AT&T New GenerAsian Q&A Interview with Sindoori Murugavel

By Sindoori Murugavel 

Sindoori Murugavel works in the AT&T Big Data Strategy and Business Development organization, which means that she is the front door for operations and communications requests to the organization.  She also leads the employee engagement and culture programs within the organization and has project management responsibilities. We talked to her about what it means to be Asian American and her view of success.

What does being an Asian American mean to you?
For me, being an Indian American means that I am a product of two cultures that define my experiences. Growing up, my parents tell me that I was always super excited to go to school – they even ended up enrolling me into pre-school early because I was so excited to start going to school. My parents are strong believers in education and its importance in bettering yourself and your community. They were pioneers in our community because they moved to the United States and carved out a new life for our family in the pursuit of opportunities and happiness. From their example, I learned to feel empowered to be different, celebrate diversity and to be open to new ideas and experiences.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Influential, Innovative, and Engaged. I enjoy meeting new people and making meaningful connections. In cases where someone I know has a problem, there’s a good chance that I know someone else that can help solve it. I’ve also been known to be very creative in developing solutions that are different from the norm.

What does success look like to you?
Success means that I’m doing something meaningful with my time – something that is making an impact on at least one person and at the same time, something that makes me happy. I want to be part of something that will inspire. For example, I’m on the national board of OASIS ERG, the Organization of Asian Indians at AT&T, a non-profit where we work towards helping our members leverage their talent, connections and engagements within AT&T organizations and our community. One of our biggest initiatives that I am involved in is promoting Women in STEM. We have several programs where we teach grade school kids how to code and create mobile apps, which will in turn, strengthen their interests in the STEM fields, further developing our technological societies.

If you could give your younger self some professional advice, what would it be?

Live true to yourself, not the life others expect from you. If you think it’s right, do it, it is better to ask for forgiveness than to do nothing.

Sindoori Murugavel, Professional Business Manager, AT&T Big Data Strategy and Business Development