Hi, Hounds! This week on Highlighting Hounds, we are featuring rising senior Cromwell Tambi ’26. Cromwell is a dynamic and driven student whose campus involvement reflects a deep commitment to leadership, collaboration, and service. As a dedicated member of both the Men’s [club] Volleyball and [club] Ultimate Frisbee teams, Cromwell has championed a culture of inclusivity and resilience, mentoring younger players and helping to organize events that bring the campus community together. His academic journey is equally impactful—he’s an active participant in the Cyber Security Club and contributes to tech initiatives that promote innovation and engagement. Whether he’s building data dashboards in Tableau, interning at C&S Wholesale Grocers, or volunteering at his mother’s orphanage, Cromwell approaches each experience with empathy, purpose, and a growth mindset. Read more to learn how his unique combination of technical acumen and business insight positions him to thrive in his future goal of becoming a product manager in the tech industry.
Give a brief overview of your academic and campus involvement, and impact on the Assumption
community.
I’m currently a rising senior at Assumption University, majoring in computer science with a minor in business management. Going into my senior summer here, I’m going to have the opportunity to intern at C&S Wholesale Grocers as a Business Applications Intern, where I will support process improvement initiatives and work with SQL and Python to streamline internal reporting. On campus, I serve as a member of both the men’s [club] volleyball team and the [club] ultimate frisbee team, which has helped me grow significantly in terms of leadership and team collaboration. Through these roles, I’ve mentored newer players and helped organize events that bring our campus community together. Academically, I participate in the Cyber Security Club and have collaborated with peers on tech-based initiatives. I’ve worked on projects like building a retail data dashboard using Tableau and developing an e-commerce recommendation system in Python. These experiences have strengthened both my technical and problem-solving skills and have allowed me to make a positive impact by contributing to school spirit, team development, and academic engagement. I’ve also volunteered with local community clean-up events, and I help out with my mom’s orphanage.
What are your career goals? How will your experiences help you reach those goals?
My long-term goal is to become a product manager at a technology-driven company, where I
can combine my technical knowledge with strategic thinking to develop innovative solutions. My
background in computer science provides me with the problem-solving and coding skills
necessary to understand the technical side of product development, while my business
management minor helps me evaluate products from a user and market perspective. My
leadership roles, internship experiences, and academic projects have prepared me to work
cross-functionally, communicate effectively, and stay adaptable, qualities essential for reaching
my career goals.
What are you hoping to learn from your internship at C&S Wholesale Grocers this
summer?
During my internship at C&S Wholesale Grocers, I hope to deepen my understanding of
business applications within a large-scale enterprise setting. I am particularly interested in
learning how data is used to support decision-making and streamline operations. I’m also
excited to improve my skills in SQL, Python, and process analysis while collaborating with
professionals across departments. This experience will give me insight into how technology
supports critical business functions and help me understand the practical applications of what
I’ve learned in the classroom.
Tell me about your involvement with your mom’s orphanage—what have you learned
from that experience?
Volunteering at my mom’s orphanage has been one of the most humbling and formative
experiences of my life. I’ve helped coordinate supply drives and organize community events
aimed at supporting their educational and emotional growth. Through this work, I’ve developed
a deeper sense of empathy, gratitude, and responsibility. It has taught me the importance of
servant leadership and staying connected to causes that uplift others, values I carry into my
academic, professional, and personal life.
Can you walk me through your experience building the retail data dashboard in
Tableau? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Building the retail data dashboard in Tableau was a rewarding project that allowed me to
combine my technical and analytical skills. The goal was to visualize key sales and inventory
metrics to inform retail decision-making. One of the main challenges was cleaning and
transforming messy data from multiple sources to ensure accuracy and consistency. I overcame
this by leveraging Excel for preprocessing and creating calculated fields within Tableau to derive
meaningful insights. The result was a dashboard that was both interactive and actionable, and it
strengthened my data storytelling abilities.
How do you think your background in business management complements your
computer science major, especially in the context of business applications?
My business management background enhances my computer science education by providing
a broader understanding of organizational goals, user needs, and market research. While
computer science equips me with technical skills like coding, system design, and data analysis,
business management helps me apply those skills strategically. For instance, when developing
a solution, I consider cost efficiency, user experience, and business impact, not just functionality.
This interdisciplinary perspective makes me better equipped to contribute to real-world business
applications.
How has being part of the men’s [club] volleyball and [club] ultimate frisbee teams shaped your
ability to work on collaborative technical teams?
Being a part of competitive [club] sports teams has taught me the value of communication,
adaptability, and trust, all of which are critical on collaborative technical teams. As a team
member, I’ve learned how to motivate peers, resolve conflicts, and maintain focus under
pressure. These experiences have translated directly into project settings, where clear roles,
mutual respect, and accountability drive success. Whether on the court or in a coding sprint, I’ve
learned how to balance individual effort with team unity to achieve shared goals.
What are your key takeaways from your experience?
The biggest takeaway from my college experience is the importance of versatility and
resilience. By challenging myself across multiple domains, academics, sports, internships, and
service, I’ve learned how to adapt quickly, lead confidently, and collaborate effectively. I’ve also
developed a strong work ethic and a growth mindset, which continue to push me toward
personal and professional improvement. Every experience, whether a success or a setback, has
taught me something valuable about who I am and who I strive to become.
How do you plan to carry the skills and lessons you’ve learned at Assumption into
your future career or academic goals?
I plan to carry forward the leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills I’ve developed at
Assumption into every professional setting I enter. The teamwork and project experience I’ve
gained, especially in my coursework and internships, will allow me to contribute meaningfully to
cross-functional teams. I also plan to pursue continued learning through graduate studies, using
the foundation Assumption gave me to further specialize in areas like product management,
data analysis, or business technology.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your leadership
roles, or any lessons you wish you had learned sooner?
One lesson I wish I had learned earlier is the importance of delegation. Early in my leadership
roles, I often took on too much myself, thinking that was the best way to support the team. Over
time, I realized that trusting others with responsibility not only eases the workload but also helps
them grow. Empowering team members and fostering mutual accountability ultimately leads to
better outcomes and a healthier, more cohesive team dynamic.
If you are interested in being featured on Highlighting Hounds or know of any students who would be a strong candidate, please email us at careerdevelopment@assumption.edu!
