# @princetonspia on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B8RfJtah2to
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20742508-princetonspia-instagram
- **Posted:** 2020-02-07T17:00:49.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Princeton SPIA (@princetonspia) — https://gondola.cc/princetonspia

## Caption

#WooWho: “Finding my voice culminated at my last job. Our company used surveys based on psychometrics to generate credit scores for financially excluded individuals. The project I led was focused on microfinance for women in rural India. I remember leading a training for a group of 60 middle-aged men in Mumbai, India, and feeling completely out of place. But I had the microphone and the stage, and I decided to make it a point to be myself. I thought: ‘I’m going to show you that it doesn’t matter if I’m a woman, or if I’m young—you can trust me.’ It worked. It was a remarkable feeling, creating a sense of trust and respect between me and those higher up in the bank, especially in a male-dominated environment. I often reflect on the opportunities that helped me reach a place where I felt empowered to claim my seat at the table, in some ways. My grandmother was born in Varanasi, India. She never went to school, and was married by the age of 13. She moved to Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean, with my grandfather at the age of 18. My mother, on the other hand, took an incredible generational leap, earned her master’s and led a career that broke many glass ceilings. She has been an incredible female role model and has inspired me in many ways. My dad has always been our biggest cheerleader. I owe it all to them and acknowledge the privilege of having them as parents, which makes it hard not to miss home. Mauritius is a small island, and it’s very diverse; our ancestors come from all over the world and that’s perhaps what I like most about it. It was really my dad who encouraged my brother and I to study in the U.S. I came to wilson_school to explore the policy world, and I feel grateful for the opportunities that it affords me. What I’ve always wanted is to go back home and work in local government or politics; everything I’ve done has been to prepare me to contribute to my country. Eventually, I want to have a voice on that stage.” – Yashna Gungadurdoss MPA ’20. (Photo by eganjimenez). * #WooWho is a Wilson_School Instagram series featuring our community. Want to be featured? Comment or DM us.

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## Tags

woowho

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