Center for Global Engagement

09/18/2023

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗕𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘆𝘆𝗮 has been a dedicated professional in the counseling field since 2008 after receiving her MS in Counseling from ODU. Having lived and worked in two countries she has acquired an extensive skill set and broad range of work experiences. She has been a teacher, trainer, and program manager for a counseling training & research center. Shabari has been a counselor for a youth center, an international school and for corporations.

Now a National Certified Counselor, public speaker and self-employed counselor. As a life-long learner she continues her education studying organizational psychology and wellness in the multicultural context and is about to finish her Ph.D. One of the many things that impressed me during our conversation is, as busy as she is, she is a remarkably balanced and joyful person.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻?
I did my master’s in counseling at Old Dominion University.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴?
Actually, my undergraduate degree was in economics and government. I worked for financial companies before I went to ODU. At one company a counselor who was running a program on effectiveness in the workplace spoke about mental health. I realized I wanted to do that at some point. Moneywise, It wasn't working out until I got married, moved to Norfolk, and then decided to change careers. ODU was right there, so it worked out.

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁?
My advisor, Dr. “Woody” Schwitzer was the person I connected with the most. I was his research assistant, and he was one of the best bosses I've ever had. Because of him and the assistantship, I had opportunities I couldn’t have had otherwise. It was just great.

In terms of classes, I loved all the counseling theory classes. Learning the theory behind counseling and why people do what they do was why I joined the counseling program at ODU. I really got a lot from my experience at ODU.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?
I would tell myself to take my time. I think I was in a big rush to finish. I could have used more opportunities that were presented to me.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗗𝗨 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂?
The counseling program is really a professional degree geared to help me graduate and work in the field. I'm in a doctoral program now, and I can look back and say that my program gave me the tools to do what I do. I was prepared to be a professional counselor eligible for a licensure in the U.S.

In India, there’s no formal structure or legal requirements counselors have to follow. As soon as I moved back, I was asked to teach master’s students. I was dropped into it, but I had the resources I needed to be able to do that just from my master's degree.

I also learned a lot about myself. The nature of the counseling program is such that you have to be reflective. I went into the counseling program not fully knowing what I wanted to do when I graduated. Now I really enjoy what I do.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝗗𝗨 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄?
I worked in a Virginia Beach youth shelter for six months called Seton House. It was a good experience because it threw me in the deep end. Honestly when I look back, a lot of what I know today was from my experience there, working just for those few months.

Then I moved to India and started teaching master’s students counseling. I also worked at an IB international school in Bangalore. That was an interesting experience because the students were from Europe, America, and all over the world. Their fathers were posted in India by the multinational companies they worked for. I was kind of hand-holding the students and their parents to adjust to India.

Then I started counseling for a nonprofit. I was teaching and training as well as seeing clients there. When Covid happened, suddenly I was thrown into doing corporate workshops and helping people adjust to the lockdown. It was a difficult time, and mental health became a very needed thing at the time.

Now I’m doing a Ph.D. program at the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans. Actually my dissertation advisor happens to be an old professor from ODU, Dr. Ted Remley.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯?
I like helping people and I really believe counseling works. It's rewarding. I'm not saying I help everyone every time because obviously it’s based on the individual's experience. Since I believe in the concepts and the principles, I can see that if I stick to the rules I learned at ODU, I can help. Also, I like looking at why people do things. I'm curious about social constructs.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁; 𝗮 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲?
I think, when in doubt, I just go back to active listening. What I've always believed in, and what I still do, is if you can really hear the person and reflect back their experience, then that solves a lot of what they're going through. That’s what I learned at ODU. I remember my professors asking us to not ask any questions at all, stay with clients and just reflect. Just by doing that you can really make a difference. There are other things you can add, but I really believe that reflecting is the basis.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀?
One thing I learned is that life is not predictable, but I hope to be done with my Ph.D. by the end of this year.

After that, I think, doing more research, spending more time writing, and perhaps teaching. Counseling regulations are changing in the U.S. regarding licensure, so there are possibilities at some point. But for now, I will continue doing what I’m doing in India. I like my work here.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲?Due to the fact that we've been shut down in India for two years, students are really struggling now. Parents keep coming to me saying their children have missed out on two years of education and students are struggling to adjust back to school. Also, there are mental health issues that adolescents are experiencing because they're not meant to be locked up as teenagers. They need to go out and meet people, and they’ve been stuck at home for two years.

