Devika Dutt

Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business

“A challenge-accepting, coffee-loving, brunch enthusiast who wants to open her own restaurant!”

Fun fact about yourself: Pre-COVID, I had been travelling abroad every single year since I was born. I had my first passport when I was six months old and by the time I was 18, I had visited 18 countries. I am currently on my fifth passport and am ready to be able to safely travel the world again!

Hometown: Douglasville, GA

High School: Douglas County High School

Major: Business Administration

Minor: Engineering & Business through the Denning Technology & Management Program

Favorite Business Course: My favorite business course is Legal Aspects of Business. I love that Scheller’s curriculum allows us to try various concentrations before choosing one for our degree. I’ve always been interested in law, so it was interesting to see the importance of legal affairs in protecting both the consumer and the corporation. My professor’s innovative course design allowed us to use simulations, examples, and real-life case examples to understand and apply legal theories. I was fully immersed in the course material and frequently visited my professor to have conversations with her. This class has actually been the sole reason I am seriously considering returning to graduate school for a JD/MBA joint degree.

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

• Stamps Presidents Scholarship: GT1000 Team Leader, GT1000 Mentor, First Year Retreat Facilitator, First Year Retreat Leader, Day in the Life Coordinator for Scheller, Semi-Finalist & Finalist Weekend Volunteer
• Dean’s List every semester
• Scheller Diversity & Inclusion Council (2020-2021)
• Scheller Dean’s Advisory Board (2020-2021)
• Scheller Business Ambassadors: VP of Education (2019-2020), VP of Events (2020-2021)
• Student Group Interviewer for Provost Search Committee (2020)
• Miss Black and Gold Pageant (2019)
• Denning Technology & Management Program (2019-Present)
• Society of Women in Business (2018-Present)
• Lambda Sigma Honor Society: Outreach Chair (2018-2019)
• Devika’s Cooking for a Cause Campaign: Cooking traditional Indian meals and selling them to community members to fundraise for various causes including One America Appeal & Raksha
• Grand Challenges First Year Living Learning Community (2017-2018)

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Product Marketing Intern at NCR Corporation (2019)
• SHINE Marketing Intern at Deloitte (2020)

Where will you be working after graduation? I will be working as a SHINE Marketing Associate at Deloitte’s Atlanta office. I will be starting my career in September of 2021 and am excited to be offered my first job at my dream consulting firm. The team is great and I’m ready to start this next chapter.

Who is your favorite professor? My favorite professor is Tim Martin. I’ve had him for three classes now. He is the type of professor who will go out of his way to ensure that his students understand the material. I remember the first semester that I had him, I asked for help and he went out of his way to review all the material that I needed to do well on the final exam. Scheller prides themselves on professors that care about students and he exemplifies this role.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? It’s not what you know, it’s who you know; networking is the key to success. Scheller excels in creating students who have strong communication skills and can sell themselves to any company. The curriculum emphasizes group work, which allows students to interact with others and learn how to work with them. We also have the GT1000 and Career Development courses, which teach students best practices, including networking. There’s an abundance of information sessions and tabling which gives Scheller students an opportunity to practice their skills. Speaking from my own experience, I have been offered multiple interviews due to the connections I had made during my time at Tech, whether that be with fellow students, recruiters, or professors.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Don’t let the STEM majors make you feel bad about majoring in business. They may be more technically skilled, but your broad ranging soft skills will make you a versatile candidate in the job market. Business is an ever-changing, complex field that is welcoming to all. If your skills lie within business and the field is interesting to you, then you should choose it! Business is a degree that is desired by all, regardless of the sector. With this degree, you truly are able to work in any field that you wish. I have no regrets.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? One thing I would have done differently would have been to add computer science to my degree. I could have added it as another minor or gotten an Information Technology Management certificate. Being at an institute of technology, I have seen the power that coding knowledge has and the benefit of this skill. In an increasingly electronic world, this would have made me an even stronger candidate when applying to jobs. In addition, I would have been able to build my own websites and create my own animations! Who doesn’t want that skill?

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I’m very proud of my work within the Stamps Presidents Scholars community at Georgia Tech. I came into campus grateful for the opportunity to join this group of high-achieving scholars and the program gifted me with some of my best friends who have been by my side for the last four years. I wanted to give back in any way that I could. Over the years, I was a GT1000 Leader, GT1000 mentor, First Year Retreat Facilitator, Day in the Life Coordinator for Business students, Social Justice Summit member, Semi-Finalist and Finalist Weekend volunteer, and Senior Gala planner. This scholarship has awarded me countless opportunities for personal and professional growth as well as introducing me to many students who I wouldn’t have been able to meet otherwise. I have loved being able to act as a mentor to some of these students and these experiences have been so rewarding.

Which classmate do you most admire? I most admire Emily Salmond. I actually met her through the Denning Technology & Management (T&M) program, and I have been in awe of her since the day we met. She is one of the most hard-working and caring individuals I have had the pleasure of meeting. Together, we took ME 2110, which is essentially a robot building class for mechanical engineers, but also a requirement for our T&M minor. This class was completely out of both of our comfort zones, but she truly had a knack for it. She became one of the star students of the class and even became a teaching assistant the semester after… as a business major! In addition, she is on the executive board for the Society of Women in Business, which is a professional development organization that also emphasizes women empowerment. She has also been a teaching assistant for her accounting class (and even was my TA) and is a member of the chamber choir. She is so well rounded, hard-working, successful, and still somehow remains humble. I truly do admire her and know she will go on to do great things!

Who would you most want to thank for your success? My mom is a huge reason why I have been able to be successful. As a female chemical engineer from Kolkata, India, she immigrated to the US as a graduate student and has a successful career in STEM higher education spanning 25 years. From a young age, she taught me to have a strong work ethic and instilled in me the importance of education and community service. She let me choose my own career track, but emphasized that I pursue it with passion and dedication. She guided me to develop my public speaking skills alongside my academic portfolio. Whether I was applying to college, scholarships, club memberships, or jobs, she would practice interviews with me until I became confident to tell an interesting and compelling story. She has been a strong female role model in my life, and I have seen myself emulate her characteristics in numerous ways.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? On a larger scale, I would love to eventually open my own restaurant in Atlanta. This would be a great way to mix one of my hobbies and my career.

On a smaller scale, one of my main goals in the corporate world is to become a better communicator and expand my network. I love meeting new people and hearing stories and definitely see the advantages of having an expansive network. If you’re reading this – add me on LinkedIn!

What are your hobbies? Since we couldn’t leave the house to dine out over quarantine, I started getting more and more into cooking and recreating healthy versions of restaurant-style recipes. I just found the best recipe for blueberry scones! I also love brunching, finding the best coffee in Atlanta, and watching Survivor.

What made Devika such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2021?

“I have enjoyed working with Devika Dutt during her time at Georgia Tech. As a student, researcher, and student assistant, she has shown curiosity, enthusiasm, and tenacity that is a model for others. Devika exudes an upbeat and can-do spirit that is uplifting to encounter. She is a diligent hard worker who always strives to deliver excellent results.

After our course together last year she approached me about doing some pro bono research to follow up on a topic from the class. While guiding her in this work, she impressed me with her insights and work ethic. Fortunately for me, she accepted my student assistant offer and Devika has been an invaluable help in balancing the teaching and logistics demands across my various classes for this full academic year.”

Dr. Anne Fuller
Senior Lecturer, Strategy & Innovation

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