Poddar has been working as the social media assistant for the Office of Communications since her sophomore year. The student worker position has helped her understand possibilities for her future career and narrow down her area of interest. Poddar loves creating graphics and content and this position has provided her with that opportunity to explore and experiment with her skills. "Shuchita has been an invaluable part of our office for three years now," said Lisa Van Riper, vice president for communications and ITS. "It's been great to watch her develop her social media skill set and take it to the international stage in Dubai."

The FlyDubai internship was unpaid, and Poddar was able to utilize her Power of Experience grant and Stellyes Awards to fund her trip to Dubai. Resources like Arabic Table—where members of the Knox community gather to practice speaking Arabic in a casual setting—helped her understand the language more. “You don’t have to know Arabic to go around in Dubai, but working for a company based there, I wanted to learn the language and put in the extra effort.” She recalled ordering a coffee in Arabic: “It was broken Arabic, and definitely not the best pronunciation, but I had joy in applying what I had learned.”

Spending her entire winter break in Dubai allowed Poddar a chance to explore. She said some of her favorite experiences included visiting different cafes, walking in Al Seef, going to various pavilions in Expo 2020, and a day trip to Fujairah. Rain is infrequent in Dubai and on her last day, it rained. “I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to my trip,” she said.

Poddar is currently applying for positions in the social media marketing industry. “I am looking forward to working with companies and understanding what goes into making their brand their own. With extracurricular and academics, Knox has helped me shape my personal and professional life, and I'm truly grateful for those experiences.”