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁?
The family structure in India is quite different. A lot of young people live with their parents and even multi-generational family systems. There’s a lot of expectations on married women. They are expected to do all the housework, take care of the kids, and manage their professional responsibilities. During Covid resources that women had access to were no longer available. Many women would talk to me about these difficulties they were facing.

In the workplace for students there are other things that come up when they deal with their bosses. Communication styles are different. Managers complain that their employees will not do a task, but will not tell them they're not going to do the task either. Culturally, it can be hard for an employee to tell their superior that they can’t do something.

So, how do you set expectations at home with your family or in the workplace? It can put a lot of stress on people.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀?
I would say at various points of my life that I would have answered this question differently. If you asked me in my twenties I would have said I wanted to be famous and make a lot of money.

Now that I have kids, it’s important to me that they are taken care of. I also value my relationships and that I'm emotionally and mentally engaged with what I do professionally. Of course, physical health and financial stability are very important.
Just making sure that I am well and other people around me are well. If all those things are in place and balanced, then I can say I am reasonably successful.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲?
I've been doing a lot of exercise related things, playing badminton, cycling, and running. I love traveling, at least once a year. Also, I love reading and experimenting with food. Unfortunately, I don't get enough time with everything else going on.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻?
The thing I'm working on right now is my thesis, so practicing writing is my focus. I can write a reflection paper, but a critical or research paper, anything like that is really hard for me. So I would like to be better at writing.

𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀.
I think it comes back to listening better, which is the cliché I know, but it's true. And also, I think practicing mindfulness so people are not reacting from defensiveness. Defensiveness blocks communication and when communication gets blocked things just escalate into something else.

𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗼𝗳.
I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to balance my life so far. At different times it's been challenging. Definitely the Covid period was very, very challenging. My kids were five and seven at that time. So, navigating family and Covid things and managing professionally and just trying to keep everything going. That would be my largest thing I’m proud of.

Also, I like the fact that I keep going and keep looking for opportunities. Trying to, you know, figure out how to make the best of whatever opportunities I have and do as much as I can. I wouldn't say it's perfect. It's always a work in progress. But again, that's the keeping going part.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀?Yeah, definitely. I really feel that it's affecting people's ability to focus and to be mindful about being present. If you're continuously getting pinged on your phone, it really disturbs being present.

I think we spend far too much time looking at what other people are doing and feeling inadequate compared to them, than actually just being present and noticing what we are doing and appreciating that. Even with traveling, it seems like more people are more concerned with taking pictures and putting them online than actually sitting and being present in the places they’re at.

I've spoken to psychiatrists, and it's affected attention spans. It's a new world, and I think we're all navigating and trying to balance there, too, like how much time you spend online.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱?
In general, my experience with ODU was really good. The research assistantship when Dr. Schwitzer offered it to me, was totally unexpected. So I got opportunities to do things as a part of that. When you asked me what I would have told myself back then; slowing down would have meant taking opportunities. There were fantastic opportunities, I could have done more research then. So I think, yeah, I think I would want students to know that that's not the end. They don't realize how much time is left in their lives, so take opportunities.

That’s the biggest thing I want people to know: make the most of the present and be mindful. That's a work-in-progress for me too.

08/07/2023

𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹 studied at Old Dominion University from 2001 to 2003. Since then he has worked in the cybersecurity industry and established himself as an international business developer. He is currently the head of Cyber, Governance - Risk and Compliance at Larsen & Toubro Ltd. a multinational corporation.

Outside of work Panish is passionate about golf and running. He completed his first full marathon in February of this year.

In conversation with Panish it was easy to feel his optimism and passion for his work. Because he is a cyber security expert, I was most interested to ask him what is the biggest cyber threat for people, companies, and countries today.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗗𝗨

I majored in Computer Science.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?

I chose computer sciences because I come from Bangalore (Bengaluru) which is the IT capital of India. In 2001 there were a lot of opportunities in computer sciences or information technology. With that background, I felt computer science would be good, and it suited my temperament as well- analytical thinking, systems thinking. So computer science was a natural choice for me.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲?

Some of my engineering college mates had come to ODU. They said getting a teaching assistantship was much easier at ODU. Also, the cost of living in Norfolk was moderate, there were good job opportunities in Virginia, and it is near the DC metro area. So all these together were the reasons I chose ODU.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗗𝗨, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁?

