Current Position

Regulatory Affairs Strategy & Operations Program Manager, Google

Major

International Relations - Political Science

Graduating Year

2018

A message from Ianka

There will be many moments in your life when you find yourself as the “Only.” At various points in my life, I have been the only woman, the only young person, the only person of color, or some combination of these identities. Sometimes, these experiences can be isolating, especially when you encounter glass ceilings or glass walls. Others may struggle to relate to your experiences or may dismiss your accomplishments based on your identity, which can create pressure to suppress parts of yourself. I spent years in my career before I ever saw someone who looked like me sitting on the other side of the table.

However, I believe that each of our unique identities brings value to the table. While it’s important to be discerning about how you use your time and energy, voicing your diverse perspective is one of the best ways to contribute to your team. It may be uncomfortable, but it can make a significant difference in challenging biases, making products or processes more inclusive, and paving the way for more people like you to enter the field. Each time we speak up, we help shape our community for the better.

A valuable skill

One component of my job involves building more efficient processes. It’s essentially recognizing patterns in different pain points across existing work streams, and taking a step back to understand what types of structural changes can be made to prevent them from recurring. Sometimes, it’s as simple as changing the wording in a guide and other times as complicated as building an entirely new tool. Either way, you can build this skillset by asking yourself a similar set of questions that you would ask yourself when writing an academic paper: What are some common trends I am seeing? What might be causing them? Are there underlying connections between the problems? What are some different ways other people have addressed similar issues? Most of the time, problems are not new, so we don’t need to start from scratch.

Another way you can practice this skill is by taking a step back whenever you encounter a repetitive challenge, and taking just 5 minutes to brainstorm how you can address it differently from the last time. You won’t always have a new answer, but over time, the upfront investment really pays off!

Hobbies

Social impact, community-building, civic engagement.