Member Highlights: Vivek Kamarshi
Learn more about how Vivek joined Phoenix, his social experience in Phoenix, and his favorite memories!
Outside of Phoenix, Vivek is involved with the SENDforC STEM Mentorship for High School students. One of his career goals is to be a bioengineering entrepreneur and develop his own biotech or therapeutic product. In his free time, he enjoys playing the oboe, shooting hoops, or scouting out great vegetarian restaurants in Berkeley (he recommends Berkeley Thai House and Razan’s).
How did you learn about Phoenix and why did you decide to join?
I first learned about Phoenix from other students, as well as from club tabling on Sproul. Given my long-term interest in biotech entrepreneurship, I saw consulting as a great opportunity to look closely at the key problems companies face– as well as practice the tools and strategies needed to solve them. As I learned more about Phoenix, I constantly heard from older members that “Phoenix is a family” — and while I definitely saw the appeal of 40 new mentors and friends, I don’t think I fully grasped what that meant until after joining Phoenix.
What was your retreat experience like?
Phoenix’s semesterly club retreat happens right after new members join. It’s the first chance for new analysts to get to know everybody, as well as a time when we all put academic stress on the side and spend a weekend away from Berkeley. Retreat was a blast — from climbing the rocks at a beach in Santa Cruz, to whipping up a giant pot of veggie spaghetti, to debating music playlists and old vs. new Taylor Swift on the car ride home — every experience introduced me to another of the truly amazing people who make up this organization. After I returned from retreat and I settled down in Moffit to start studying, I couldn’t stop thinking how retreat had really felt like home. Both through the efforts of Phoenix members constantly reaching out to make sure new members feel included and the genuine family dynamic that animates the org, retreat showed me that joining Phoenix meant a whole new friend group and support system, as well as four years full of memories.
What non-professional things are Phoenix members involved with?
I still remember sitting in one of my teammate’s apartments at 1am working on Phoenix stuff when he mentioned he had some guitar recordings on Spotify that we could listen to. (Check out Frank Cuoco for some vibes / study music!) Another cool experience was visiting Bridges Rock Gym with three other Phoenix members and trying out rock climbing for a couple hours. Phoenix members are all over campus, from debate to cultural orgs to special-needs volunteering, so there’s definitely people to partner up with to do anything, or try something new with. In fact, we’re thinking of starting Phoenix’s first IM basketball team next semester — if that’s your speed, hop in!
What was your favorite social experience from last semester?
One of my favorite Phoenix socials was the alumni social. That’s when we all drove over to San Francisco and made Friday evening dinner with five recently graduated Phoenix alums. I was able to interact with these accomplished club alums and see how they used their Phoenix skills to excel in diverse careers. Instead of a stilted panel discussion, it was so cool to have that conversation over fresh-grilled burgers. Another was our final banquet, where after dinner, we all headed to an apartment and exchanged secret santa gifts and club superlatives (“most likely to…”). The care that went into each gift and description — as well as all the inside jokes and the lighthearted atmosphere — was the perfect summation of my first semester as part of the Phoenix family.
Connect with Vivek by emailing him at vivekkamarshi@berkeley.edu.
If you are a Berkeley student and liked what you read, please apply! Our application deadline is 1/31 at 5PM.
Phoenix Consulting Group is a registered nonprofit organization through the Associated Students of the University of California. Our focus is on solving problems in the healthcare and life sciences spaces.
