This is the next segment of our blog series highlighting Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors who achieved the Gold milestone and have recently graduated from university. Each blog in the series features a different student and highlights their accomplishments, their experience with the Student Ambassador community, and what they’re up to now.
Today we meet Sheena Narula who is from India and recently graduated from Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Institute of Computer Applications and Management with a master's degree in computer applications.
Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
When you joined the Student Ambassador community in 2020, did you have specific goals you wanted to reach, such as a particular skill or quality?
My initial goal was to learn to be confident and more outgoing. As my journey continued, apart from achieving those goals by interacting with community members, hosting events, and being a part of their events, my goals changed with time, and my main motive became to spread the knowledge I gained--not only academic knowledge but knowledge on personal growth – like how to be confident, how to start interacting without hesitation or how be comfortable in the environment. I achieved all of it with the help of my peers, the Community Program Managers (CPMs), Pablo Veramendi, the Global Program Director, and everybody in the community, as I had guidance from everybody whenever I needed it.
A small Student Ambassador meetup in Delhi from earlier this year
What were the accomplishments that you’re the proudest of and why?
Being a part of the community, one thing I am most proud of is that I, along with another Student Ambassadors, got an opportunity to interact with the Community Program Managers of India. Tina Popli and I hosted a session earlier this year on “Women in Tech” where our guest speakers, Sarah and Marilyn, talked about gender biases, their daily routine, how to manage the work-life balance, etc., and we were all able to learn new things from them.
I also contributed to the course “Data Science for Beginners” by reviewing and preparing quizzes for the chapter I was responsible for.
I was also a part of Tech Together twice as a Student Ambassador volunteer, where I resolved queries of the participants regarding the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador program as well as issues they were facing in their projects. It was a great opportunity for me to guide participants, and I also got to learn from them.
I am also the community manager of the blogging community, Voice of Code (VOC). As a community manager, I am responsible for all the events we plan, as I bring the team together to develop them. Recently, we hosted a livestream session on “Technical Writing”, and it was a great success. I had a great time working with such an amazing team.
What are you doing now that you’ve graduated?
I recently joined a multi-national company, Cognizant, as a developer. I am planning to gain a few years of experience and see what life has planned. :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:
If you could redo your time as a Student Ambassador, is there anything you would have done differently?
After joining the community, I wasn’t very active in my first few months, so this is something I would change. I would’ve started working on myself from the day I joined the community.
If you were to describe the community to a student who is interested in joining, what would you say about it to convince him or her to join?
Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors is not only a community but also an institution where you learn you can do things you weren't sure you could do. You will learn to be confident, gain hands-on experience, and learn new technologies at your own pace.
What advice would you give to new Student Ambassadors?
First, congrats on making it into the community and having a family consisting of some amazing people. Be honest to yourself, learn as much as you can, and give back to the community - not only to the Student Ambassadors community, but everywhere, wherever you are a part of. You are in a great place. Give and earn respect, be helpful and kind to others, ask for help without hesitation, be open, and talk and interact with everybody.
Do you have a motto in life, a guiding principle that drives you?
I have quite a few mottos:
1) Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm
2) Live every day with a fresh new start
3) Rather than think “what if”, think “next time”
4) Take a break, seize the day
What is one random fact few people know about you?
One thing that very few people know about me is I am a fun and outgoing girl. I’ll keep blabbering and am a big foodie. Also, I am a pet lover and am totally in love with animals.
Sheena’s best buddy, Shifu
Apart from that, I am a dancer, love adventure, and am into traveling.
Sheena in San Francisco
Good luck to you in all your endeavors, Sheena!
Readers, you can find Sheena on LinkedIn, GitHub, YouTube, and Instagram.