Career Path of a Partnerships Team Lead at Okendo
Adena's career journey began with a pursuit of politics and government, including a two-and-a-half-year internship for the mayor of Santa Barbara and subsequent campaign work, but disillusionment with the inherent limitations led Adena to a pivot into tech. This transition, facilitated by friends at Oracle, resulted in Adena's current role as Partnerships Team Lead at Okendo, a fast-growth startup where Adena finds the work "a lot of fun."
Career Exploration, Overcoming Challenges, Resilience, Networking, Technology
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Adena Merabi
Partnerships Team Lead
Okendo
UCSB
UCLA
International Relations & Affairs
Technology
Strategic Management and Executive
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Adena's career path highlights a shift from a planned career in politics and government to a successful career in tech sales. This demonstrates adaptability and openness to new opportunities.
2. Her experiences interning for a mayor and working in a public official's office, while ultimately leading her away from politics, provided valuable experience in navigating complex environments and interacting with diverse stakeholders.
3. Her transition from a political career to a role at Oracle and then Okendo showcases the transferability of skills like communication and relationship building across different sectors. This is valuable for students exploring career options beyond their initial plans.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
Yes, definitely. I started my career path thinking I was going to work in politics and government, potentially going to law school. I actually attended UCSB, which I know is where you go, Chloe.
When I was there, I was a poli sci major with a global studies double major. I somehow got connected with the mayor of Santa Barbara and the city council, and I interned for their office for about two and a half years, thinking I would eventually go down that route.
I did that and ended up interning for the mayor at the time. She was running for Congress for that district and I worked on her campaign. She ended up losing, which was devastating at the time but ended up being a blessing in disguise for me.
I had graduated, had no job, and it was time for me to move back home to LA. I moved back to LA and worked in a different public official's office. He eventually had to step down due to negative allegations against his office.
In that moment, I realized I didn't want to do that anymore. I don't think the political route is for me. I don't think there's a ton of flexibility and ability to express yourself and be authentic because you're constantly worried about the image you have to uphold. That's great, but it's not for everyone. It's not for me.
I then had a few friends from UCSB who were working at Oracle. They said it was a great stepping stone into the sales world and the tech world. I got a job at Oracle, and the rest is history. Now I'm at a tech startup called Okendo, and I've been here for about two years. We're a fast-growth startup with a lot of clients and really cool partners that we work with, so it's been a lot of fun.
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