Kokki provides pro-bono consulting to university students through BobaTalks, a non-profit organization. We also mentor students through the University of Washington, University of Michigan, Year Up, and Junior Achievement.
BobaTalks is a mentorship program that helps students navigate the ambiguities surrounding both personal and career development. This includes free access to mentors who volunteer their time in helping students with career questions. Kokki LLC provides pro-bono consulting to students through BobaTalks. Anyone is welcome to join.
As someone who enjoyed learning math & science, I thought engineering would be my route. That is, until my brother shared about his experience as a Computer Science student at CMU. His experience keeping up with CS prodigies made me think twice, and I opted to study Business instead.
I entered the University of Michigan wide-eyed, wanting two things: 1) make some friends, 2) get a job. My BBA gave me the foundational knowledge & confidence to interview for many jobs & internships at Google, Microsoft, L'Oreal, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Samsung,, you name it. I loved the extracurricular experiences I had in college - the case competitions, the student leadership, the intramural sports. I graduated in 2010 with a solid group of friends, and a job.
My first full-time job was at Deloitte LLP where I worked as a Marketing Specialist in the Consumer & Industrial Products division. As one of the few marketers based in the Midwest, my focus was on automotive & manufacturing; sectors ripe to be disrupted by innovative technologies. I loved working there so much that I stayed for four years, when I left for grad school. I never wanted to go to grad school.
As I was working at Deloitte, I thought about patterns in how I spent my free time. Evenings, weekends, any opportunity to give back to college students - I was there.
Eventually I realized that student advising could be a career, and that most people in these fields had a Master's degree (at minimum). I moved to Philadelphia to study at the University of Pennsylvania, where I took classes at the Graduate School of Education while working at the Wharton School. Grad school was hard. I learned to read quickly & voraciously. I learned to research & write effectively. I learned so much and was glad to be done in <1 year.
After grad school, I moved to Singapore, a place I had never visited. I figured working overseas would be a good experience for my personal & professional growth. The National University of Singapore sponsored my work visa and I built career programs for Yale-NUS College, a joint venture between two esteemed institutions. I had so much fun and left 3 years later.
When I moved back stateside, working at a university career center was the natural choice. The University of Washington in Seattle provided that, and the Information School allowed me to mingle with Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. students pursuing informatics, info science, cybersecurity careers. A SaaS startup came to campus one day to coach iSchool students on technical interviewing. Karat piqued my interest.
Karat had ~40 employees when I first joined, and 100+ when I left. I was hired to report to the Co-founder, and interfaced with enterprise clients as a Customer Success Manager. I loved working in a fast-paced environment and collaborating with Product, Engineering, Data, & Sales. When Amazon approached me with a job doing similar work, it was hard to say no.
Working on Amazon's retail business was fascinating. I was in a client-facing role, armed with data & tools. Partnering with multinational businesses to grow their e-commerce presence was challenge. We navigated the pandemic and significant changes in spending patterns. I missed owning programs, operations, and strategy. A new PM role at Amazon Web Services' Academic Advocacy team piqued my interest.
I put my name in the hat, with hope but no expectation. The interview loops were filled with vigor, curiosity, and genuine dialogue about issues I cared deeply about. I got the offer and have been working at AWS as a Senior Program Manager since September 2022. I love my role because it feels like the intersection of all of my previous experiences. I feel seen, heard, and recognized. Every team is different but this team was a particularly good fit for me.
LinkedIn is a professional social media platform that I engage with frequently. Anyone may "Follow me on LinkedIn" to stay connected to content.
If you request to "Connect on LinkedIn", please make sure to note that we met through BobaTalks.
I typically only accept connection requests from those I have met in-person.
Few people know what they truly want/should be doing as a 20-something year-old. Don't fret or worry too much. We learn from our experiences and can pivot our way through.
When I was in college, I was repeatedly told that I was "the best of the best." Once I entered the workforce, I realized I wasn't. No one asked about what school I went to, what my GPA/CAP was, or how I did on my SAT/ACT. Enter any new setting with humility and a willingness to do anything. This attitude will be recognized.
Required coursework: "Business Communications" at UM Ross School of Business. Few enjoyed this class but it's the most useful class I took in my BBA degree. "Operations Management" was a difficult one filled with teamwork but very useful for learning how to be efficient at work and life.
Elective classes: "Social Entrepreneurship" at UM College of Engineering. Cross-discipline course I took my final semester where I piloted a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform. Felt like a Capstone learning experience that tested my takeaways from business school.
Courses I wish I paid more attention to: "Introduction to Statistics"
Nayoung serves as a mentor through several non-profit organizations and universities. She is currently mentoring students through the University of Washington, University of Michigan, Year Up, and Junior Achievement. If you are seeking a mentor for life & career advice, fill out the form below.
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