The Steminist Spotlight Series: Bhawana Wadhwa, Senior Consultant in Application Services

Empowered by science and technology, women are transforming the way we live and work—and they’re changing the world for the better along the way. Our new blog series, The Steminist Spotlight, celebrates these women.

The Steminist Spotlight amplifies the voices of the amazing and inspiring women in tech who are making history here at Navisite. As a Steminist, these women have the power to inspire the next generation of female leaders to choose a career in STEM, where they can co-create the future and help build a diverse, inclusive workforce. 

Stay tuned as we share Steminist stories from the incredible women who make Navisite the company it is today.

Meet Our Steminist:

Bhawana Wadhwa, Senior Consultant

Our next Steminist Spotlight features Bhawana Wadhwa, Senior Consultant of Oracle E-Business Suite at Navisite. In this spotlight, Bhawana shares her tech beginnings, role models and advice for the next generation of female leaders.

How did you get your start in tech?

Ever since I was a little girl, I remember being so fascinated with science and technology. I would look at everyday things and could never take them at face value. My brain always needed to understand the logic behind how things actually worked. I liked asking a lot of questions to really understand the “why” and “how,” and I always used those answers to discover new solutions and new ways of doing things. That’s how I knew I had to pursue a career in IT.

I was the first in my family to choose a career in STEM, but I refused to let that discourage me. I’m so grateful to have had the support of my family to help me realize that dream. That dream started in 2014 when I landed my first job as an Oracle applications database administrator for a software company. Eventually, that journey led me to Navisite, where I now help businesses around the world navigate their Oracle application challenges. The work is both challenging and exciting—and it keeps me motivated every single day.

Can you share a little about what you do at Navisite and what your typical day is like?

I work as a senior consultant in application services, with a specialization in Oracle products. I typically spend my day ensuring our customers have a seamless experience with their Oracle applications and that they’re seeing optimal system performance. A big part of that is being their main technical point of contact, helping them navigate and resolve any application issues, questions or roadblocks that might arise. I also have the opportunity to help our customers start their Oracle application journey by executing implementations and ongoing maintenance of their new applications. 

What do you like most about your tech career?

The world of technology is vast and always changing. For me, that means my comfort zone is always being tested. There is always something new to learn, and it feels like every day presents a new set of challenges. All of these things have helped me be comfortable with the unknown—but they’ve also shown me that it’s fully in my own power to push my limits, explore new possibilities, and make the unknown known. This mindset has helped me grow professionally and personally. Most importantly, it’s helped me build confidence inside and outside of the office.

Who are your women in tech role models?

Without a doubt, one of my biggest role models in tech is Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder and CEO of Bumble. Her journey is remarkable—she saw an underserved gap in the dating app market and took it upon herself to build a solution. Along the way, she helped to change the narrative in a traditionally male-dominated industry by amplifying the voices of women. She is spontaneous, decisive, and incredibly talented—and she’s a clear example of the amazing things that are possible for women in the world today.

I also can’t talk about women in tech role models without mentioning one of my past managers. Right now, she is overseeing one of the most complex projects for Oracle applications management, and she’s doing it all with an incredible level of control. She is not only executing this project with complete confidence, but she’s doing it all while balancing her personal life with ease. It’s a great reminder for me that while hard work and professional growth are important, you need to remember to care for yourself outside of work, too.

What has been one of the proudest moments in your career so far? 

I’m proud to have many of these moments in my career so far. If I were to choose just one to highlight, though, it would have to be when I managed and executed the implementation, maintenance and troubleshooting for an application system that I wasn’t familiar with at the time. I not only pushed myself out of my comfort zone, but I helped to push my team to extend their application knowledge, too. We all came out of this project more confident and with a new set of skills. It was a great reminder of just how important challenges are—and your ability to accept them—to personal and professional growth. I’m a stronger person today because of it.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for women today who are interested in pursuing a career in tech?

Right now, I think there’s an unrealistic expectation of women. We’re encouraged to break glass ceilings and rise to the top. That comes with a lot of hard work and ambition. At the same time, we’re expected to start families, have a thriving personal life and find time for self-care.

With these things in mind, the tech world can seem pretty demanding. There will be days where you need to work all day and all night to troubleshoot an issue or resolve an unexpected obstacle. This can be off-putting for women—especially if you’re worried about being too career-driven or not enough. But the thing to remember is this: you can find balance. It’s all about defining what balance means for you and putting in the effort to achieve it.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in STEM?

Always believe in yourself and never doubt if you deserve a seat at the table. You will study hard and you will work hard. When you do land your first job in STEM, never forget to remind yourself that you earned it.

Throughout your career, it’s also important to prioritize your own professional and personal growth. You already put in the work to get to where you are—so keep going! Why stop now? When you get that seat at the table, come hungry and stay hungry. When you put in the work, good things will continue to fall in place.

What’s a fun fact about you that many people may not know?

I’m all about trying new things and broadening my horizons. We’re such multi-faceted beings! In addition to my job at Navisite, I also do modeling for a handful of brands in India. You might see me on some upcoming ads on UpGrad’s LinkedIn page!

Our Steminist Mission

At Navisite, supporting women in their STEM education is not only important to us—it’s vital to building the inclusive and diverse tech workforce the world needs. Our mission is to help bridge the gender divide and bring diversity to the technology sector by empowering the next generation of female leaders to consider a career in STEM.

The Navisite’s Next Steminist Scholarship

The Navisite’s Next Steminist Scholarship program offers female undergraduate students an opportunity to level up their careers and realize their dreams with a one-time $10,000 scholarship. Applications open on April 5th, 2021. Click here to apply.

Visit our Navisite’s Next Steminist Scholarship webpage to learn more.