Hello! I’m Sana Kidwai, a marketing intern here at COMNIO. I will be a third-year marketing student at the University of Texas at Austin this fall and will serve as the Member Relations Officer for the American Marketing Association (AMA). I met Ross Clurman at a career fair held by AMA, and what I learned about COMNIO peaked my interest both in the company and in marketing as a career. Originally, I entered college with the intention of majoring in business and pre-med. After taking several premed classes, I realized that it wasn’t for me and I began directing my attention towards marketing. I joined AMA and attended as many events as possible to learn more. After attending several workshops and speaker sessions, I fell in love with everything marketing has to offer. Not only does it allow room for creativity, something I value very much, but its marriage of creativity and analytics is incredibly interesting to me. During my time at COMNIO so far, I have noticed that marketing is far from monotonous. I enjoy how tasks change daily, keeping me interested in whatever work comes my way. I am very thankful for the opportunity to intern at COMNIO because I have already learned so much and I can’t wait to learn more.

    I have many other interests and hobbies in addition to marketing. I mentioned my love of creativity before, and I love to express it in as many ways as possible. I enjoy crafting and painting, but I feel that food, photography, fashion, and makeup are the creative channels I use the most. I have loved eating, cooking, and baking for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I would come home from school and watch Food Network religiously for hours. Much to my family’s annoyance, our DVR was often filled with episodes of various cooking shows. Giada De Laurentiis was my idol! I especially enjoy experimenting with various flavors and techniques in the kitchen and don’t see myself ever giving up this hobby. Additionally, since I love eating even more than I love cooking and baking, I try to explore the best restaurants, cafes, and patisseries as often as I can. It’s amazing for my taste buds, but not so amazing for my wallet!

     Photography is a newfound interest of mine. During the past few years, I have traveled to some of the beautiful spots the world has to offer including Istanbul, Pakistan, London, and Paris. These travels were the perfect opportunity to practice taking photos. I had fun composing shots and playing around with focus, shutter speed, and aperture. I’m still getting the hang of it, but I’m looking forward to increasing my skill level in the years to come.

    I’ve always felt that fashion and makeup allow for the expression of creativity because everyone’s body and face are like blank canvases. It’s amazing how anybody can significantly alter their appearance by making small changes in the way they dress or in their makeup routine. These changes also give many individuals a boost in self-confidence. Trying out different fashion and beauty looks allows me to be creative and express myself. My personal style is a part of my identity and helps make me unique.

    Two other things I thoroughly enjoy are reading and traveling. Both of these hobbies allow me to immerse myself in another world, whether that means getting lost in a book or enjoying a new city or country. A few of my favorite books are The Perks of Being a Wallflower, East of Eden, and Anna Karenina. I find reading relaxing because it allows me to take a break from my world and invest myself in a new setting with different characters. I enjoy traveling for similar reasons and because it allows me to learn about different cultures. I think travel is very important because there are valuable ideas and lessons to be learned from every culture that can help us understand the world better. Given the increased globalization of the world, it’s vital for us to be open-minded and informed. A few other perks of traveling are getting a change of scenery, hitting the amazing tourist spots everyone is raving about, meeting wonderful new people, and trying different types of cuisine!

    My career goals for the future are not very specific, but they are very important to me. I hope to have a career in which I have a sincere interest in my work. I am a strong believer in doing what you love because I think that is when one can be most successful. When I am passionate, I exceed the amount of effort I thought was possible to put into what I am doing, I am highly motivated, I am more willing to try new things and take risks, and I feel that I am more innovative when I am enjoying whatever work I’m doing. I think true success lies in being able to do what you love and what makes you happy.

     One thing that makes me happy is helping others. There are so many ways you can help others, whether it’s through volunteering, charity, or providing a service and helping a client. At some point in my life, I hope to have my own nonprofit or sit on the board of one, so that I can help those in need to an even greater extent. I feel that COMNIO’s values go hand in hand with mine, as COMNIO also emphasizes making others happier and loving what we do. I could not have found a better fit! I am incredibly happy to have the opportunity to work with such a kind, talented, and hardworking team. I’m looking forward to everything this internship has in store for me.