Above: Negin and Negar Saei at Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz, in 2018. (Photo by Leslie Tresher)
For sisters Negin and Negar Saei, their UC Santa Cruz experiences helped shape their trajectories—empowering their confidence and successful careers. Negin (College Nine ’08, economics) is vice president, controller, of Liftoff Mobile, and Negar (Rachel Carson ’10, business management economics) is head of business operations for Google Quantum AI.
They credit their parents, who emigrated from Iran in the 1970s to pursue higher education and a better life for their family, for instilling important values and a strong work ethic. The parents balanced working full-time jobs with raising two girls and adapting to a new culture.
Negin and Negar Saei in their family home backyard in 1992. (Photo courtesy Negin and Negar Saei)
“We witnessed our parents, aunts, and uncles making ‘lots of nothings’ into something,” says Negin. “Our parents say you can do anything you want as long as you work hard.”
The parents helped the sisters recognize their unique bond.
“Their mantra—‘In the end, you will always have each other’— echoed throughout our lives, influencing decisions like attending the same university, living together after graduation, and now, living next door to one another,” says Negar. “I won the sibling lottery with Negin. She’s been instrumental in shaping my choices, from leadership roles in high school to pursuing a business degree at UCSC. Negin’s work ethic and unwavering positivity have been a guiding light.”
Negin recounts her special connection with Negar, which included often dressing alike, having similar interests, navigating being bilingual, and, she said, “doing a lot of firsts together: like learning to swim, explaining to students at school where Iran was and that it was pronounced EE-RAHN versus I-RAN, kids asking us what that food we were eating was.”
Drawn to UCSC
When Negar was in high school, she visited Negin at College Nine and fell in love with the campus.
“Every walk to class felt like an adventure, finding new hidden trails and unexpected ocean lookout points,” she said. “Within a five-mile radius of campus, you can stroll beneath the redwoods or feel the sand between your toes on the beach.”
She also liked what she heard about UCSC’s college system: assigned housing that enabled people to build more intimate relationships within smaller communities, and each college having a theme that determined the first-year core course. She chose Rachel Carson College (then College Eight) for its “Environment and Society” theme and beautiful views.
During college, Negar served as a teaching assistant for business strategy and microeconomics courses and found this very rewarding.
In spring 2010, while she was still a student, Negar received her first internship via a UCSC career board. The internship, along with a group of alumni including her sister, prepared her for the workforce postgraduation. Through their networks, Negar interviewed at some of the largest tech companies after graduation.
A crash course in the real world
Negin says that attending UCSC was like a crash course in the real world.
“Over the four years I spent at UCSC, I learned to adapt, respectfully question what I was told, advocate for myself, and build a new community,” she says. “UCSC and the experiences I had there—including CUIP [Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship Program]—played a huge role in my success in my professional career.”
CUIP internships, awarded to students who demonstrate leadership skills, allow scholars to gain work experience and training, including a leadership seminar with the chancellor and other administrators.
Negar and Negin Saei in their family backyard celebrating Negin’s 30th birthday, 2016.
Negin was mentored by the late Bob Shepherd, who led UCSC’s accounting program for many years. During one class, he returned an exam to her and mentioned her knack for accounting. She stayed after class to talk with him. That day, she signed on to become a TA, then pursued an emphasis in accounting along with her econ degree. Years later, she returned to his classes on behalf of her firm to talk to and recruit the next group of talented accountants.
Career highlights
Negar first joined Google in 2011, focusing on research intern initiatives. She left briefly for another job, returning to Google in 2012. In 2021, she assumed her current role as head of business operations for Google Quantum AI.
Negar is proud to have created a Google program to fund academic research addressing the needs of historically marginalized groups.
“It’s been inspiring to witness the impact of this initiative, which includes tackling gender bias, empowering visually impaired individuals, and supporting marginalized communities,” she says.
As vice president, controller, for Liftoff Mobile, Negin oversees global accounting and financial operations as well as treasury, payroll, and equity functions. She works with several UCSC alumni, including a fellow CUIP intern.
“Finding a job where I am continuously learning and being challenged while working with a great group of people is a dream come true,” she says.
Negin and Negar’s advice to current students and alumni: Give back, continue to learn, embrace change, practice kindness, and view everything as an opportunity.
“The world is constantly evolving, layoffs happen, COVID happens, inflation increases,” Negin says. “Similar to the world, industries change and so do career paths. Be adaptable and open to change. Don’t be afraid.”