Sukanya Kumar - National Board Spotlight

What are you doing today and how did joining Kappa Phi Gamma Sorority, Inc.

prepare you for this?

I currently work at Comcast as a Program Manager for the Residential Product Engineering Team. In college, I majored in Management Information Systems with a minor in Psychology. Throughout college, I did various internships in an effort to try to figure out what I wanted to do when I graduated. I had the opportunity to explore a range of industries as well as positions - from Media Design to Marketing to I.T. and finally Publishing. My last internship at Vice Media as a Global Business Analytics Intern left me thinking I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Kappa Phi Gamma gave me the opportunity to talk to various people in the different industries I was interning in to learn more and see what my next step was based on their experience and advice.I currently work at Comcast as a Program Manager for the Residential Product Engineering Team. In college, I majored in Management Information Systems with a minor in Psychology. Throughout college, I did various internships in an effort to try to figure out what I wanted to do when I graduated. I had the opportunity to explore a range of industries as well as positions - from Media Design to Marketing to I.T. and finally Publishing. My last internship at Vice Media as a Global Business Analytics Intern left me thinking I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Kappa Phi Gamma gave me the opportunity to talk to various people in the different industries I was interning in to learn more and see what my next step was based on their experience and advice.

What were your biggest challenges and struggles?

Rewinding to the job application for my current position.

I had no idea what the job requirements were talking about, but figured I would apply anyways because why not? Now, fast forward to me one year into my role.

I- a business school major with no background knowledge of anything engineering related- am working with several engineering teams to ensure our residential products are the best that they can be for our customers. I think my biggest challenge is trying to understand engineering related terms/conversation, learning what they ACTUALLY mean, and translating them to senior leadership.

What is your favorite part of your position/career/field?

In the past year of working at Comcast, I have been able to join several groups like Women in Cable Telecommunications, and participate in activities like a Mentorship Program and National Engineering Week. My role, along with these groups and activities, have allowed me to learn an immense amount about engineering as well as the Telecommunications Industry.

What is your work/life balance?

Typically, I have a pretty decent work life balance. I work in Philadelphia, so during my lunch breaks or after work, I get to explore the city. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, I am working from home which means I don’t really have a work/life balance anymore. However, since there is no commute for me right now, I still get to explore things in my area! I recently got a pup and that has taken up a lot of my time before & after work (also during)!

What do you perceive are the benefits of joining Kappa Phi Gamma Sorority, Inc.?

I think Kappa Phi Gamma Sorority, Inc. taught me a lot about confidence. It gave me Sisters that have supported me and been my personal cheerleaders since the day I met them. Without them, I probably would have looked at the job application for my current role, and instead of thinking ‘why not?,’ would have thought of 100 reasons as to why I shouldn’t have applied to the job I now love!

What advice do you have for women that are attempting to follow your career path?

Honestly, there are so many more career paths than what you are told about in college. Try everything. Internships are the best time to experiment the various paths you can take once you graduate. And once you get that internship, don’t stop networking! Go to networking events in and out of the office.

Get business cards, exchange LinkedIn profiles, etc. You are never going to know what you do or do not like until you try it!

How do you measure your success?

The most important thing is to set goals for yourself. In the corporate world, you have goals and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Goals are tasks that are achievable whereas OKR’s are meant to be more challenging, but achievable if you keep achieving your intermittent goals. This is how I measure success on a personal level. I set goals in monthly/quarterly intervals and essentially have OKR’s as my yearly goals. By doing this, you are able to achieve your life goals by slowly doing the tasks that will take you there. Another really important thing is that you should only compare yourself to yourself. Not everyone is on the same path and no one has the same obstacles or advantages as you do, so there is no point in comparing yourself to them.

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