2022-July-19

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Chasing Dreams from Chennai to San Jose

BY HEPSI PREMKUMAR · CLOUD NETWORKING · UNITED STATES

5 MINUTE READ · 7 MINUTE LISTEN

I was born and raised in a tiny town near Trivandrum in South India. Growing up, I had a comfortable childhood surrounded by loved ones and a life path readily outlined for me.

As a curious kid, my passion for mathematics and computer science was just beginning. I realized how few opportunities there were in my town for me to expand my learning. I was given the hard choice: Stay close to my family or chase my dreams.

It was a choice that led me on an adventure my younger self would have never imagined.

I traveled to Chennai — a new tech hub — where I hoped new doors could open.

Getting a job was not easy as a new grad in tech. I was continuously turned down due to my lack of practical experience.

I also didn’t have access to the internet. I was constantly checking newspapers for job postings and running to last-minute walk-in interviews.

After months of struggling through applications and interviews, I was eventually hired as a software engineer. I learned not to repeat my mistakes, and I sharpened my skills by working part time on top of my job during my spare evenings and weekends.

Taking a leap of faith

Once again, my curiosity for learning returned, and I looked outside my immediate world for new opportunities. I had heard about the booming world of technology in America. In 1999, I made another difficult decision to uproot my family and move to California with my husband and one-year-old daughter.

Once we arrived in the United States, we had only $20 to our name and were forced to survive on one meal per day. It took a long time to find our footing here and even longer to find a job that truly ignited my passion.

My Cisco journey started in 2007, when I joined as a manager on the Product Lifecycle Solution team responsible for automation and quality. After eight years at Cisco in various roles within the engineering organization, I sought change. I moved to a different company to try something new.

However, a year later, I realized that Cisco’s values and focus on promoting diverse leaders aligned with my personal career goals. So, I returned to the company to lead the program management and business operations teams for the Cloud Networking team.

Cisco was close to my heart; it was one of the first companies that challenged and supported my career development goals. And after 15 years of constantly moving, I finally landed a role I was enthusiastic about — the Senior Director of engineering and program management in the Cloud Networking team.

Bridging Cisco and Howard University

My current role in the Cloud Networking team gave me an opportunity to serve as an executive sponsor for Howard University, a historically Black college and university (HBCU). This position granted me a chance to give back and provide life-changing opportunities for diverse students.

The Cloud Networking team and Howard University worked well together. In 2021, the electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) department chair at Howard offered me a position as an EECS Industry Advisory Board member. As a board member, I provide career and academic guidance for students and the department.

My past struggles with job hunting during and after college inspired me to help other students find jobs, internships, and scholarships.

The Cloud Networking team emphasizes finding talent and increasing access to internships for underrepresented groups, and this focus enabled me to lead this initiative and construct opportunities within our own teams.

With their support, I used my influence to connect students with opportunities at Cisco. In FY2022, I worked on an initiative that created seven projects for 26 students related to cloud networking. In one year, I hired four interns and nine exceptional new graduate students from Howard University.

Another initiative focused on increasing access to engineering education within the classroom so students could receive hands-on learning. I coordinated with our leadership teams to fund faculty training, lab equipment, and scholarships for many Howard students.

In April 2022, I was invited to Howard University’s Engineering Day as a keynote speaker in honor of my work with the university. There, I shared my life story and inspired students to pursue their dreams relentlessly, build self-confidence and trust, and take advantage of every single opportunity to explore and learn.

Because of this positive experience, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) invited me to become an institute mentor. Now, in addition to my role at Howard, I am serving at the AACU to further my work.

Reflecting on the past and paving the future

As an immigrant with a new family and a young child, moving to a whole new country was the most terrifying thing I had ever done. I did not expect the decisions I made as a young woman to eventually lead me here, where I have resources and support to increase internship and job access for students just as passionate as my younger self.

The Cloud Networking team’s success with Howard University shows the power that companies like Cisco have on the lives of young diverse students entering the workforce. We will continue to work with schools like Howard to increase opportunities for underrepresented students.

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