The Power to Persevere

As I get closer to boarding the plane to India next week as part of IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC), I find myself reflecting on how I got here.

Reaching this point was not easy. The IBM CSC program is competitive, with just 500 people selected for assignments each year. I applied several times before I was accepted – four, to be exact. And each year when I applied again, I contemplated what was lacking in my prior application.

When the application cycle came along in the spring of 2017, I decided to go “all in”. I would make it the best possible application I could, and if I still wasn’t accepted, then it wasn’t meant to be and I would not apply again. (I can’t say with certainty that I would not have applied a fifth time, but in that moment, I was committed to the Hail Mary to use an American football term.)

The application is a lot like applying for a university program – tell us about yourself and why you want to be here by answering several short essay questions. As I looked back at my prior year’s application, I was struck by something so obvious. My application seemed so impersonal! It adhered to the instructions -- “be sure to answer the question exactly as asked” -- and it said things I really meant, but it just didn’t communicate why #ibmcsc deeply mattered to me.

In the spirit of being fully authentic, and because I convinced myself that this was my last try, I poured myself once again into those essays. I even checked with my mother to make sure she was okay with what I wanted to share of her story, and the difference it made to me while I was growing up.

My essays highlighted the life-changing results of programs that provide support and education to women who need a hand, and how that improvement spreads to help not just the individual but in this case, her daughter. I’ll share one example from my essays. When I was very young, my single Mom was part of a local government program to go back to school. Having that education gave her opportunities for better jobs and financial security that she did not have before returning to school. And seeing my Mom’s pride when she brought home her first “A” grade from college was beyond inspiring. (She wrote a paper on the pianist Chopin; I’ve remembered this paper all these years.)

Throughout my life, my Mom set the best example of the importance of education, hard work, and, of course, perseverance.

So once again, I find myself thanking my Mom. Those values and personal stories are the reasons I applied for the fourth time. And they are the reasons I will be able to pay it forward to others as a member of the IBM CSC India 38 team!

#ibmcsc #cscIn38 #gurgaon