Meet Gauri Kamte, President of Eller’s MIS Graduate Association

Gauri Kamte ’23 MS MIS grew up trying a little bit of everything.

“My childhood was quite exploratory,” she says, summarizing her early years in Mumbai, India. “I was literally in every extra-curricular activity.”

Not only did she excel in academics, but she also attended drama school and trained in Indian classical dance and music. Her mother—an economics professor—worked hard to care for Kamte and her sister.

“My mother supported us financially growing up,” she says.

Though she performed in cultural events and sang in her school’s choir, Kamte was also excited about technology. With Facebook and WhatsApp on the rise, she grew increasingly fascinated with tech. She created her first email account in fifth or sixth grade. When her family got their first computer, she couldn’t leave it.

By tenth grade, Kamte made the decision to study engineering.

After obtaining her bachelors in electronics and telecommunications, she went on to work at Colgate-Palmolive, which was among the first companies at which she interviewed.

“When I first joined Colgate, I did not know exactly what I wanted to do,” she says.

So she took the opportunity to connect with her colleagues and explore what they were doing. In addition to attending hackathons and joining strategic initiatives like the Colgate Women’s Network, she learned about project management during her four years with the company. When Colgate asked if she wanted to help develop their in-house AI chatbot, she answered with an unequivocal yes.

That same year, Kamte was accepted to the Eller College of Management’s master’s in MIS program. She wanted to broaden her skill set and pursue her goals in the product management space. Despite applying to several schools, the University of Arizona piqued her interest the most.

“When I got into Eller, I thought, ‘There’s no turning back,’” she says.

Kamte packed her bags and moved to Tucson in August 2022. Though it has been a whirlwind, she’s enjoying her time at Eller. Her favorite courses are Business Foundations for IT and Business Consulting, and she is especially appreciative of the emphasis placed on teamwork and gaining insights into different working styles and team dynamics.

She was also elected as the president of the MIS Graduate Association (MISGA), through which she is “learning the art of delegation,” she says.

Last fall, Kamte, and two Eller classmates received scholarships from the MIS Department to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration, a conference focused on women in technology. The event inspired them to co-found Product Pitch, a platform that allows aspiring product managers to showcase their capabilities and get feedback from professionals.

Looking ahead, she hopes to work for a tech company in product management.

“I would love to work on projects that have large scale and real-world impact,” Kamte says.

For incoming Eller students, her advice is to ask questions and ask for help.

“I would suggest that they seek mentorship and talk to more and more people to get that early advice,” she summarizes.