More Than She Could Have Imagined: Madhavi Shukla ’22 (MIS) on Earning a Summer Internship

In late September of 2021, Madhavi Shukla (MS MIS ’22) was about one month into her master’s program at the Eller College of Management. And thanks to an early start, she had already secured a summer internship at Amazon.

“I thought I’d have to appear for a lot of interviews, and something would turn up,” says Shukla.

But as it turns out, she received an offer after her first interview. During the first few weeks of the semester, she applied for a variety of positions at companies like McKinsey and Amazon. When Amazon reached out to schedule an interview, she took the first open slot. Despite some Wi-Fi issues and a bit of a mix-up with the interview slot, Shukla began to feel confident during the hour and a half interview filled with technical and behavioral questions.

Days later—coincidentally, on her birthday—Shukla received an email from Amazon offering her a position as a data engineer intern.

“I don’t think I could have imagined this,” she says.

Over the course of her summer internship, Shukla enjoyed learning, connecting with her coworkers and exploring everything Seattle has to offer. Overall, she appreciated the work-life balance the position afforded her.

This isn’t her first experience in the workplace. Shukla—who grew up in India—was previously employed at Infosys and ZS before moving to Tucson to earn her master’s degree at Eller.

She has always been interested in learning. As a child, she was constantly reading books but also liked math. In fact, Shukla’s sisters saw her passion for academics and convinced her parents to send her to a school where the medium of instruction was English.

“My parents have put a lot of effort into education,” she says.

Someday, she would like to give back to others in the same way. While her short-term goal is to advance her career, Shukla ultimately wants to help students by starting an organization in the education sector. During her years as an undergraduate, she volunteered every Saturday to teach students at a local school.

“That was my happiest place,” she says, noting that one constant in her life has been assisting kids.

For now, her focus is on completing her studies before graduating in December. After she earns her degree, Shukla will move back to Seattle, where she’ll begin a full-time job with Amazon in February.

As she wraps up her time at Eller, Shukla offered a bit of advice to new students: “Always be ready to come out of your comfort zone.”

And although she quickly obtained an internship, she asserts that the University of Arizona journey is about more than that.

“It’s not just about the internship and job search,” she says. “It’s about you trying to experience new things and grow.”