Gunika Kumar
Having just graduated from her
Computing Course, Gunika Kumar is already working for a major technology firm, supporting some of the biggest companies in the world with their software needs.
Originally from Delhi, India, Gunika moved to the UK with her family in 2017 and completed her GCSEs and A-levels here. After spending some time back in India, she began searching for the right university and quickly found herself drawn to Worcester.
“I wanted somewhere that felt more student-centred, but I also wanted my independence,” she said. “Worcester felt like the right size city and somewhere I could really make my own experience.”
Although she had never properly visited the city before applying, Gunika explored Worcester online and liked what she saw.
“I looked it up on Google Maps and I really liked the way the city looked,” she said. “I loved the river and the bridges. I remember thinking, ‘This is really nice.’”
Before arriving in the UK, Gunika attended a pre-arrival event organised by the University’s international team in Delhi, where she met staff and other students preparing to study at Worcester.
“They talked us through how to submit assignments, how exams work, what to expect from the systems we’d be using and all the practical things we’d need to know,” she said. “When I got to Worcester, everything was exactly the way they’d explained it.”
After starting her Computing degree, Gunika particularly enjoyed the flexibility of the course and the opportunity to experience different areas before specialising.
“In the first year we got a taster of everything,” she said. “It was great because then in second and third year you can choose which direction you want to go in.”
Through that experience, she discovered a passion for data science and machine learning.
“I’m much more interested in data science,” she said. “I focused on that in my second year and then chose machine learning in my third year, which is something I’m really keen to pursue in the future.”
Alongside her studies, Gunika worked in a range of customer-facing roles, including retail, hospitality and as a student receptionist at the University. She also made the most of the support available from her lecturers and the University’s careers team.
“Keeping my lecturers in the loop really helped me,” she said. “If I saw them around campus, I’d stop and ask questions. I think you have to go for it.”
She also received support with her CV ahead of applying for graduate roles.
Before graduating, Gunika secured a position as a Graduate Product Delivery Consultant with EPI-USE Labs, a company that works with major organisations around the world.
“It’s a graduate programme and my role is to help clients if there are updates in their systems or if they need support,” she said. “I can help when people are unsure of something or feel a bit lost.”
The role combines technical knowledge with communication skills, something Gunika believes helped her stand out during the application process.
“All through university I worked alongside my studies,” she said. “I worked in retail, hospitality and at the University, and they really liked that I had people skills.”
She added: “They said they needed someone who could talk to clients without shying away.”
The graduate programme includes an extensive training period, helping new recruits make the transition from university into professional life.
“It still feels a bit like university because we’re all learning together,” she said. “I didn’t have to step into a completely different world all of a sudden.”
While she is enjoying her first graduate role, Gunika has not lost sight of her long-term ambitions and hopes to continue her studies in the future.
“I really want to do my Master’s because I want to move more towards data science,” she said.
Learn more about Computing at Worcester