Women Who Inspire Us — Bushra Anjum

Hello again, today we have with us a very special guest who hails from Pakistan and made her place in the United States: Bushra Anjum. Let’s just get on her journey and get inspired.

Introduction that justifies your awesomeness:

Anjum: I’m a Health IT data specialist currently working as the Data Analytics Manager at a San Francisco based startup Doximity. Aimed at creating HIPAA secure tools for clinicians, I lead a team of analysts, scientists, and engineers working on product and client-facing analytics. I am also a key contributor to data projects directly, from data ingestion to analysis to recommendations, by employing my advanced knowledge of analyzing large datasets, building complex aggregates, creating data visualization, and conducting multivariate statistical analysis and predictive modeling.

Before, I used to work for Amazon as a software engineer, architecting large-scale distributed services supporting Prime Membership, with particular emphasis on performance and scalability.

Formerly a Fulbright scholar from Pakistan, I served in academia (both in Pakistan and the USA) for many years before joining the tech industry. I continue to volunteer at Cal State University campuses, and public schools, teaching CS-related content and serving as an industry mentor. A keen enthusiast of promoting diversity in the STEM fields, my other volunteer activities involve being a senior editor for ACM Ubiquity and the Standing Committee’s Chair for ACM-Women.

Alongside, I also serve as a community leader and mentor at GlobalTechWomen, Pakistani Women in Computing (PWiC), CRA Widening Participation (CRA-WP), Rewriting the Code (RTC), Empowering Leadership Alliance (ELA), LeanIn.org, among others.

I’m also a regular speaker at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference, Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference, STARS Celebrations, CRA-WP Grad Cohorts, to name a few. I’ve also been recognized by Tribune as a Top 20 under 40 Professional for career excellence with a deep commitment to community service. Lastly, I’m also a recipient of the LUMS VC Alumni Achievement Award for sustained excellence in engineering, and leadership in the profession and public affairs.

Amazing, that’s plenty of achievement, hard work, and sacrifices you must have made. Your achievements speak louder than anything else and we are so pleased to share your journey with our readers. So, going further:

Please tell us about your journey:

Anjum: Well most of my life choices have been guided by a sense of adventure. I received a B.Sc. degree in Computer Science in 2005, Summa Cum Laude, from FAST-NU Lahore. Further, I went on to receive my M.Sc. degree in Computer Science in 2007, maintaining rank 1 in a batch of 250 students and earning the gold medal from Lahore University of Management Studies (LUMS). After that, I opted for a Ph.D. degree as it was the next big adventure, and going halfway across the world to earn it made it an even bigger adventure. Hence I came to the US and completed the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 2012, advised by IEEE fellow Dr. Harry Perros, with specialization in performance evaluation and queueing theory. I also finished a one year Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching Curriculum.

The following adventure was to seek an opportunity to teach at the universities where I was once a student. I taught in Pakistan at Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST-NU), Lahore and in the USA at NCSU and MST. I love teaching and mentoring. Though I am not doing it full time now, I sometimes teach at the California State University as a visiting professor and serve as a mentor to the Women in Software & Hardware group.

After academia, the succeeding adventure was industry. I wanted to explore the world of tech giants, so I joined Amazon. I worked there for about four years and learned a great deal about large scale distributed systems with special emphasis on highly scalable fault-tolerant engineering. Next, I aimed to combine my engineering skills with the love for math, advanced probability and statistics, analysis and predictions. Fueled by my curiosity to learn more about the startup culture, I joined the San Francisco based startup Doximity as a senior member of their Data Science team. A year ago, I got promoted to being the Analytics Manager and now overseeing a team of data scientists and analysts. I look forward to many more adventures here and after.

Kudos to your hard work Anjum, your journey is truly inspiring. The thirst to learn new things and uplift others as well is remarkable.

Tell us, what drives your everyday to move forward:

Anjum: My desire to live life fully and to have as many diverse experiences as possible. I love this quote by Joshua Foer (In Moonwalking with Einstein) “Monotony collapses time; novelty unfolds it.” I want to pursue novel learning opportunities in my career. As I said above, I am an adventure seeker; let’s see where this takes me next.

Yus! We are rooting for you as well :)

Please throw some light on the vision for your life:

Anjum: I don’t have any quantitative milestones in mind (e.g., work at company X or make Y dollars per year). I do have a few guiding thoughts though, that shape some everyday habits and practices. I would like to:

1. Be a part of creating the future of technology. It is paramount that women’s contributions and perspectives are part of the future we create.

2. Be available to answer questions, advise and mentor those who may want to reach out to me. If I may help anyone gain insight, confidence, and clarity on their career choices, I would consider myself privileged to do so.

3. Last but not least, age well. I would like to look good for my age when I am 50, which is approx 10 years out.

Ofcourse, guiding and mentoring even one person is a privilege to have. You are ageless :) the contributions you make are impeccable.

Who or what inspired you to start your journey?

Anjum: My father, he instilled in me, and my sisters, the courage to break unhealthy stereotypes. “Marriage is a woman’s ultimate achievement” was one such stereotype. Hence we defined and pursued our own definition of achievement. For me, it is continuous learning and a rewarding career, hence a Ph.D. and working at the forefront of technology.

I would like to celebrate my father (who is no more) whenever I talk about him. His words of encouragement as we were growing up are my constant source of strength, even today. I would like to share a few here:

• You are not my or anyone else’s property
• Go ahead with it; we will deal with whatever happens
• I am very proud of you
• These are the risks, but it is your decision. I will support you, no matter which way you go
• I trust your judgment

Wow! Truly inspiring. Support and love from parents is all that we want in life to move ahead. We are more than what we possess in our daily lives and have a long way to go.

Which simple pleasures in life do you enjoy:

Anjum: Sending handwritten cards and letters. Emails, e-messaging are all good and have value; however, nothing beats the charm of sending (and receiving) a handwritten card or letter via the good old postal system.

Absolutely, we are waiting to receive one too :)

Lastly, what is your message for young girls/women trying to achieve their dreams against all odds:

Anjum: Don’t let I don’t know how, stop you from saying yes to an opportunity. Trust yourself; you will figure it out.

Correct, most of the time, we resist taking opportunities and try new things just because we don’t know them and how many we have left just because of fear of being judged or not knowing how to do it.

That’s a wrap for this week! We will be back next week with another inspirational person on their journey.

Till then let us know your key takeaways from Nikita’s journey in the comment section or tweet to us at @romaamarnani and @hiralthaker12

If you want to share your story with the world, reach out to us at hiralthaker37@gmail.com or romaamarnani@gmail.com! We would love to learn about your story and help you inspire others.