Dad and mom with school-aged kids have a really cool backstage go. Effectively, it’s extra like a front-row seat. It’s a front-row seat that’s a window into marvel and ever-shining hope for the long run.

Whereas my husband and I’ve no kids of our personal, we’re lucky to have entry to this front-row seat, due to relations who invite us to our nephews’ and nieces’ faculty occasions and child actions. We’ve had our share of sports activities video games and meets, faculty performs, bingo and fundraising, profession days, and my favourite, STEM (science, expertise, engineering, math) gala’s. It’s a very completely different world that we wouldn’t have in any other case skilled.

At my niece’s center faculty STEM honest within the fall of 2022, I had the good privilege to current and present Cisco Collaboration’s AI applied sciences to center faculty college students — the digital natives who’ve by no means lived in a world with out this expertise. It was very straightforward and intuitive for them to make use of and play with the applied sciences I confirmed. As I mentioned how the expertise works, these younger folks rapidly got here up with new concepts and options on the way to apply the expertise to many different use circumstances. As a expertise junkie, this type of interplay takes me to cloud 9. Positive, it was fairly cool displaying off cool tech. However what was even cooler was that these twelve-year-old youngsters acquired it, and realizing that they did means our expertise is just not solely heading in the right direction, however we’re additionally shaping and influencing future expertise.

I used to be completely content material to go away that STEM honest on my geeky cloud 9 excessive, however a younger man, Rayaan, approached me as I used to be packing up my sales space. I came upon later he was a highschool senior who additionally introduced on the honest, operating a small group coding session. He launched himself and requested, “So, do you’re employed for Cisco?” (I had proudly used my Cisco Webex nameplate on my sales space.) I naturally replied, “I certain do! Have you learnt what Cisco does?” And at the back of my head, “Cisco: Additionally named the perfect place to work within the U.S. three years in a row!”

The remainder of the dialog left me in awe. This younger man not solely knew what Cisco does, he had a reasonably good thought of its historical past and its contributions to the applied sciences we reside by day by day. As we completed packing our sales space contents and headed to our vehicles, he then proceeded to tell me that he was making use of to the Cisco Excessive Externship Program — an expertise designed for highschool seniors. Therefore, he did his analysis on Cisco. He even commented that he thinks it could be a cool place to work at some point when he enters the workforce.

Quick ahead to summer time 2023. My new younger good friend did get into the Cisco Excessive Externship Program. Did I assist him get into this system? Maybe a bit of, but it surely was all him. I had no thought who even ran this system at Cisco. I did give him steering on his resume and utility, practiced interviews with him over Webex, and gave him recommendation on the way to be absolutely current throughout that interview, and any interview, for that matter. However, Rayaan acquired into the externship program all on his personal and excelled.

Reflecting on this engagement, I spotted one thing I had by no means thought-about earlier than. Some Cisco colleagues have the good privilege of getting their very own kids enter the workforce, and generally it’s even at Cisco! I’ve considerably skilled a glimpse of that. Again within the day, firm house owners named their enterprises “Firm Identify and Sons” in preparation for his or her kids getting into and taking on the enterprise. I do know I can’t rename Cisco and don’t have any kids getting into and taking on the enterprise. However what I’ve realized, although, is that whilst a person contributor, I’ve an excellent duty to carry out as greatest as I can in order that the longevity of Cisco can make sure that younger folks like Rayaan have a possibility to have as nice a piece expertise and fulfilling profession as I’ve. After all, doing my greatest work is the skilled factor to do, however doing my greatest work additionally means leaving a legacy: supporting Cisco’s goal of powering an inclusive future for all so younger folks can proceed the work we present Cisconians have began, and for them additionally to have an excellent place to work when their flip comes.

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