October 15, 2021 — The Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics program (MSCTL) has awarded Archana Kumar (MSCTL ’23) a SCTL Scholarship, selected from this year’s incoming students to receive $5,000 towards tuition expenses.
Originally from Bangalore, India, Kumar earned a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from Garden City University. She currently works for Amazon Web Services as a Supply Chain Manager managing sourcing and supply chain for two data center infrastructure categories within the power and cooling space.
We connected with Kumar to discuss the award and enrolling in the program.
SCTL: What made you decide to pursue a Master’s degree?
Kumar: Having an undergraduate degree in biotechnology, climbing up the career ladder in the supply chain field was challenging. I had to self-learn the core topics of supply chain, its challenges, and ways to mitigate them. To advance in my career and be competitive in the ever-changing and complex field, I decided to go back to school.
SCTL: How did you first learn about this degree program?
Kumar: I learned about the Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics by one of my colleagues, who is an alumnus of the program. I attended an informational session where I learned what SCTL can offer. I believe this program has the right content needed to learn the necessary skills to continue to grow and succeed in the supply chain field. With the combination of real-time and on-demand instruction, MSCTL gives the flexibility to advance my knowledge without having to quit my job. It has the value add of having faculty who are both professors and supply chain professionals who I can learn from in both theory and practice.
SCTL: How did you decide to apply for the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Master’s degree program?
Kumar: By attending an informational session on SCTL program and going through the course content, I learned that this program not only offers a variety of supply chain topics such as inventory management, supply chain collaboration, transportation, and risk, but also topics such as finance and data analysis, providing a 360-degree view of the field. In order to learn industry-standard concepts, and utilize the latest frameworks in my day-to-day job to be a successful global supply chain leader, I decided to apply for the SCTL program.
SCTL: What are you looking forward to as you get ready to start the program?
Kumar: I look forward to learning real-world experience and gaining leadership skills from professors and guest lecturers, understand the supply chain of various industries, challenges faced, and actions taken to address them. I believe the Master’s in Supply Chain Logistics & Transportation program is designed to deliver these critical concepts and provide a platform to connect with a variety of individuals where I can build a strong network with fellow supply chain professionals and contribute to the group based on my experiences.
SCTL: What do you like about working in the supply chain industry?
Kumar: Getting a product or service to a customer at any point in time may be an easy task; however, ensuring that this product or service is delivered exactly where and when the customer needs with the right quantity requires the right supply chain strategy and suppliers. The challenges in a supply chain come in a wide variety; finding creative solutions to new problems (for example, the COVID-19 pandemic) requires developing quick strategies to diversify manufacturing footprint or find alternative products or suppliers in short time frames, looking ahead to anticipate and mitigate risk, develop continuous improvements, metrics and mechanisms. As a supply chain professional, one needs to be efficient, agile, and apply qualitative/quantitative skills and judgment to mitigate supply risks to minimize customer impact and guarantee supply continuity..
SCTL: Who influenced your career path?
Kumar: I am fortunate to get great mentors who played immense role in shaping my career in Supply Chain. My mentors listened to what I am passionate about, believed in me and guided me on skills to hone.
SCTL: What do you hope to do after you graduate?
Kumar: I hope to continue to grow and be successful in my career after graduating from the MSCTL program, to connect with a variety of individuals, build a strong network with fellow supply chain professionals, and contribute to the field.
Learn more:
About our Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics degree program
About our faculty
About our courses and curriculum
How to apply
How we rank
Schedule an appointment with an adviser
About the Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics degree program: A work-compatible hybrid online program, the Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics (MSCTL) degree is designed to enable early- and mid-career professionals to advance in their careers. Our innovative curriculum provides students with a 360-degree view of all aspects of supply chain and logistics — facility design, inventory management, data analysis, risk, IT systems, business strategy, freight transport, and performance management — so students graduate ready to make evidence-based decisions and navigate complex real-world problems.