I enjoyed Dr. Ravi Mukkamala’s class the most. One class, Performance Management of Systems, had a lot of analytical data. I enjoyed statistical distribution of analytical data. Also, I liked his approach to teaching and involvement of the students. I did my master's thesis under Dr. Mukkamala and I continue to be in touch with him today.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐎𝐃𝐔?

My best memory about ODU was the diagnostic exam. The diagnostic exam is an eight-hour exam after you’ve completed the coursework in computer science. At that time, I had moved to Washington D.C. for an internship with the Wolf Trap Foundation. I had to take a couple of days to come back to Norfolk for the exam. It was an open-book exam and you could take whatever materials you wanted. Pizzas and other things were served during the assessment. It was like an eight-hour marathon. Anyway, I passed the exam and that experience was really good.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗗𝗨 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟭 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟯. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?

I would actually say to Panish then to be more relaxed and go with the flow, and enjoy the time at ODU rather than worrying about internships and jobs and things like that. Just enjoy, go with the flow. Because things do happen on their own. So don’t worry too much - enjoy and learn as much as possible.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗗𝗨? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

I think it was really a transforming experience, because it was the first time I was staying away from my home. Even when I did my bachelor's of engineering in Bangalore, I stayed at home. Staying in a foreign country, away from home, was an opportunity to interact with international students from across the world.

The cross-cultural sensitivity that I have now, the origin of that was from my ODU education. And it taught me about being independent - independent in the sense of having roommates, learning to cook. These are some very good skills I learned, life skills. In addition, of course, a good degree from ODU.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵?

Once I completed my master’s academic coursework, I took up an internship at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna in the DC metro area. There, I got connected with U.S.- India, business organizations. I volunteered with them and eventually got into the field of business development of IT services. I then worked for a company, Technology Ventures, in the field of business development from 2004 till about 2008.

Moving to Washington, DC. and networking and connecting with people made me realize that I'm good at networking. Business is one of my passions and my networking skills really help. At Technology Ventures, working in business development was a wonderful experience. We worked with U.S. civilian government agencies and some of the Fortune 500.

By 2008 I was the director of business development, but for personal reasons I moved back to Bangalore that same year. Moving back to Bangalore was a learning experience because I had not lived in India for almost a decade.

I then got into the field of cybersecurity. Now it's been almost 15 years here in India. I'm associated with the U.S.-India business organization because I can understand the U.S. business environment and culture and the Indian business culture. I am good in the role of liaison

I currently work in the field of cybersecurity for Larsen and Toubro, which is one of India's largest companies. I work in governance risk and compliance. I am the head of a business unit of Larsen and Toubro.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯?

I think one of my skills is the ability to get information. I see different ways of getting information by putting questions in different ways and interacting with folks at different levels in the organization. I'm very comfortable with that. Whether it’s top management, middle management, operational folks or field folks, I can interact with them and get needed information. Basically, interpersonal skills and the ability to connect with people are most useful.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀? 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼?

I want to be in the field of technology. Whichever technology is the latest at that point, I want to keep myself updated in the field. And I would say, more on technology leadership. Right now, it's cybersecurity and other technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science. I want to enrich my knowledge in these areas so that I can offer technology leadership with respect to my work.

Additionally, I have a passion for psychology and emotional quotient. I want to be more self-aware in this area.

You are the head of cyber governance and risk cybersecurity in your company. What do you think, in your opinion, is the biggest cybersecurity threat to companies or businesses, or even to countries?

For companies, we are living in an information economy. Having correct information, validated information is very important. One of the biggest challenges companies face is the unavailability of information, or manipulation or corruption of the information. Ensuring the information, confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information is a necessity for companies to operate in this challenging environment.

With respect to nations, citizens’ data is very important. And here, the same thing; If there is manipulation of citizens’ information, or unavailability or corruption or leakage of citizens’ information where sensitive data is compromised, that’s a threat for nations. That could cause a lot of social unrest and other issues. Information security and ensuring data privacy for the citizens, that is what countries across the world should focus on. All countries need to ensure whatever data they have is secure and accessible in such a way that tampering or unavailability of the data does not happen.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀?

