Hi,
I'm
Ariha.
I grew up in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Most of my childhood was spent at The Emerald Heights International School, and almost all of those memories involve sport. I tried everything: swimming, badminton, basketball, netball, skating, cricket, athletics, hula hooping, football, arts and crafts. I was not always the best. I was always the most enthusiastic.
In 2017, that enthusiasm turned into something real. I played competitive netball at the national level in New Delhi. Sport taught me things no classroom could: how to adapt fast when the plan falls apart, how to carry a team when the energy dips, and how to stay calm when everything is live and the margin for error is zero. I carry all of that into everything I build.
In 2012, I made it into the Limca Book of Records, India's equivalent of Guinness. I hula-hooped for 4 hours straight around my waist. I will neither confirm nor deny whether I consider this my greatest achievement to date.
I moved to Pune, Maharashtra, India to do my undergrad in Finance. It was there that I started thinking bigger. I wanted global exposure, to be surrounded by different perspectives and ideas. And somewhere between the spreadsheets and economics textbooks, I discovered a genuine pull toward big data. The patterns, the stories hidden inside numbers. I wanted more.
So I packed up and moved to Boston for a Master's in Business Analytics at Brandeis International Business School. Sixteen months that changed me more than I expected. The program was 90% international students. My roommates were from China, Israel, and South India. We shared food, stories, and enough cultural curiosity to keep the conversations going well past midnight. I came in as one person and left as someone else entirely. Scroll down for the full chapter.
Now I work at MassEnergize, where I sit at the intersection of people, programs, and data. I build relationships with city officials and community partners. I translate complex systems into things non-technical people can actually use. I tell stories with numbers. It is, genuinely, the most fun I've had at work.
Sixteen months that changed everything.
A World in One Classroom
90% international students. Friends from every corner of the world, some countries I still cannot pronounce correctly, and I am not ashamed to admit it. My roommates were from China, Israel, and South India. We shared food, stories, and enough cultural differences to fill a book. I fell in love with people all over again.
Boston, Actually
The Freedom Trail. Boston Common. The Charles River on a good day. Every conversation eventually found its way to New England weather, which is entirely its own personality. The seasons here change completely, and watching that taught me something real about growth and versatility. I also became fluent in small talk. Apparently a survival skill in this city.
Hats Upon Hats
Student Association Communications Officer. Graduate Peer Advisor. Career Captain. VP of the Fintech Club. Admissions Ambassador. Graduate Research Assistant. Student Conduct Board member. Not because I had to. Because I wanted to. Leadership is something I learn by doing, and I could not stop.
Two Trips. Two Wake-Up Calls.
One of 30 students selected to travel to Israel for 10 days to meet startups building the future. One of 20 picked to visit San Francisco, walking through Google, Adobe, and ChargePoint. These were not tourist trips. They were formative. Each one stretched how I think about what's possible.
Nature Found Me in New Hampshire
When things got intense, New Hampshire was right there. Mountains, trails, silence. Being outdoors made me start paying attention differently. Trees, water, wildlife, the air. I started caring. And that caring turned into a question: what can I actually do about this?
Clean Energy Was the Answer
Both internships during Brandeis were in clean energy. That was not a coincidence. There is urgency in this sector, and I wanted to be useful at the last hour. My first real US work experience. It set the direction. That is still what drives me today.
How I show up.
Persistent
I see things through. If I started it, it gets done. Full stop.
Versatile
New sector, new stack, new challenge. I calibrate fast and the framework travels.
Gregarious
I thrive with people. Good energy is my actual superpower and I bring it into every room.
A few things that do not fit on a one-pager.
National Athlete
Played competitive netball at the national level in New Delhi in 2017. Still convinced this counts as a leadership experience anywhere I apply.
Limca Book of Records
National certificate holder since 2012. I made it into the Limca Book of Records, India's Guinness equivalent, hula-hooping for 4 hours straight. I have the certificate to prove it.
Student Leader of the Year
Won Brandeis's Student Leader of the Year in 2023 while also being VP of Fintech Club, Student Association Communications Officer, Career Captain, and Admissions Ambassador. I do not do things halfway.
Clean Energy Nerd
I have worked at the ground level, knocking on doors, talking to neighbors, and running community engagement programs that make decarbonization real at the residential level. Not just the policy. The actual people.
AI Enthusiast
I use AI tools every day to automate tasks, accelerate analysis, and free up time for the work that actually needs a human. Staying ahead of the curve is a habit.
Dashboard Obsessed
Started with Excel, leveled up to SQL and Python, built 10+ dashboards in Tableau, equally at home in Looker Studio and Power BI. Data visualization is genuinely my love language.