A salute to the journey of Rajasri Appana, born in the suburbs of Chennai, who has made her mark in Colorado with a new career in an all-male work environment

 
It’s been an enjoyable ride that Arati and Harmony have had me on over the past year, trying to tell some interesting stories about individuals and organisations in the US that have a connection with India. So far I’ve travelled all over the country in capturing these stories, from Chicago to Phoenix to New Jersey, marvellous people doing marvellous things. This edition will entail a much shorter journey, a left turn out of my office for 15 ft, a quick right turn for about 50 ft down the hallway, a gentle nudge of an office door and, suddenly, I’ve found my story. A talented, polished, soft-spoken woman of Indian descent diligently does her work, quietly toiling in the technical boiler room of our company, It’s Never 2 Late (iN2L), in Colorado. This exercise is a delight for me as it’s an excuse to get to know someone who does brilliant work for us, the one and only Rajasri Appana. Truly a rose in a den of thorns!

Every story I’ve written for Harmony allows me to peel the onion layers of people’s lives, the journeys they’ve had in their path to the US, assimilating into our culture without losing their Indian identity. Rajasri’s story is no different. She was born in Ambattur in the suburbs of Chennai. With her father moving for work, she wound up spending her childhood in Andhra Pradesh. Her father had five brothers and six sisters; a joint family. Her childhood memories are vivid: visiting her grandparents’ home in Ambattur, playing on a makeshift swing, hanging off one-handed from a big mango tree. She loves to share that she was born on Diwali day, and always celebrates her birthday on that holiday irrespective of the date. She would tell her brothers and sisters that her birthday is celebrated all over India—just watch the fireworks! She did her pre-schooling in English medium but after Grade 1, was admitted into Telugu medium because of affordability. School was very far from home and the bus charge used to be 25 paise. She would walk instead; she used the money saved to help pay for college.

Like so many other immigrants, her journey to the US was full of twists and turns, never linear. She had older cousins who were doctors in New York; when they came home and told stories of the US, it ignited her interest in this faraway country. There’s a love story here too! Her husband Srinivasu had no intention to migrate to the US. He had been working in a government bank for 14 years and was in a very comfortable position. But knowing it was her dream, he selflessly rearranged his own life and took computer courses to make him eligible for immigration. Ultimately, he moved to the US on an H1B visa; Rajasri, along with their kids Srikar and Srikala, came a year later, in 2000. Today, Srinivasu is an Oracle ERP Functional Consultant and the kids are in their late 20s, successfully assimilating into the US with their careers but holding on to their Indian culture and upbringing. It’s a heart-warming example of the American dream and why we as a country should fiercely oppose anything to discourage immigration—it makes us all stronger.

Rajasri’s interest in technology came primarily after she moved to the US; until her husband started his courses, she had not even seen a computer! She first worked for the LPS (Lender Processing Services), the Federal Government (Mining Department), On Site and NOV (National Oilwell Varco) in Houston. She went back to India for six months to help plan her daughter’s wedding, which occurred in December 2016. After she came back, she started looking for a job and came across iN2L—she joined us in April 2017.

Rajasri’s story of working at iN2L is poignant, something I sadly did not know until writing this article. Her own life experience helped shape her interest in working for a company that lives and breathes to benefit older adults. Her father Gangadharam Bondu was bedridden for almost seven years; it started with high blood pressure and slowly affected his mind, ultimately causing him to virtually lose his entire memory. He loved his daughter and she has painfully lived with thoughts that part of his decline may have been owing to his worrying about her and her journey. Because of a delay in obtaining her green card, she was not able to be at his side when he died in November 2009.

The experience left deep scars and when she learned about the mission of iN2L, she knew she wanted to work here. She felt it was almost a way to honour her father as she was not able to be there at his passing. Other experiences moved her towards iN2L as well. She took care of an older uncle who had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He had forgotten everything and his mother was blind. As his wife was working, she used to go every day to their home to help them out. These events impacted her on many levels and form part of the reason she enjoys working for iN2L, knowing the products she helps create improve the lives of older adults dealing with multiple physical and cognitive issues.

Serving as our only QA (quality assurance) analyst, her work environment at iN2l is unique, to say the least. As is true with many American technology companies, what goes on in the middle of the development rooms is kind of a deep, dark secret. The room is darker than the rest of the office; when you walk in, you see a handful of tech people, immersed in their projects and ear buds, look up at you with a bit of apprehension, not wanting the rhythm of their day to be broken by people (like me) who really don’t have a clue about the work they are doing! Rajasri sits quietly in the middle of the think tank, flanked by an engineer to her left and developers to her right. She is not at all intimidated by the all-male work environment; she says teamwork is more important than gender. While at first it was a bit uncomfortable for her not to have other women in her department, she now feels she has helped shift the culture of the company—men and women are more comfortable collaborating since her arrival. We all agree!

Rajasri has made a tremendous impact on our company, especially on our internal culture. She likes making a difference. She does miss a few things from her native country. She misses the local mangoes in the summer. She misses the jasmine flowers and gardening, always excitedly waiting for spring to start her gardening here. She is delighted to have her mother, brothers, grandmother and so many in the extended family living here in the US. She does miss many of the places and sites in India; her favourites are the Konaseema area in Andhra Pradesh, the Kerala backwaters and Srinagar. And while she likes her life in the US, her ability to be an individual, the opportunities that present themselves, she misses the diversity in India, each place so unique. She doesn’t consider herself a trailblazer but she does have some words of wisdom for girls in India contemplating careers in technology: “Have confidence in yourself and success automatically comes. And always help others in whatever way you can; you never know in what way or from whom you would get help.”

Her impact has changed the internal culture of iN2L. “Raj’s work as the sole QA analyst for iN2L has been excellent,” explains Michael Gardner, her supervisor and the true iN2L tech guru. “Her attention to detail is remarkable. Her ability to communicate the ‘what, why, and how’ of the issues she finds to the developers has been an integral part in creating a productive and well-respected development team. Raj continues to learn and study and is constantly improving our QA processes. Our product is better because of her. And being a woman, and also from another country, she has somehow made us all more cohesive.”

So there you have it. A remarkable woman, a remarkable story. Shame on me, as a co-founder of iN2L, for not knowing any of this until writing this piece. For all of you out there reading, do you know the stories of the people who work right next to you? Ask them some questions; you might be surprised what you hear. And be the better for it.

Thank you, Rajasri. You make our company and our country better. I hope your kids will read this and realise how proud they should be of your success, and recognise the humility, selflessness and love of your husband to uproot his own life to allow you to fulfil your dreams. I know your heart breaks to have missed being with your father when he passed, but his spirit and soul honour you eternally; he smiles at you from a good place. In turn, you have honoured him in the most profound way, simply by how you have lived your own life. Take a second to be proud of what you have accomplished—and keep those guys around you in line!

York is co-founder of It’s Never 2 Late ® (iN2L), an American company dedicated to helping older adults realise the full benefits of today’s technology

Photos courtesy: Jack York
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
March 2018