Prior to Rivian I worked as a college wrestling coach at several universities. Much of my work was centered around recruiting new students-athletes and their families to the University to pursue their athletic and academic goals.

 
Like many, I was initially drawn to Rivian because of the vehicles. As a self-described “car guy” I had followed Rivian’s public debut and was excited by the idea of an EV that was capable of being both an amazing on-road vehicle and high performing off-roader. My dream two-car garage (EV sports car, and off-road beast) had just become one. As I learned more, I was inspired by the company values and commitment to sustainability. I found the prospect of contributing to the larger mission of preserving the planet through working at Rivian to be a blend of passions that I hadn’t yet explored. 
 
I draw upon my experience as a coach and recruiter almost every day at Rivian. In many ways, recruiting in higher education is akin to direct to consumer sales. I was responsible for quickly building the trust of an entire family in helping them to navigate a huge life and financial decision: where to send their child for college. The skills I had developed; relationship building, finding commonalities amongst diverse groups of individuals, and helping people overcome uncertainties, are all valuable resources in my daily work at Rivian. 
  
Thus far, the single most enjoyable aspect of my time at Rivian is the relationships I have built with our team. When you work with a group of high achieving individuals in pursuit of a common goal, it pushes you to be your best self. At Rivian I am both challenged and supported by my team. This rewarding feeling keeps me looking forward to coming to work each day. 
  
My advice for people wanting to join Rivian who have never worked in automotive is to stay true to yourself. Rivian isn’t your typical automotive company and, in my experience, isn’t looking for the typical employee. If you are authentically passionate about something it will come through, and there is likely a place for you to explore that passion at Rivian.

      I come from a family that has been in Retail and Distribution/Fulfillment since the 1950s. I spent a lot of my childhood trailing behind my grandfather visiting retail sites and warehouses in the Middle East, and visiting my mother as she traveled around Europe looking for brands interested in pursuing distribution partnerships, so one could say I grew up in “sales and delivery” even before I started on my own professional journey. Through all those early adventures I was always obsessed with cars. Even before I was old enough to drive, I bought a broken down 1976 MB 280d just to see if I could get it to run. Every spare moment I had was spent researching, driving, or wrenching, but I never thought I would get to marry my love for auto with my background in Retail and Distribution, and serve a higher mission.

      If it weren’t for my grandfather, I would have never believed that someone who looked like me could ever be a people leader at the highest level. In that way, I was tremendously lucky. I was also incredibly lucky to watch him lead in a way that prioritized people. He was extremely direct, loyal, and held everyone to an unparalleled standard, starting with himself. He was the model for me that proved you could be successful regardless of where you came from, especially if you focus on people. With all that said, he had to sacrifice so much of his identity to succeed, so like many other parents he pushed me to pursue a profession that more people from our background had been successful in.

      Accelerate a decade or so later and I am in a similar role, and I see belonging as one of my key responsibilities as a leader. As an Executive Sponsor of Rivian’s Asian and Pacific Islander Belonging Resource Group, it is important to me that we create a space where everyone can feel safe bringing their most authentic self to work. As with my own story, a big piece of this starts with visibility. Seeing someone from an underrepresented group bringing their whole selves to a role, especially someone who looks like you, begins to create that culture of safety and belonging.