On Thursday, October 14th, 2021, the third session of WEW (Women Empowering Women) took place at ISW. Snehal and Neha did a great job presenting the panelists, women who are well established in their respective fields and have demonstrated leadership in their career path. The audience was enthralled by their accomplishments and their guidance and tips for successful career growth.

Reeta Rao, the Head of the Biology Biotechnology Department at WPI is an extremely accomplished and confident woman in the field of education and research. She prepares and mentors young scientists and researchers. She gave insight into how she has excelled in the field of biotechnology and is a role model for women who aspire to be in the teaching and research fields.

It was heartwarming to hear about Nausheen Maulana’s journey from MathWorks, where she began modestly in the quality assurance team, and later became CTO and start up Advisor. She led complex teams faced many challenges and was successful in turning them around. She has a passion for learning and integrating new technologies.

Apeksha Tripathi, a gentle and soft-spoken woman, has done amazing things in the field of medicine. Apeksha not only runs a pediatric and women's health primary care facility, she also teaches at University of Massachusetts Medical School. She has been awarded for teaching as well.

Priya Samant works in the fields of Social Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation, Non-Profit Management, Women and Youth Empowerment, Strategy Consulting, and Government and Politics. She is actively involved in her community and stays connected to her Indian roots and can be seen eloquently draping a saree be it a high political meeting or being a panelist, or even a presenter at various forums.

Neha Beniwal spoke about how she faced reluctance from her parents while she wanted to come to the USA for further studies. Neha always focused on what she wanted to achieve. She set a path for herself in the male dominated field of cyber security. She believes in the three E’s (Educate, Engage, and Enable) and the 3 I’s (Inclusion, Influence, and Impact) as she feels this is what makes a person achieve their goals.

This seminar was a humble and insightful experience. Hearing the panelists making big impacts in their field and continuing to influence and make a difference to women was inspiring. Audience has inquisitive questions to the panelist which made the session very successful.

WEW will hold its next session in December 2021.