10 Questions with Tanisha Hospedale
Talent Programs & Events Coordinator at Google
Tanisha Hospedale is a Talent Programs & Events Coordinator at Google. From West Philadelphia, Tanisha was raised in a single parent household and is a firm believer in hard work and in using her life experiences and personal story as an example for women and people of color.
Tanisha’s role at Google, on the Talent Programs and Events team, involves curating experiences for underrepresented minorities in tech to have meaningful interactions with Google.
Tanisha is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and loves learning new cultures and traditions. When she has free time, you can catch her jet-setting around the world, as she aspires to see at least 100 countries.
- When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?
This story starts in my freshman year of college at University of Pennsylvania. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I didn’t want to go the traditional banking/consulting route. I heard that Google was going to be at a career fair in the fall and I decided that I would take that shot. I walked up to the desk and handed my resume (with little to nothing of importance on it, since I was a freshman) to the Googler representative (who is now one of my mentors).
We started talking about how there were no internships for freshman, but she had just started a new program (now known as the BOLD Immersion Program) and would love for me to apply, so I did. From then on, I worked extremely hard in order to obtain an internship every summer with Google and, when senior year came around, I was offered a full-time position. I worked in the Small and Medium Business organization for a while, and have now I switched over to People Operations team. I knew the traditional route wasn’t for me so nothing was going to get in my way of landing a job at Google.
2. Who is a role model that you look up to?
My fourth grade teacher has always been, and still is, an inspiration for me. She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. It is really because of her that I am even in the position that I am in today. She recommended me for a program called ‘The Steppingstone Scholars’, whose mission is to work with families and school partners to provide rigorous educational programming and support for talented underserved students in the Philadelphia Region to achieve academic success, opportunity, and a college degree.
I applied to the program, interviewed, and was accepted — which meant two summers of summer school and Saturday school, to be academically prepared to attend one of the nation’s premier private all girls schools. I was terrified. I was young, I wanted everyone to like me, and I didnt want to stand out, but she helped me gain confidence in myself, my intelligence, and my work ethic at a very young age.
“[My fourth grade teacher] helped me gain confidence in myself, my intelligence, and my work ethic at a very young age.”
Because she recommended me for the program, and I was accepted and completed the 2 year program, I went to the Agnes Irwin School, one of the best all girl schools in the nation. That opportunity in combination with A LOT OF HARD WORK accelerated me to success. I am forever grateful for her. She put in the extra work to ensure that she could help break down the institutionalized barriers that are ever present in our society.
3. Where is your hometown?
West Philadelphia (queue Fresh Prince Theme Song…)
4. What is a challenge that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?
When I first joined Google, I STRUGGLED. Real hard. I didn’t feel like I fit in on my team, in my org, where I lived. I didn’t like the work that I was doing. I think it was the first time I actually felt like a failure and it was impacting my personal life very much. I didn’t want to make friends because I didn’t want to make this point in my life permanent. I do this thing where I keep it all inside (even though I know it’s not good to do), so I wasn’t going out, I was barely eating, I was just working and sleeping and then working more. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t good at this, but I was keeping all of this to myself.
On the outside, it looked like my life was excellent. I became an expert at pretty much living a double life. I was meeting with a mentor once and she asked me, “How is work?” and I literally burst into tears. I knew I needed to make a game plan. I got a career guru and took up some extracurriculars at work (I became a leader for Black Googlers Network, hosted events for my team, etc.) and I began to feel more like myself again, which ultimately led me to apply for the job that I have now.
“On the outside, it looked like my life was excellent. I became an expert at pretty much living a double life.”
That first year at Google was hell, and I kept it all inside, which was definitely not good for me. If I can offer any advice to anyone, it would be to make sure you check on your strong friend. Seriously.
5. What is something that you are immensely proud of?
A proud moment for me would definitely be graduating from Penn. Coming from a poor neighborhood of West Philadelphia and having been raised by a single mother, being the first person in the family to graduate from college really meant a lot to me because it meant a lot to my family. I was the catalyst for change. College is now seen as an option and almost a necessity, and that wasn’t the case before. I am of course proud that I graduated from an Ivy League institution but I am more proud that it started this chain of events for the members of my family who are younger than me.
6. What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?
This world is wild. It’s sometimes hard for me to focus at work because everything else happening weighs really heavily on my head and my heart. I honestly am doing the work that I do to try to change the face of tech, which can directly have an impact on our world today (as we’ve seen with police body cameras, Twitter’s presence, Facebook Live, etc). We need people of color in this space who can work with our allies and help change the world.
7. Favorite food?
I love love love Thai food. The flavors are amazing! I love spice and they know how to make it spicy!
8. Favorite book?
I like a lot of books so that’s hard for me, but I recently read “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck” and I highly recommend it.
9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?
I would love to be a stylist. I feel like that world is so glamorous. I think I’m pretty fashionable (haha) and I am able to see trends and what fits what body type well and things like that. Maybe I’ll try it on the side one day…
10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?
I would tell my 18 year old self to stop worrying so much about what people think of you. There will be people who like you and people who don’t, regardless of the type of person that you are. Those who should be in your life will be there, so don’t stress so much about seeming perfect.
