Sekhar Konuru, MS

science, technology and art
Sekhar Konuru, MS

As a child Sekhar would look on curiously as his father opened up a stereo set and soldered parts on a circuit board. His father would patiently explain how things worked and amaze him with his knowledge of electronics and science.

In high school Sekhar took his first computer programming course but sadly he did not do well in this class. When he started college he decided he really disliked computers and wanted nothing to do with them.

His dad wasn’t ready to give up just yet and sent Sekhar every week on a 2 hour bus ride back and forth to his cousin’s house, to learn more about computers.  A year later Sekhar’s father gifted him his first computer.

There was something about technology that intrigued Sekhar and he loved “playing” with his computer after school and on weekends. One day he got stuck running a program and called a friend, who called another friend who then put him through to one more friend. Without even having to be in front of the computer that friend solved the problem in five minutes. Sekhar was so impressed he wanted to meet him.

They met and formed the “SMART”  (Sunil, Mahesh, Arun, Rajasekhar) Team.  The four boys would bring all their computers together, disassemble and assemble the parts and have LAN parties. They collaborated on projects with a startup company.  Looking back, Sekhar feels he acquired more skills and knowledge about computer science hanging out with this group than he ever did in all his college courses.

After college Sekhar went on to complete his Masters in Computer Applications and became a highly sought-after expert on the distinctions of software development.

Today Sekhar is Vice President of Technology with a multinational Fortune 500 company where he has the privilege of training and developing teams building software that moves big businesses.

His advice to kids: your passion for science and technology is something for you to discover. Be open to your external influences and follow your heart.