Anusha Kansal
To start off, can you tell me a little bit about yourself, like your year, pronouns, major and your hometown?
I'm Anusha. I'm a sophomore majoring in computer science and data science. I'm from San Jose, California. And my pronouns are she/her. I'm a computer science and data science double major.
Why did you choose this major?
I came into Berkeley just originally intending data science, because I didn't want to just do coding. But I also wanted a little bit of a mathy component, which is why I was like, “Maybe data science isn't for me.” And then I took 61A the summer before my freshman year, and I really enjoyed it. So then I've decided to add on CS as well. So far Data Structures, or 61B, has been my favorite class, and I just really enjoyed making things and being able to program and implement my own visions.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of academics?
I really like art as a hobby. I've been doing art for around eight years now. And I've worked with a lot of different mediums. And I also really like to listen to music. So another fun fact is that I listened to 99,000 minutes of music last year, based on my Spotify Wrapped. Those are two things that I really enjoy. I also just like hanging out with friends and going on little trips here and there in Berkeley or in SF.
What are your professional interests?
Outside of academics, I've been working more with SWE especially in terms of internships. But my extracurriculars in college have been more data science focused. I want to go into more of a back-end role in the future, but also combine it with something that has to do with data analysis, or some kind of a data domain. A lot of my extracurriculars in college have been teaching for a data science course or data structures as well. Being part of SAAS is also a data science extracurricular, and I’m in some other various data science clubs.
What were your past and current committees in SAAS?
So I joined Fall 2020, and I was in CX. In Spring 2021, I was in Internal Affairs. In Fall 2021, I was in Insights and Analytics. And then this semester, I'm one of the IA directors.
Okay, awesome. How did you find out about SAAS? And then, why did you join?
That is a great question. I'm honestly not sure how I heard about SAAS. But I remember I joined during a COVID semester. I remember going to Calapalooza. And all the Zoom fatigue kind of wore me out. But I remember interviewing for SAAS, and I thought I totally bombed that group interview. But somehow I got in, and ever since it's just been a really great experience. I've made some of my closest friends in SAAS. It's been a great opportunity to just meet new people, especially when you're virtual. I really like the fact that SAAS was very inclusive. Definitely one of the only clubs I've been in so far that has been this inclusive of everyone, especially new members. That pushed me to stay in the club.
What has been your favorite SAAS committee you've been in and why?
I have to say, Insights and Analytics last semester, not because I'm biased as a director, but because I think it's just the combination of being able to work with other people and also being in person changes things a lot. I got to meet up with some of the committee members outside of our meetings to work on things in person. Just having those face to face interactions was really important. My directors were Jay and Justin last semester, and they also made it fun. It was a very nice environment to be in. And I learned a lot as well working on a big client project for the first time. I definitely took a lot away from that.
You've been in SAAS for a couple semesters now, so what kept you in the club?
I think it's the people. I've been in other clubs where even as a member, you're not very included, as a part of the community. But SAAS doesn't do that. Like once you're in, you're in the same group as everyone else. And I really enjoyed all of the people that I've met here. They have so many passions, and they're very wholesome and kind. And I really enjoyed being around people like that. And also, I think everyone that's in this club, especially exec and all the directors, they just put in so much effort in order to help their committee members. Overall, there's always social events going on and things that we can be a part of, like weekly dinners, or the socials that happen every week. So I really enjoyed that.
Awesome. What is your proudest accomplishment in SAAS?
I think right now, as directors, me and Michelle are really trying to make our committee a more closer knit community and we're trying to keep it more casual. I really like the way that committee members interact with each other; it feels like they're very comfortable with each other. They participate a lot during the workshops. They just like to work together and get their assignments done. And I really appreciate that. So I'm really proud that we've hopefully been able to foster a good learning environment for them, and also a good community for them to bond in.
And then how is SAAS helping with your career or professional development as a whole?
Especially after being in IA last semester, I really want to go into something that has a data analysis component in it. I really enjoyed working on that project and knowing that I could be doing that in the future as part of my career. It really opened me up to those possibilities. Also, I've been to a couple of professional development events in the past, so being able to learn from upperclassmen who have more experience has also been really valuable. And also having access to opportunities that are happening through the #opportunities channel in Slack.
Could you pick one of the SAAS values of community exploration, mentorship, and then tell me what it means to you?
Throughout all my semesters in SAAS, it's always been about community for me. Once you have a good set of people that you're comfortable with and that you can be yourself around, it just makes everything so much nicer and easier. It's a great experience. Community and SAAS to me means just having the opportunity to hang out with people, whether it's in a formal setting like coffee chats or Donut Bots. Or you just meet people through more informal, spontaneous events, like Big Little Hangouts, or the weekly dinners or house gatherings and socials. So all of these different events just built this great community. And I think that's also one of the emphases we placed on new members. We want them to also have this sense of community.
Do you have any advice you would give newer SAAS members?
I know it probably seems a little bit intimidating, but go to socials and go to any events, even if they're spontaneous or planned. I promise you'll find people that you resonate with who you can hang out with outside of club events. So don't be afraid to go to social events, even if you don't know anyone.
So now we can go through some quick Berkeley-related questions — Favorite class?
Data Structures with Josh Hug. That class changed me. I enjoyed every single part of it. You can just do so much in your life after you've taken that class. And the projects are actually kind of fun. Maybe not Gitlet, or Enigma, because I never had to do those. But the ones that I did do, they were pretty fun.
What's your favorite place to study?
Main Stacks. It's so nice. There's usually empty spots during dead week. Last semester, it was terrible, because everyone was in there. But when there's not that many people, it's really nice. It’s a nice level of depressing so that you don't get distracted by anything and people can't talk to you. You can actually get work done.