A Summer at Google - Brother Nikhil Sheel's Experience at the Plex


Brother Sheel with Alan Eustace, SVP of Knowledge at Google

How was your internship experience this Summer at Google?
Though it's hard to characterize the entire experience in one answer, or one line for that matter, the words that repeatedly come to mind are 'humbling', 'rewarding' and 'inspiring'. I was surrounded by peers and colleagues who were driven and accomplished, yet still were eager to learn and advance themselves. Of course, it was rewarding with the infamous Google perks and the excitement of being at a large and growing company in the Silicon Valley. Lastly, it was inspiring by giving me an 11-week glimpse of the next stage of life and showing me the importance of continuing to grow the minute I left work.

Why Google?
After I narrowed down my general career path to the business side, I wanted to find a good fit given my high interest in technology. Much of my past experience has been in the marketing world, and an opportunity within Product Marketing at a tech company like Google made it a good fit. My biggest goal for a first big internship or job was to build a strong network of colleagues while working on high-impact projects. Google satisfied these goals, so that led to the choice.

How has Alpha Kappa Psi assisted you in reaching your goal of interning at Google?
As I mentioned before, I really value making strong personal and professional connections with individuals. While UC Davis gives you a large student body, it is really easy to get lost and not capitalize on the chance to build these connections during your years at school. Alpha Kappa Psi offered a unique combination of building my professional side, while meeting many new people and building connections that may have not directly contributed to my goal, but accelerate the path and make me want to reach my goals.

What are your professional goals now after your internship?
In the short term, I am looking to secure a full-time position within Marketing at Google. No matter how that turns out - expect to hear back in the Fall, sometime - my professional goals are centered around doing something I enjoy. Stereotypical, boring, I get it, but here's the back story and my thinking behind that statement.

Jason Wheeler, VP of Finance, shared this thought with us and it definitely resonated with me. His message was: 95% of professionals do something they do not particularly enjoy, but are good at and therefore settle. 5% are lucky enough to good at what they do, and enjoy the industry and job function. My number one professional goal after this internship is to be in that minority.

What would you say to someone thinking about rushing for Alpha Kappa Psi? 
I say come out to rush with a fresh mindset, see what you think of the members and the overall message and goal and see if you would be interested in joining. A professional fraternity, or any fraternity for that matter, is driven by its objectives and its members. The beauty of Alpha Kappa Psi is the diversity of majors pursued, while still offering a general central focus around business and professionalism. Everyone can use refinement in these intangible skills, and if Alpha Kappa Psi will potentially drive you and give you another outlet to look to when trying to combine the professional and personal world, it is something to think about and consider.

Favorite quotes or maxims you live by?

"The principle is about competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, and being better than you were the day before"
-Steve Young

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
 -Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement 2005

Big believer in things happen for a reason, so work hard, make your own luck, and enjoy the ride!


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