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For International Women’s Day 2021 celebrations at NCC Group, I shared the story of my feminist parents and how their upbringing poised me for success throughout my career, including in my current role as the North America Practice Director of Bug Bounty Services. I also shared my insights for women looking to build a career in cybersecurity, the industry intersectionality it offers, and the perks, and challenges of being a woman in the industry, and society at large.

Honored guests, President Hamilton, Dean Di Lorenzo, Mr. Picalla, members of the faculty and administration, family, and  friends, and finally, my fellow graduates. It is beyond an honor and a pleasure to speak on behalf of the class of 2017. It is a wonderful feeling to stand here and see so many familiar faces all around me. And all of you who don’t know me, and are wondering, who am I — I am one of you. One of us. 

One of us, who left, in my case, my homeland and traveled to a new county in pursuit of quality education. One of us, who, after building a foothold in industry in India, took the step of changing careers. One of us who came to SPS to satisfy a deep thirst for knowledge and growth. Each of us was led to SPS by our life experiences, and choices, and changes we have made at every turn. NYU SPS has been the perfect setting for preparing ourselves for our next steps because of what is central and unique to the SPS core — a faculty who are gifted teachers and at the same time have the advantage of being thoroughly engaged in the professions they represent. This is the magic that makes us so special. Please let us give us a round of applause to our faculty who have taught us so well. 

At SPS, every day, in every encounter, we all have had the privilege to experience diversity in so many forms, in terms of nationality, culture, experience, age, and careers. In this diversity, I see a powerful unifier — and that is the passion for reinvention and advancement. 

Today, we are here to celebrate that we did it. Day by day, year by year, here at SPS we have acquired the tools that will enable us to make an impact. We live in a world that is ever-changing and we will need every bit of the knowledge and experience we have gained to succeed in, and contribute to that world. We recognize the responsibility that comes along with our education — the responsibility of creating positive change and building something substantial. 

The times we are walking into will be one of the most stressful times we have experienced in our lives so far. In a world filled with uncertainties, we can be sure of this — we are going to face tough challenges. But let me share with you a mantra that I have used in difficult circumstances in my life. Never stop trusting yourself, never give up. As an example, let me tell you a story. You see, I’ve always had an itch for the limelight. I have always taken part in public speaking opportunities ever since high school. One fine day, one of the largest public speaking competitions came along and I put my name down. I prepared with full force and was so ready to win this thing. But what I was not prepared for is one of the largest audiences I had ever addressed or seen in my life. My name was called and I went to the podium and I started moving my mouth, but no sound came out. My throat went dry. I was frozen in this never ending moment. As soon as I felt the feeling in my spine come back, I bolted off the stage running away from the crowd. I cried for the entire day. My self respect and confidence were wounded, and I was heartbroken. I may have lost that competition, but I did not lose faith in myself. I pulled myself together and the following year, I re-entered the same competition and won first prize. Never stop trusting yourself, and never give up!

There will always be people in our lives who will tell us “you’re not good enough”, but what matters is that we never stop believing in ourselves, and we stay true to ourselves, and our values. We are in a room filled with proud parents, friends and families and nothing is a better gift in life than seeing the people we love smiling. 

We will build careers that will bring wealth, and worldly pleasures our way, but the true wealth in life is the people we love, and relationships we build. I feel immensely humbled and lucky for all the relationships I have been privileged to build, and for all the love and respect I have received during my time at SPS. Please let’s take this moment to thank all our families and friends. They have always been there with us and for us, during our most trying times, and our happiest times. I want to thank my parents for always believing in me. My dad for being an advocate for women power and bringing up three strong and independent daughters in a culture where women are considered a secondary gender. My sisters for always being my guardian angels during the darkest times of my life. And my mom for being the iron lady of my life and teaching me to always become the voice of the weak and less privileged among us. And it’s my mom’s message I’d like to offer all of us today — As we strive to achieve and to fulfill ourselves that we let our pursuits be guided by our compassion. Every time we see a person struggling, we can be the one who understands their struggle. To remind ourselves everyday to pause, and look beneath the surface to the person inside. To know, we are one — one species, one planet, our earth. We are all in this together. As J.K. Rowling wrote, “While we may come from different places, and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one.”

​Class of 2017, congratulations — we did it! 

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What a day! 

I walk into a packed auditorium buzzing with excitement. I see to my right, a big stage with people setting it up for the event of the day. 

I take a deep breath, and ask myself, "Is it really happening? Am I really one of the 140 people picked out of 35,000 to get this award?" I was set to receive the 2016 NYU President's Service Award for my school, NYU School of Professional Studies, and I couldn't be happier.

Encouraging and promoting cultural awareness as an Events Chair for the International Club at SPS
was the experience of a lifetime. Just a year back I had landed in JFK airport, excited, nervous, exhausted yet filled with energy; wondering what New York City held for me. 

Beaming with a wide smile, shaking hands with NYU's President Andrew Hamilton was that same girl today. "Congratulations, Bhavana, I'm very happy for you!", he said. If only my parents were here to see me today!