About Sai: Sai Anirudh Grandhi (‘24) is originally from Hyderabad, India. He graduated from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus with a Bachelor's Degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. After graduation, he worked as an engineer at Nvidia Corporation designing chips that are used in self-driving cars and data-center processors. Additionally, he briefly worked in business development roles for a few early-stage startups. At Anderson, he seeks to pivot his career from engineering to product management. Sai is an outdoorsy person and loves both watching and playing sports.
69 kgs is the limit a commercial airliner allows on a flight from India to the USA. 69kgs to leave all the personal and professional connections built over 26 years and travel 8,700 miles to a completely new city, state, and country. 69kgs to move everything I learned over 26 years halfway across the world. 69kgs to embark upon an exciting journey and enter a new stage of my life!
I will never forget the day I reached LA - a flood of mixed emotions overwhelmed me. I felt a tinge of sadness about leaving my family and friends behind, a surge of excitement about the opportunity to explore a new country and an exhilarating anticipation for discovering all the amazing things UCLA Anderson has to offer.
I believe that adapting to a completely new environment and lifestyle can be likened to increasing the difficulty level in the game of life. Fortunately, I came across abundant resources that assisted me in participating and competing in this game. Let me walk you through a few of them below!
1. Classmates: I am immensely grateful for the support I received from my classmates, which proved to be invaluable. From offering me rides to parties to helping me navigate the nuances of social interactions in the USA, they consistently stood by my side and made my transition easier. They were always eager to listen to my past experiences and cultural background and made sure that I felt at ease. From cooking for each other to celebrating festivals together, my classmates were always by my side. On learning of my winter break plans of staying back in LA, a thoughtful friend extended an invitation to spend winter break at his house so that home-cooked food and the welcoming environment could offer comfort. I will be forever grateful to my classmates for their assistance in helping me settle into life in LA.
2. Parker: As I transitioned into the job hunt process, the professional clubs and Parker Career Management Center offered me plentiful resources to comprehend the professional landscape in the USA. They covered an extensive range of topics, including crafting effective outreach messages to industry professionals, appropriate and inappropriate topics to discuss during networking calls or events, best practices for successful interviews, and cultural differences in the workplace.
3. Clubs: The multitude of parties, dinners, get-togethers, and other events hosted by identity and social clubs, as well as my classmates themselves, proved invaluable in helping me forge closer connections with my peers and acquainting myself with the diverse cohort that UCLA Anderson has to offer. Additionally, the identity clubs organize various cultural events throughout the year such as Diwali celebrations, Lunar New Year festivals, Brazilian Carnival, Al Tun Tun celebration, and cultural showcases which helped me and other International students feel closer to home.
4. John Wooden - Arthur Ashe: I value both my physical and mental well-being greatly and am grateful for the resources provided by the John Wooden Recreation Center that support my fitness journey. Additionally, I feel secure knowing that I can always rely on the Ashe Center for any health-related concerns.
Moving to LA, I immediately noticed numerous differences in the way of life. From adjusting to driving on the opposite side of the road to acclimating to the changes in culture and society, from converting the dollar price to my native currency for every purchase to missing my family, there were multiple hurdles I had to overcome and the UCLA Anderson experience has added fuel to my engine to keep me going through the highs and lows. While it's a significant change, it's one that's well worth undertaking for the exciting new people you'll meet and the opportunities that will come your way!
Student Blogger: Sai Anirudh Grandhi ('24)
Undergrad: Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus - (B.E Hons.) Electronics and Communication Engineering.
Pre-MBA: Engineer at Nvidia Corporation
Leadership@Anderson: VP of Alumni Relations - AnderTech, VP of Tech Marketing - Marketing Association, VP of Alumni Relations - South Asian Business Association, First-Year Director of Marketing - Admission Ambassador Corps
Instagram: @g.sai_anirudh
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