I hosted a Webinar for women leaders in Tech for my Robotics team last year. Stalwarts like Kirthiga Reddy, Poornima Kochikar, Lizzie Chapman, Devita Saraf and Preeta Sukhtankar attended and inspired 75 budding women in STEM on how to lead the way. They each shared such valuable insights that they come back to me over and over again. Something Kirthiga Reddy said really resonated to me. When asked how can we make the process more inclusive for women, she simply said, “Amplify Others”. I have thought about that a lot. In a deeply competitive environment, where it must have been demanding and precarious to get to the top in the fields of their choosing, that this was her advice, really stayed with me. Instead of trying to outdo, she was suggesting we include. And that is what all education, organisations and experience is teaching us. To collaborate.
Here, Ms Reddy was taking it once step further. Not only was she telling us to collaborate, she was telling us to not just voice our accomplishments but also those of the others around us. Its not really a competition. If the pandemic has taught us something, it is that we will grow together or wither away, together.
So while I continue to write about my Library Projects, I have decided I will also start amplifying others. Under my blog Share – which is also going to be live as a podcast, I will be sharing first the organisations and individuals doing amazing work that Kyra’s Book Bank has. worked with and then growing. outwards to include all people, organisations, initiatives, charities that are doing any work in the field of community service. I will use KBB to amplify others. Including students like me – whatever the motivation, if you are doing good work, write in to me at kyrasbookbank@gmail.com and I will interview you and blog. Come on people, Share!
