Meet Updater: Ariana Khan, Junior Operations Manager
Meet Ariana, the master of all things billing and many things operational at Updater! She has a passion for acting, making sense of numbers, burritos, and much more. Read on to find out what makes Ariana an asset to the Updater team and what she’d do in the event of a zombie apocalypse… depending entirely on the type of zombies.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in the Bay Area and lived there until the day I turned 8 1/2. (I don’t know why this detail has always stuck with me.) That day I got on a flight to meet my mom in Austin, Texas. I lived there with her, but always spent ever summer and winter holiday with my dad back in the Bay. Up until moving to New York, I spent half of my life in each place, so I guess I am a Cali-Texan.
Do you have a moving horror story?
I remember that when my mom and I first moved to Texas our stuff took what felt like months to get there. The truck it was on kept getting delayed, so we had to live with what we had in our suitcases. I think that’s why, as an adult, I never paid for a moving company, especially when I was moving cross-country. Instead, I would rent a truck and drive it myself. But it’s changed so much, and working with moving companies on this side, I am really looking forward to working with one of them on my next move.
What’s your best piece of moving advice?
For same-town moves, I would just say that if you can afford a moving company, always go for it. Even if you have a strong friend to help, your body will hurt for days following. And if you are moving out of town, grab a friend and make a real road trip out of it. My best memories are driving halfway across the country with a road trip mix and my best friend, stopping at all the monuments we could fit into 5 days. Also, containers — not boxes. They are eco-friendly and reusable!
What’s your favorite Updater feature? Why?
Probably the utilities setup. I will often get so focused on furniture and how it will look that I forget that my new home needs to be ready for me to actually live in it. And not having the internet, electricity, and water for a few days is no way to live.
What’s your favorite thing about working at Updater?
The people. Everyone here is genuinely interested in one another inside and outside of work. And not just the people I work with at the company, but our clients as well. Everyone is so patient and kind, and it seems like everyone loves what they do. It’s incredibly refreshing.
It’s the zombie apocalypse. Where do you hide?
If they are the zombies in Day of the Dead, I give up. There is no way I have the skills to survive. If they are the dumb zombies in Shaun of the Dead, I think I could survive in a mansion with a ton of zombie makeup to fool them into thinking I was one of them (see Bill Murray in Zombieland). I think I’m a good enough actor.
What do you do to unwind?
On days we can make it work, I love to order Korean food with my boyfriend, and then either play a video game together or crochet while we watch a TV show or videos on YouTube.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This changes every few years, but right now I am very much into K-pop. I would say the song I get most excited about every time it comes on my mix is “Save Me” by BTS (aka Bangtan Boys). My boyfriend and I are seeing them in concert soon, and I know I will probably start crying when that song comes on.
What’s your favorite Saturday Night Live skit?
This is super hard to narrow down, but I loved when Amy Poehler would play Kaitlin, the lovable little girl with a lisp and too much energy who would always hang out with her stepdad Rick. I think I am basically having a daily struggle trying to suppress my inner Kaitlin.
If you could travel to work every day on a vehicle without wheels (think: hovercraft, broom), what would you choose?
If you’ve ever seen Minority Report, I believe that should be the future of travel. Basically, personal vehicles that run on tracks like trains, but that take you directly to your destination. This would work for me until teleportation is invented.
What are 2 personal tidbits about you?
Through my parents divorce and subsequent marriages, I became the oldest of seven kids. I was a built-in babysitter, which came in handy when my brother had his two girls. I am really good at being an aunt.
Through my work and training as an actor, I have become incredibly good at picking up accents. So when I studied abroad in undergrad and made a trip to Paris, I spent two whole days speaking with a Russian accent because I was afraid they would make fun of me for being an American.
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