Success, to me, is being balanced as an individual, and on a daily basis I wake up and face the day with enthusiasm. That is my definition of success, irrespective of what happened the day before, or not worrying about what is going to happen that day or in the future. First thing in the morning, when we get up, be enthusiastic. I have one more day to live, and let me try to do my best and be happy. I think that is the definition of success for me.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲?

Golf! yeah. I do running as well. I completed a full marathon this year. I have been an avid golfer for the last 13 years.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻?

I would like to get more finance-related skills. Finance, that will help me get into leadership in the organization. The other things are, whichever technology trends are there. Try to pick up on the latest technology or keep myself updated.

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗼𝗳?

I would say I'm a good golfer. I have a very stable temperament for golf and it helps develop a lot of patience in me. Whenever I get into the round of golf I'm totally into it. It's more like a lab on self-awareness. Golf is a game of going with the flow, being in that moment. I find golf a valuable exercise or valuable tool for me to employ my interest in emotional quotient and spirituality and other things.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲?

Garmin. Garmin is an app that tracks running and other things. In fact, this is a Garmin watch that I have. This is connected to the app on my phone. With this, I can keep track of all my runs, all my golf scores and everything. It gives a detailed analysis as well, all the runs since I started running in 2020. I can just look at the dashboard and see in May 2020, on this day, how much I ran the route with the GPS. Everything is available. So in that way it's more like an introspective journey.

05/12/2023

Harsha Marigowda is the founder and director of mVerve, a Software Engineering Company that applies Digital solutions to 21 century problems. Harsha started the company in 2013 and it has steadily grown and now employs over 30 professionals across India and the US.

Harsha received his MS in Computer Science from Old Dominion University in 2005. When we met online recently, I asked him about ODU, his job, and his life.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?

My father is an Electrical Engineer, so I knew I wanted to learn Engineering or some field where I could apply Math and Logic. Growing up in the Dot com era, I wanted to learn and use technology to solve many of the world’s problems.

I just went with the flow. A lot of friends and I, we discussed what the future was going to be. So, my undergrad (at PES University in Bengaluru) was in Computer science and engineering. It was an all-around engineering course with some parts of electrical engineering, but my major was computer science.

After graduating I had an offer from a software company, but it was the 2001 recession and the company said they could not hire me because of the recession. I briefly worked at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru as a Research Assistant in 2002 and then went on to apply for Master’s Degree.

I actually went to South Florida for my master’s initially. But due to 9/11, there was a funding crisis in that university. Friends of mine had come to Old Dominion. They were not in the computer sciences; they were in mechanical engineering. But I knew them from high school. So, I came to ODU because I had better chances of a Teaching/Research Assistantship.

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆?

Stephan Olariu, I really liked the courses offered by him in Computer Networks and Algorithms. I also loved Professor (Irwin) Levinstein databases, even though my grade wasn’t spectacular in that. At ODU I loved the fact that the assignments were very practical, real-world. Open book exams were challenging but pushed you to understand the concepts more.
*(Professor Olariu is still teaching at ODU; Professor Levinstein is retired)

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝗗𝗨?

The multicultural aspect of it struck me the most. Right now, I’m running a software company and I’m working with people from different cultures. ODU taught me the adaptability and empathy that is needed to work with people from all cultures.

The other aspect that I really loved was the industry connection with Professor Ajay Gupta in the department of Computer Science. A lot of us benefited from Internships due to this. In addition to the industry connect, Prof. Mukkamala research on Computer Networks were quite impactful.

ODU had … a very homely feel … and being not a huge town like New York or something, it just gave me a grounded feeling.

We had career opportunities but at the same time the people in Norfolk were very warm, very nice. Who can forget the iconic Number 7 Asian restaurant? It was such a hit, affordable and mouthwatering. At ODU, if you really wanted to unwind, you could go to Virginia Beach for clubs/beaches!

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝟮𝟱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄. 𝗦𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹?

30+ now. It is going well. It’s going slow but steady.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗻𝗼𝘄?

I love the fact that our customers of all sizes have a business problem, and they need technology to solve it. To see problems faced by these firms and experience the solution by applying our tech, gives me goose bumps!

I think the best thing is that business impact that we do for enterprises – the feedback received from them about how our software that we wrote is adopted at the ground level by thousands of users! I feel really proud when people say that our solutions have such an impact

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

My current role is heading Business Development/Operations. The fact that my master’s degree is in computer science really helps me see the problems from both business & tech lenses. For instance, when my Tech lead is explaining the solution path, I am able to understand – at least at high level and am able to apply it while working with my Sales & Marketing teams.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗶𝗻, 𝗹𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆, 𝟱 𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀?

