Take a seat at the table! Understand the big picture, and have confidence in your abilities.

I was always fascinated with Mathematics. Though I was the only female student in the Math class in high school , my father encouraged me to pursue my interests. I did my bachelors and masters in Math in India, and joined Cornell University to pursue a PhD in Mathematics too. As part of doing a minor in Operations Research, I took a course in Linear Programming in my first semester. That course helped me realize that Operations Research would enable me to do “Math with a purpose”. My first job after my PhD was as a visiting professor at UNC, Chapel Hill. After two years in academia I took a job with SAS institute as an OR Analyst. Over time my responsibilities grew within SAS. I led the team of OR Analysts, and then became the head of the Advanced Analytics R&D Division at SAS.