Meet woman, who lived in village, later got job at Amazon, now working in US as...

Meet woman, who lived in village, later got job at Amazon, now working in US as... 

Stories of woman who have climbed the ladder of success are inspirational, especially when these women come from an unprivileged background. One such story is of a woman who hails from a small village in Odisha and now works for Cisco in the United States.  

Prachi Mohapatra, whose father Prakash Mohapatra was a Warrant Officer in the Indian Air Force, imbibed discipline and resilience from her childhood. She was always focused and determined about life due to the same reason. These traits have lifted her off from a village life to a big role in cybersecurity in the US.  

Prachi Mohapatra’s education 

Prachi graduated from Chennai’s Madras Christian College in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in computer applications. She began her career as a Tech Analyst at Amazon which broaden her perspective about leadership roles and the increasing successes of woman in the tech field. “I have always been driven to push boundaries and seek new challenges. My goal has always been to contribute to the tech and cybersecurity world at a leadership level and demonstrate that women have an important role to play, making a meaningful impact on national security, innovation, and economic growth -- aligning with the broader interests of national progress and global competitiveness,” says Prachi. 

Career progress 

But her career took off after she joined Cisco as a Business Analyst in 2016. There, she worked hard to understand the nuisances of the tech industry and built an expertise around it which led to her promotion to the role of Project Manager within three years. 

Brimming with the thirst to expand her expertise, she decided to learn business strategies and how they relate to technology. Based on this decision she pursued MS in Business Analytics from the University of Texas at Arlington. 

“I wanted to understand deeper about the workings of businesses and technology and how I could contribute to solving real-world problems e.g. threats and vulnerabilities to the new world caused by AI,” she says.  

Fighting all odds 

However, this path was not smooth for Prachi who was challenged with financial difficulties of managing the cost of tuition and living which exceeded Rs 40 lakh. However, Prodigy Finance gave her a loan which needed neither collateral nor a co-signer and provided her finances in just a few days.  

She saved her father from selling his property by taking the loan and financing herself independently. Her family supported her throughout with her father’s discipline, husband’s academic support and mother’s determination.   

She then moved to the US and became the first in her village to do so. Despite adverse cultural experiences and leaving the comfort of her family life, she accepted the discomforts and settled in the environment soon.  

Prachi's achievement as a product manager in Cisco's cybersecurity division highlights the need for greater female representation in STEM fields, where women currently hold only 26% of roles and a mere 8% of leadership positions.