I got some exciting news from my end! I have been nominated to be the General Chair of the 2019 Grace Hopper Conference! Stay tuned for more details on this amazing journey on working with a diverse set of technologists from industry and academia as we plan the largest conference for women in computing!!!
I am a senior program manager at Microsoft who loves incubating ideas and building inclusive products,
........a singer trained in Indian classical music who likes experimenting with different genres of music,
........a speaker with over six years of public speaking experience on a broad range of topics in varied settings,
........a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry (and a proud woman and mom in tech!).
........a singer trained in Indian classical music who likes experimenting with different genres of music,
........a speaker with over six years of public speaking experience on a broad range of topics in varied settings,
........a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry (and a proud woman and mom in tech!).
...and these people noticed my work
SharePoint Spaces launch at the SharePoint Conference North America Keynote, Las VegasMay 2018: Launched SharePoint spaces, the first service to democratize the creation of Mixed Reality experiences in the enterprise. The announcement received over 33 US and international media impressions, #SharePointSpaces was trending on Twitter, and reached the top of Techmeme on announcement day.
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Outstanding Young Alumni Award by NC State UniversityOct 2017: Recognized as one of six outstanding young alumni by the Department of Computer Science. Dr.Laurie Williams, department head, says “This is an exceptional group of individuals who have all, in some way or another, impacted our lives in a very positive way.” She adds, “By recognizing our most distinguished alumni, we hope they will serve as an inspiration for current and future students.”
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Forbes: Defying Stereotypes as a Pregnant Women in TechOct 2016: Featured by Forbes in the Under 30 category.
From the article, "Whatever preconceived notions people may have about soon-to-be-mothers at work, Srinivasan is living proof that parenthood can be an asset to a career -- not a liability." |
Microsoft: Designing her Own DestinyAug 2015: Profiled by Microsoft under the title "hacking for good with one of Microsoft's brightest rising stars". From the profile, “She was tenacious, bubbly, ‘I’m in,’ ‘I want to do it,’ determined,” remembered Chief Accessibility Officer Jenny Lay-Flurrie
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Forbes: Succeeding in the Fourth TrimesterJul 2017: Featured by Forbes for the second time.
From the article, "Parenthood isn't one-size-fits-all, so everyone's experience is different. "It’s easy to get caught up by the 'perfection' standard the internet sets and fall prey to constant comparison and judgement, either by your own self or by others," she notes. "It doesn’t matter because this is not a competition." |
Moms Can Code : #WomenWhoInspireFeb 2018: Featured by Moms Can: Code- a global community of moms learning to code and training program to teach moms how to code online and in their local communities. From the article "In my opinion, moms are some of the strongest, most courageous, and hardworking people in the world. So, you already have all of the qualities to succeed - you just need to make a conscious effort and give it your best."
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The Fire Hose: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reveals OneWeek Hackathon WinnerAug 2014: Won the Grand Prize in Microsoft's first ever global OneWeek Hackathon. The Ability Eye Gaze team was given the chance to dump a bucket of ice water on CEO Satya Nadella as part of an effort to raise awareness around amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS.)
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Huffington Post: Mother's Day for Moms in TechMay 2016: Guest writer on Huffington Post contributor channel where I share my thoughts on motherhood in tech and what can we do to make the industry more inclusive to parents. From the article "They say it takes a village to raise a child, and you are very much a part of some mom’s village. Until the issues surrounding motherhood in tech become non-existent, we need to openly acknowledge them, talk about them and find a way to resolve them. "
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NCSU: Faces of Computer ScienceOct 2016: Chosen as one of the 12 Faces of Computer Science by North Carolina State University. From the article "A new display located in the main classroom hallway in the east wing of the building entitled Faces of Computer Science makes by-passing this passion nearly impossible. The display highlights a dozen current or former students who are using their computer science degrees, many combined with a life passion, to make a real impact on the world."
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Microsoft Research: GHC open source code-a-thon to benefit humanitarian reliefOct 2015: Featured on the Microsoft Research blog for my efforts Co-Chairing the Open Source Day track at the Grace Hopper Conference. From the article, “It’s not always about the end result, it’s the experience that matters,” Srinivasan says, highlighting the value of collaboration in a dynamic environment along with using the latest coding techniques and best practices."
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The Daily: Women’s Action Commission stresses reflection and intersectionality in STEMMar 21017: Microsoft program manager Vidya Srinivasan discusses the challenges faced in STEM fields and how these challenges shape our unique identities during Gender in STEM event. The event is hosted by ASUW Women’s Action Commission, aiming to empower women and other gender minorities through the celebration of intersectional identities.
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The Fire Hose: Microsoft kicks off //oneweek and you won’t believe the hacks!Jul 2014: Exclusive coverage of the OneWeek hackathon- Microsoft’s first-ever companywide exercise in growth hacking. Our project Ability EyeGaze was featured which eventually ended up winning the Grand Prize at the hackathon.
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Student Spotlight: Vidya Srinivasan, Program Manager: MicrosoftJul 2015: Featured as the Student Spotlight for the month by North Carolina State University. From the article, Srinivasan says "It’s okay if you don’t have everything figured out when you start. Just do it anyway. Life is a series of experiments. Win or lose. These experiences are essential in understanding yourself better."
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Microsoft on InstagramSep 2015: Microsoft on Instagram "Vidya Srinivasan is the definition of versatility. She's a classical singer and a computer science graduate. She's equally happy hacking solutions for people with ALS, coding SharePoint asset libraries, or mentoring students in her native India. She gets to do it all as a program manager at Microsoft, where she's busy designing her own destiny."
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Anita B.org on InstagramOct 2015: Anita B.org on Instagram "We are 5 engineers who have been working for the past 6 months with 8 Open Source organizations to come up with 15 projects to help 230 participants code for humanity at the Grace Hopper Open Source Day! Oh! Did we tell you that we met each other only today? 😉" - Larissa Shapiro, Aubrey Blanche, Samantha Chan, Vidya Srinivasan, Dana Dorneanu (photo by @wogrammer)
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Podcasts & Interviews
The Things She Does PodcastFeb 2019: The Things She Does is a podcast about women pursuing their passion and making it work. Interviewed by Nckie Snyder, a Cardiologist NP, we talk about everything I do- from tech to music to public speaking to my passion for advocating for D&I in tech. From Nickie, "We have a great conversation about Vidya's love of music, how she weaves that into speaking about tech, the importance of representation and how tech can bring us all together. After my conversation with Vidya I felt so inspired!!! She is truly incredible. Listen in today and feel inspired as well!"
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Learn To Code With Me PodcastJan 2018: Interviewed by Lawrence Bradford in the LTCWM podcast- a popular tech podcast with over a million downloads. In our conversation, we speak about balancing a tech career, side hustles, and family during pregnancy and parenthood. From the interview "According to traditional stereotypes, when a man becomes a dad he becomes a breadwinner, and when a woman becomes a mom she’s a caregiver. People need to realize men can be breadwinners and caretakers, and women can be caretakers and breadwinners."
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The Women in Tech Show PodcastJul 2016: Invited to speak in the Women in Tech show - a popular podcast featuring prominent women in tech from a variety of backgrounds. We had some interesting conversation about my hackathon projects, diversity in tech initiatives, program management, career strategy and the Grace Hopper conference.
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iGirl Tech News
Oct 2014: Interviewed on iGirl Tech News- an organization that aims to inspire it's viewers through its videos by showing a female perspective on technology and entrepreneurship. From Amber Turner, the host of the show, "Vidya is an absolute inspiration and an all-around great person. It was a real pleasure to sit down and get her thoughts on being a technical program manager and a female in the tech industry."