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Celebrating Women's Impact: Lessons Learned and Paths Paved

March 4, 2024  |   Dei

It’s Women's History Month! A time to celebrate the incredible contributions and achievements of women throughout history and in our own lives. We asked a few coworkers who shaped their paths and the advice we would give to our younger selves.

Navyateja Narravula
Practice Lead, DV – Data & Analytics

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now?

My mother, who comes from a conservative household, has been a homemaker for 30 years but has always encouraged me and my younger sister to seek a successful career since we were children. Regardless of our milestones, she always gave us advice on how to manage personal and professional responsibilities. She blended contemporary thinking and spoke to us about the need for self-reliance and education.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today?

Please talk about it. You won't be included unless you speak out; there's always a safe place!

Jamie Greivell
Senior Brand Manager – Cisco

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now?

Throughout my life, I have had people that inspired me, supported me and helped me get to where I am today, and I am eternally grateful for each one of those people. As I reflect on all these people, the one person that truly stands out the most is of course my mom. I have always looked up to her since she has always been a hard-working woman who came from the Philippines to the United States with her husband with not much at all. She worked hard from sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag to becoming a successful psych registered nurse and owning her own business. Seeing her example has driven me to always work hard and strive for the best throughout my career.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today? 

If I had the chance to talk to my younger self, my biggest advice to myself would be to continue to network and build relationships. Through all the relationships I have built over time, I was able to get all of the internships and career positions that I had throughout my life and by doing so, I was able to grow professionally.

Judy Ah-Fat
Field Sales Manager

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now?

My mother has been a constant source of inspiration for me. Her actions and decisions were not always clear to me in my childhood, but I eventually realized that she always acted in the best interest of our family. She exemplifies resilience, humility and love. She made a bold move to relocate our family to Canada, to provide my brother and me with a better future. She did not know the outcome of this decision, but she sacrificed her home, her career, her friends and her community for our sake. We could access opportunities that were not available to us in Mauritius. I followed her example when I graduated from university. I pursued a career in IT sales, despite not having the typical qualifications for this role. Seven years later, I am still passionate about my work, and I feel that I have found my niche in this industry.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today?

Be courageous and adventurous but stay faithful to your values. Have confidence in your choices and your ability to navigate your life journey. You can handle any challenges that you may encounter along the way. There is no wrong decision as long as you continue to grow and pivot if you feel it isn’t right for you.

Alexis Llorens
Partner Training Consultant

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now? 

The women in my life have all been so versatile as life has necessitated that. You don’t grow up as a woman of color in the south without agility and grit. One example I would share is my Aunt Julie. She is my mom’s longtime friend (which in my family automatically makes you my Aunt). She never let her life circumstance dictate her outcomes. She was a teenage mom and had two children before 18. She believed in herself and the value she knew she brought to the table. In her lifetime, she has been an entrepreneur, a marketing executive, and vice president at an engineering firm and put out a cookbook with her daughter Danielle and mother (Cook and Conte with the New Orleans Creole Trio). This inspires me because no one could have told me 10 years ago that I would work in technology, understand AI or Machine Learning. I majored in fashion and thought I would be a buyer. Becoming a mom inspired me to push myself further to a career that challenged me and brought better outcomes not only for myself but my daughter.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today?

Believe in yourself and give yourself grace! You are stronger and more resilient than you can imagine. Spend less time evaluating your faults and shortcomings, instead give yourself grace and rest!

Rachel Timberman
Account Manager – NYC Majors

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now?

My mom, who is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, has always encouraged me to try anything and everything. She’s my biggest cheerleader and has always put my family’s needs ahead of her own. I was inspired to go into sales, so I could give back to her, everything she’s given to me and more.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today?

Be intentional with everything you do! Have kind intent behind every word and action, as your impact will be larger than you know.

