Humans of Meraki
Featuring: BHM + LNY
Happy Black History Month and Lunar New Year!
This month, we are honoring the achievements and history of African Americans in US history, in addition to the first day of the lunar calendar, marking a new start for many Asian communities. So in celebration, we are uplifting voices from our CBP ERO (Connected Black Professionals Employee Resource Organization) and from our APJC (Asia Pacific, Japan and China) colleagues.
Taylor Wilkerson, Business Intelligence Analyst
San Francisco, USA
I was once told by a previous manager that I wasn’t good enough for a specific role and that I shouldn’t pursue it anymore because it wasn’t meant for me. At that time, hearing something like that was really difficult and discouraging. Growing up, I had a lot of exposure of being one of the only in many different areas of my life, such as being one of the only Black students in school, or being one of the only Black girls at any given golf tournament, which I played competitively into college. So, for somebody to say that something wasn’t meant for me when in reality I can be anything I want to be as long as I work for it, was really difficult for me to hear. But at that time, I was grateful to have been a part of an ERO (Employee Resource Organization) that supported me and uplifted me. They would say, “we’re going to hold you up as much as possible because that’s what’s important,” and that made me feel like I wasn’t alone. That same support system then led me to Meraki, where I am now in a role similar to the one I previously had, but I am now also part of a team in which there’s not a single day when I feel like somebody’s doubting me or my abilities. That is why I decided to join CBP (Connected Black Professionals) and pursue a leadership role as the Events and Marketing Lead, because I wanted to continue creating an impact within the Black community by expanding that feeling of not being the only one.”
Nicole Sain, Network Support Associate
Chicago, USA
Being at Cisco Meraki has aided in me feeling human. While here, I’ve found my voice. I love the eloquent sound humming into my eardrums as the vibration softly rolls off my lips and my voice projects radiantly through the room. The reality is, my past leading to my present has been plagued with many disadvantages, such as not having an emotionally supportive relationship from either of my parents, being raised in an underprivileged environment, and not having a positive representation of endearment as a child. It has not been until recent months that I realized my true strength. My intro to tech and my current role as a Network Support Associate are also both unconventional and typically unheard of within the tech industry as a whole — and especially at a Fortune 100 company. Yet I am here. I am heard. I feel valued. My journey has taught me that sometimes you have to activate the love within yourself in order to not stand in your own way. Love yourself. Believe in yourself. Allow your manifestations to come to life.
Victoria Hu, Regional Sales Leader
Beijing, China
Family is very important to me. They are the people who can make the greatest impact in your life, whether you know it or not. My son in particular is very cute and has a very sweet way of talking and approaching things. He is only five years old, but in Chinese, we say his 嘴很甜 [mouth is sweet]. I remember once walking around with him as it was starting to get dark, and a nearby light suddenly turned on. My son then proceeded to say, “Thank you, light!” For a second, I thought somebody had maybe turned on the light for us, but it was just an automatic, motion sensing light attached to a wall. When I told him that it was just a light attached to a wall, he then said, “Oh. Thank you, wall!” And hearing him be so grateful and positive over just a light and a wall really made me want to work harder on myself. I tell my friends all the time that I need to learn more from my son. So it’s the little things, but they can make a lasting impact on you because it reminds you that there is always something to be grateful about, no matter how tough things may seem. That is why family is very important to me, and for this Lunar New Year, I’m really looking forward to spending more time with them.
Yijen Wang, Product Architect
Taipei, Taiwan
When I was in high school, I spent a lot of time programming with computers. I found them interesting, but not enough to make it my career since the Internet was not popular at that time. So in college, I tried to steer away from computer programming and went into business administration, but funny enough, by that time, the Internet had started to come around, and one of my professors saw that I could program as a business major, so he started assigning me a lot of e-commerce and streaming media projects. Soon, I found myself immersed and fascinated by the Internet world. There were so many more facets and interactions involved, such as building websites and managing network equipment. I was also introduced to the Cisco router for the very first time, which led me to work at Cisco reseller, Cisco ODM, and Cisco’s product management team for more than 10 years before coming to Meraki. I’ve now been with Meraki for 2.5 years, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this new year holds. Here in Taiwan, our new year is soon approaching, Year of the Ox, which indicates that this year will be a lucky year, filled with new starts, new targets, and new hope, so I hope to use this lucky year to continue expanding our market throughout the Asia Pacific region, and helping more people understand the simplicity and power behind Meraki.
