wealth management team at JP Morgan but also had an internship offer in the marketing department at Johnson & Johnson.

"I had no marketing experience, let alone on the management side," she explained. "But that experience was transformative, and it created a launchpad for my career. It was amazing to me that a person with only technical and functional experience could secure an internship in a marketing leadership development program. It's a credit to the curriculum and the corporate outreach team (Corporate Outreach and Professional Advancement)."

"The marketing management class taught by (retired) Professor Gary Lynn gave me a great foundation," she continued. "I'm grateful that I was able to learn so much from him. His approach towards teaching is not traditional. It makes you uncomfortable in a good way so that you push your boundaries, and you start to think at a different level."

It wasn't just the marketing class that left a lasting impression. The Stevens MBA program's emphasis on blending technology and traditional business and management skills was useful during her JPMorgan internship and positioned her to excel in her full-time role.

"I was prepared both technically and strategically," she said. "I come from a technical background, but once you start thinking on the strategic side, you get the holistic picture and can influence others towards the vision. The strategic management lessons I learned from Professor Pranav Garg were helpful because he pushed us to learn and apply the concepts. I received some appreciation for my customer and competitor analysis at JPMorgan Chase during my summer internship, and I would like to say that it's because of that class. It was a different kind of a journey."

"Another one of my projects at JPMorgan was to increase advisors' productivity by incorporating generative AI into their product," she continued. "I took classes in R and Python, which gave me a starting point to understand the underlying artificial intelligence concepts. My role was mostly on the management, strategic and business insight side, but it is always important to understand your product."

Diksha's drive to go from skilled technician to innovative strategist who speaks the languages of both technology and business made the Stevens MBA program a perfect fit, and she encourages others to explore the possibilities.

"Consider this as a transformative journey," she shared. "My mindset shifted from just the execution side, and I started to see things holistically. In addition to the curriculum it offered, Stevens helped me craft my own path. I had never studied economics, finance or strategy but always aspired to learn more. Stevens really helped me to uplift my technical skills by teaching valuable lessons on the management side."

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