Together, let's inspire and uplift each other as we continue to write the next chapter of women's history. Learn more about CDW’s Business Resource Groups and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

 

–CDW Coworkers

It’s Women's History Month! A time to celebrate the incredible contributions and achievements of women throughout history and in our own lives. We asked a few coworkers who shaped their paths and the advice we would give to our younger selves.

Navyateja Narravula
Practice Lead, DV – Data & Analytics

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now?

My mother, who comes from a conservative household, has been a homemaker for 30 years but has always encouraged me and my younger sister to seek a successful career since we were children. Regardless of our milestones, she always gave us advice on how to manage personal and professional responsibilities. She blended contemporary thinking and spoke to us about the need for self-reliance and education.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today?

Please talk about it. You won't be included unless you speak out; there's always a safe place!

Jamie Greivell
Senior Brand Manager – Cisco

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now?

Throughout my life, I have had people that inspired me, supported me and helped me get to where I am today, and I am eternally grateful for each one of those people. As I reflect on all these people, the one person that truly stands out the most is of course my mom. I have always looked up to her since she has always been a hard-working woman who came from the Philippines to the United States with her husband with not much at all. She worked hard from sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag to becoming a successful psych registered nurse and owning her own business. Seeing her example has driven me to always work hard and strive for the best throughout my career.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today? 

If I had the chance to talk to my younger self, my biggest advice to myself would be to continue to network and build relationships. Through all the relationships I have built over time, I was able to get all of the internships and career positions that I had throughout my life and by doing so, I was able to grow professionally.

Judy Ah-Fat
Field Sales Manager

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now?

My mother has been a constant source of inspiration for me. Her actions and decisions were not always clear to me in my childhood, but I eventually realized that she always acted in the best interest of our family. She exemplifies resilience, humility and love. She made a bold move to relocate our family to Canada, to provide my brother and me with a better future. She did not know the outcome of this decision, but she sacrificed her home, her career, her friends and her community for our sake. We could access opportunities that were not available to us in Mauritius. I followed her example when I graduated from university. I pursued a career in IT sales, despite not having the typical qualifications for this role. Seven years later, I am still passionate about my work, and I feel that I have found my niche in this industry.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today?

Be courageous and adventurous but stay faithful to your values. Have confidence in your choices and your ability to navigate your life journey. You can handle any challenges that you may encounter along the way. There is no wrong decision as long as you continue to grow and pivot if you feel it isn’t right for you.

Alexis Llorens
Partner Training Consultant

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now? 

The women in my life have all been so versatile as life has necessitated that. You don’t grow up as a woman of color in the south without agility and grit. One example I would share is my Aunt Julie. She is my mom’s longtime friend (which in my family automatically makes you my Aunt). She never let her life circumstance dictate her outcomes. She was a teenage mom and had two children before 18. She believed in herself and the value she knew she brought to the table. In her lifetime, she has been an entrepreneur, a marketing executive, and vice president at an engineering firm and put out a cookbook with her daughter Danielle and mother (Cook and Conte with the New Orleans Creole Trio). This inspires me because no one could have told me 10 years ago that I would work in technology, understand AI or Machine Learning. I majored in fashion and thought I would be a buyer. Becoming a mom inspired me to push myself further to a career that challenged me and brought better outcomes not only for myself but my daughter.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today?

Believe in yourself and give yourself grace! You are stronger and more resilient than you can imagine. Spend less time evaluating your faults and shortcomings, instead give yourself grace and rest!

Rachel Timberman
Account Manager – NYC Majors

Tell us about a woman in your life or someone that you look up to, that inspired you to be in the career that you are in now?

My mom, who is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, has always encouraged me to try anything and everything. She’s my biggest cheerleader and has always put my family’s needs ahead of her own. I was inspired to go into sales, so I could give back to her, everything she’s given to me and more.

What advice would you give to your younger self working to get where you are today?

Be intentional with everything you do! Have kind intent behind every word and action, as your impact will be larger than you know.

Together, let's inspire and uplift each other as we continue to write the next chapter of women's history. Learn more about CDW’s Business Resource Groups and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

 

–CDW Coworkers

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