Student Employee: Laasya Choudary-Nandamuri
February 21, 2025 | Olivia Laizure
Laasya Choudary-Nandamuri is a computer science graduate student and a barista lead with NC State Dining. She had never worked a job when she lived in Telangana, India and was excited to gain that experience when she came to NC State.
“I wanted to have that financial independence when I moved here,” she said. After applying to several jobs, she got her first call back from NC State Dining for a barista position at the Port City Java (PCJ) in Talley.
Before joining PCJ, Laasya had little experience making coffee or other beverages, so there was a bit of a learning curve. However, she recalls having fun during the training process, as she was learning alongside other new colleagues.
“I was training along with five other colleagues of mine who were also master’s students here,” she recalled. “It was so much fun getting to know them and getting to know my managers and learning new drinks. I learned what a latte is, what a cappuccino is, how everything works. Now I can school other people on coffee!”
Building strong relationships with her colleagues has been a highlight of her experience. Many of them have been working with her since fall 2023, and they’ve developed strong friendships and teamwork skills while on the job.
“We just get in sync without speaking to each other,” she explained. “That’s the kind of bond that we all have – it’s like we have some telepathic connection.”
After working as a barista for two semesters, Laasya was offered the position of barista lead. In this role, she has developed new skills that extend beyond the workplace, such as managing and multitasking. She was in charge of typical barista duties but also ensured the unit was running smoothly and staff were coordinating their efforts. When the manager was not there, she filled in for them. This led to a recent promotion to student manager.
“Life becomes so much easier because you are able to manage different tasks and respond to different kinds of situations,” she said. “All of this is definitely a learning experience and I feel this will help me grow in my career as well in the future.”
- College:
Engineering - Major/minor:
Masters in Computer Science - Hometown:
- Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Clubs/Student Involvement:
None - Work Department:
NC State Dining
