Richa Rajputs experiences of SAPPHIRE NOW 2013- Florida

By Administrator 123erty

Published On: July 13, 2013Categories: Student's Blog0 CommentsTags: B Schools in Pune, Best MBA Colleges, Business Management, Business Management Course pune, MBA, MBA in Pune, SCIT, SCIT Admission 2014, SCIT Admissions 2013, SCIT placement, SCIT Pune, SCMHRD, SIBM, SIIB, SIOM, SITM, SNAP, SNAP 2013, Symbiosis MBA

Dear All

It’s sort of shocking that summer has flown by so quickly and July is here already! It feels nice though to be back on campus, spending some time catching up with batchmates and gearing up for the internship presentations. Having now spent a good chunk of my summer working, this seems like the perfect time to share some thoughts and experiences from my internship..!

My internship with SAP University Alliances was a serendipitous find! It came to me as a golden opportunity when Team Ignite comprising of Manas, Ravi, Karthik, Keerthivivek and myself – won the SAP Techniversity 2012 BizTech Demo Jam competition. I must say that this success wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance and support of Prof. Bharathi and we owe the success to you Sir! The winning prize of the event was Rs1Lakh gift voucher but the grand prize was a SAP University Alliances sponsored trip to Orlando, Florida to attend SAP’s glorious global annual technology conference SAPPHIRE NOW!

Experiences at Florida

Well, I happen to join SAP at an interesting time! In the first week after official onboarding at SAP it was time when the most awaited event SAPPHIRE NOW was going to be hosted. I reached Orlando one day prior to the main Sapphire event to attend a dedicated pre-conference program offered by University Alliance. Here I got the chance to interact with professors and students from various countries around the world and made some new friends!

At the pre-conference Global Head of SAP University Alliances Ann Rosenberg addressed in her opening speech the overall theme of SAPPHIRE NOW: Business & Life – Smarter, faster and simpler. Many programs that are useful for academics, universities and students were rolled out, like openSAP, an open online course which supports in acquiring knowledge on key topics for success in the SAP ecosystem.

I also had the unique opportunity to participate in the Design Thinking workshop which coached us in applying this user-centered methodology to address a real-world challenge and design our solution prototype. Each team then presented their prototype to others. The workshop was a great experience as I learnt how SAP designs software today.

The three days of SAPPHIRE NOW were a whirlwind of valuable insights, information and inspiration. After attending Techniversity and TechEd last year I understood that the events at SAP are big and professional, however Sapphire was bigger than I could ever imagine and I was simply blown away with the tremendous amount of knowledge and learning it brought with it. The huge showfloor was totally busy and jam-packed where SAP and partners exhibited their innovative solutions, services and products. It was amazing to see SAP co-CEOs Bill McDermott, Jim Snabe and also Hasso Platner and Vishal Sikka take the stage at keynote sessions giving us their perspective on SAP and how the company is helping customers address their business challenges. Here’s a glimpse:

One of the most important things I did at Sapphire NOW didn’t involve technology or innovation or business. I had the chance to support and volunteer some time at a Colorado Springs-based charity Food for orphans where we packed meals that help feed about 400 orphaned children in Sierra Leone, Africa. It felt so good to be part of this great initiative which impacted and benefited the world around me.

The week at Orlando wrapped up pretty quick for me but I did manage to make the most of the free time during the evenings to visit some great attractions like Downtown Disney and Wonderworks which was an absolute fun! Overall SapphireNow 2013 was an amazing experience which will be cherished and treasured forever and for this I thank Ann Rosenberg and SAP University Alliances!

Welcome 2013-2015 batch!

I also would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new 2013-2015 Batch and look forward to having a great interaction with you all. Also I would like to bring to your notice that SAP Techniversity this year will be held on 28^th September at Bangalore. Techniversity is a great platform to learn from business leaders about the latest trends and technologies. I encourage that you all should seize this excellent opportunity to be a part of the India’s largest technology conference event organized exclusively for students. You will be glad you did! J

Final thoughts

At the end of my three month internship with SAP University Alliances I will walk away with more than just the experience of having been immersed in the business world. I will also like to express my special thanks and gratitude to Director Dr. R. Raman for his constant encouragement, support and interest. SCIT definitely has opened new horizons of opportunity for me and for this I will always be grateful to you Sir!

Also check these links out!

Thanks for reading

Richa Rajput – SCIT MBA(ITBM)