In recent months, everybody must have heard about AI tools like ChatGPT, and its unbelievable automation power. I think individuals and enterprises such as ours must not shy away and must embrace such tools to accelerate our problem-solving abilities through tech.

For example, let’s say it takes three months to develop an ERP program (Enterprise Resource Planning) for a company. With AI, it could probably be delivered to the customer in 4 weeks or perhaps even 2 weeks. The majority of the time is not programming but talking to the customer and understanding the pain point. Actually, production time is going to shrink massively.

So I’m seeing that humankind is going to progress at an accelerated (rate). The next three or four years are going to be super-important. I think companies which treat AI as their friend – use it to improve productivity – will help mankind towards greater progress.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

Success for me (from my company’s perspective) is a function of our customer’s success, and the growth of my colleagues and my partners in the company’s. In this way, success is multidimensional for me.

I hope to put in the hard miles at work, which to me, is everything. So as long as I put in the effort, and I feel that–that’s success to me.

I always will want to learn – so there are these goals as well. You can never stop learning.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻?

The art of negotiations is something that I want to learn and psychology. I’m reading Adlerian psychology - although, coming from an engineering background, learning human psychology is actually a little tricky. But it’s beautiful, those cross-dimensions coming from sciences and engineering and learning the other thing. In business I know there’s technology involved, but then it’s about dealing with people at the end of the day. So, I have some goals to study that. I am working on it.

And of course, giving back to the community. I have started some goals of working with nonprofits. We are working with one of the largest evening school programs in Mumbai. We are helping build an Ed tech product for them at no profit. We are spending so much time because it’s quite endearing for us.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝟭𝟬, 𝟭𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?

(laughs) I would just say not to get too worked up, too caught up with what people said. And not to take things personally.

And to pause. I have learned the art of pausing. I would tell my younger self, “Hey, you know what? Let’s analyze, let’s see what it is, and not take things personally.”

There is that restless energy I come with. I don’t want to change that part. That’s actually a positive aspect for me. It’s not been an easy journey because it takes some time to pause, accept and absorb the stuff which is relevant to me.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

Twitter.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲?

Because I get updates on world events in seconds. Sitting in Bengaluru (India), if something happens in Virginia Beach (U.S.), I get an alert the that very next minute.
Also - there are some immensely talented individuals offering advice on all walks of life out there – so, put to use well – Twitter can help all individuals.

12/15/2021

Warmest congratulations to Tabasum on this wonderful achievement. Her blog has been published by the Edinburgh University Press!!!!!

In the northeastern provinces of Afghanistan, talented women sing folk songs to entertain each other in female-only gatherings on happy...

11/16/2021

FULLY FUNDED Study Abroad opportunity!!! Be sure to click that button by 8 PM ET TONIGHT to get your application in on time.

It's the LAST DAY to say on your CLS application! Be sure to click that button by 8 PM ET TONIGHT to get your application in on time. Congratulations to all our applicants! Tag us in your proud moment hitting submit!

Exchange Programs - U.S. Department of State

11/15/2021

International Education & Country Fair

Thursday, November 18, 2021

OIR Office Space, Webb University Center 12:00 -1:00pm

JOIN US FOR A UNIQUE TRAVEL ADVENTURE!

Join ODU's Global UGRAD students to discover all about Algeria, Armenia, India and Palestine

The country fair is an event that showcases ODU’s diverse international community and gives students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to travel to Algeria, Armenia, India and Palestine. Free and open to the public.

For more information contact the Center for Global Engagement: [email protected]

11/10/2021

Calling all ODU Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society current and potential new members...

Please join us on Monday, November 15th from 10-2pm PST (10am PST/11am MT/12pm CST/1pm EST) as we kick off International Education Week. Phi Beta Delta (in partnership with the SDSU APIDA Center) is hosting a FREE Virtual Fall Symposium. All are welcome.

Please RSVP here for zoom link: https://bit.ly/PBDAPIDAFallSymposium
The theme is "Learning From the Land."

To learn more about PBD at ODU - Visit PBD Gamma Chi Chapter to learn more about the society and membership criteria.
Email: [email protected]