Can a spreadsheet, a framework or a dashboard change someone's life?
A few months earlier, I probably would not have asked that question.
Like most people in business, I have spent much of my career focused on customers, operations, revenue, projects and teams. Success was usually measured through business outcomes.
One of the things that surprised me most about the UCLA Anderson Executive MBA was being exposed to experiences I would never have sought out on my own. One of those came through the Social Impact Consulting Corps, an initiative of the UCLA Anderson Center for Impact.
Our team was paired with Mentors International, a nonprofit that helps families build sustainable livelihoods through entrepreneurship and mentoring.
In many ways, the work felt familiar. We researched organisations, evaluated partnership opportunities, developed a prioritisation framework and built a dashboard to support future growth decisions.
Then it struck me.
If our work helped Mentors International make better decisions, perhaps they could reach more families.
That simple thought changed how I looked at the project.
Somewhere during those weeks, I also found myself thinking about my own journey.
Growing up in India, I volunteered at a school for the blind from a young age. Later, while living in India and Singapore, I continued volunteering with community organisations whenever I could.
I never thought much about it. It was simply something that felt worthwhile.
The same skills that help a company grow can also help an organisation serve more people. That was a perspective I hadn't fully appreciated before.
Another highlight was learning that our proposal had been selected for support by the Ziman Center and Net Impact. It was encouraging to see UCLA invest in projects connecting students with organisations working on real-world challenges.
This project reminded me of something I already knew but had not felt in a long time.
Growing up, I found that feeling through volunteering. What surprised me was realising that there are roles where professional skills can be brought to meaningful work—and create that same sense of satisfaction.
I'm not sure where this will lead.
But I'm glad UCLA introduced me to that possibility.