I started this year with a goal of making an impact to the community. I didn’t have a clear plan of how I was going to do it, but I knew I was going to do it. Then I met Ashwin. He told me about an idea he had to make an impact. It was big. It was bigger than I had originally imagined.

He wanted to restore prestige to the Chicago chapter of a South Asian non-profit called the Network of Indian Professionals. I hadn’t held the highest regard for the organization as I had seen it’s decline across several chapters from years before. “We can change that perception”, Ashwin told a crowd of 50 people. I’ve always been proud of my heritage, and never being one to slink away from the challenge, I bought into the vision and jumped on board.

Now flash forward 8 months.

That’s us on stage at the NetIP North America conference in Seattle accepting the Best Chapter award for the Chicago chapter. We made an impact.

I couldn’t be more proud of the work every single person did this year to change the perspective of NetIP Chicago. Late night planning sessions, early morning setup meetings, and all day working meetings, kept the chapter going. A team of people who saw “what was” and made “what could be” happen.

Congratulations to the entire NetIP Chicago board and the greater Chicago community! And as a parting note, here’s my 2nd favorite moment at the conference: