Having done her engineering in EEE from Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, Preeti moved to the US for her Master’s in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from San Jose State University, California. Growing up with a passion for Math and Analysis, Preeti naturally veered towards engineering. However, when she graduated her MS in 2008 it was the thick of the global recession. “There were very few jobs in EE at the time. Fortunately, I found my interest in the radio frequency (RF) field of electronics and landed my first job with an electronics manufacturing company (AKON).
Preeti working as an RF Systems Test Engineer with Apple in California.
They primarily supplied RF products to Defence companies, including those in India,” she says, adding that she began to enjoy the field and began working towards growing in it. As part of her role as RF test engineer she has been working on RF and microwave measurements, testing of various related components and subsystems for use in radar and wireless testing applications, semiconductors, debugging, and millimetre wave products.
She stuck to that job for 10 long years before moving to Qorvo where she grew to the rank of Lead RF Test Development Engineer. Last year she joined Apple’s diverse team where she works on global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology. “Our team at Apple is pretty diverse and I have the opportunity to collaborate with people from across the world. However, I do wish there were more women in hardware tech in general across the world,” says the mom of two, who loves dancing.
A typical day for her involves dropping of her older child to school, putting in a full day at work, unwinding in the evenings by putting together dinner for the family and spending time with her children (aged 4 years and 3 months). “The list of things-to-do for a working mom is never ending,” she laughs, “But what helps is prioritising and planning. It’s very important to draw the line on how many hours we put in at work. I try to be efficient while at work, so I don’t have to carry it home or work on the weekends. My evenings and weekends are completely dedicated to family time and self-care.”
Preeti Kotha with her daughter.
During her time off she loves to dance. “I’m an engineer by profession and a dancer by passion,” she smiles, adding that she loves outdoor activities such as hiking, going for long walks, and spending time on the beach. “I also love outdoor adventure and water activities.” She also tries to stay abreast of the latest trends in her field and keeps herself updated by learning programming languages and doing certificate courses.
Preeti, who tries to visit India as often as possible, is keen that her children get to experience the little joys of life like she did back home. “I think my generation got to see the best of both worlds. I am a typical Indian kid who enjoyed my childhood playing cricket on the streets, eating pani puri, and walking into neighbours’ homes for a casual chat. I definitely want my children to be a part of that,” she says, adding that the US is now second home and she cherishes her life there.
As she continues to lead a life in her adopted home, she strives to keep alive her Indianness with strong family values. “For me being Indian is more of a cultural attitude. I think we are hardworking people who migrated to the US in search of a career, opportunities, and financial development. The Indian community here has grown a lot in the past decade and I’m happy that I am able to expose my children to our culture,” she says, adding, “I find people here embracing the Indian community quite well and in fact they look up to us with respect.”
Takeaways:
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Find your passions and work towards achieving those goals.
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Hurdles like recession are but a bump in the road. Pivot and overcome these challenges.
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There is no substitute for hard work and perseverance.
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Keep your culture and traditions alive no matter where in the world you are. And try to pass on as much of it as you can to the next generation.
Very true . Preeti is definitely very adaptable.,smart roses to the demand of situations uncomplainingly . She is both multitalented & multitasking at the same time socializes & does full
Justice to her Kids , family & extended family . We are amazed at her willingness to host , share ,organize & participate in all events energetically & enthusiastically . God bless Preeti with abundant energy levels to continue the same tempo in all future days to come 😍
Well explained the role of a ambitious person in various roles viz student,professional and the role of a family
Ambition or interests in academics, work and also having passion to achieve something concrete in the little free time you age is appreciated. Very difficult to have all the good qualities in a Individual. Great keep it up xnc all the very best
I can Proudly say she is “Made in. India” came here to US is my Daughter, who is responsible, dedicated to work & works hard to achieve what ever she takes up. All my blessings to her 🙌.