Rashi Kumar

How did being in New York impact your professional journey? 

As a result of a plethora of opportunities in NYC, I was able to intern from the beginning of my time at Wagner. Interning helped me to understand quickly how areas of academic interest relate to job opportunities. As a result, I did shift my focus from traditional urban planning to urban policy early on.

How did you find your first post-Wagner job? 

One of my internships during my time at Wagner was at the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity; back in 2010, it was a small center for antipoverty program development and evaluation in the mayor’s office. Through this internship I met many leaders at various NYC agencies and nonprofits. As I closed in on graduation day, I followed up with an impressive leader I met at the Department of Small Business Services. Someone had just left her team, and I was quickly asked to come in for an interview.

Describe your current job.

I work for Healthfirst, a NYC-based not-for-profit health insurance company with almost 1.2 million members in NYC, Long Island, and Westchester. I oversee a portfolio of projects related to healthcare delivery system innovation. This entails conducting research, designing and conducting analyses, creating and implementing work plans, monitoring progress, supervising staff, and regularly presenting to a large range of audiences.