san jose

How does one go from university to shadowing a Cisco SVP in Brazil?  I think “Veritas et Utilitas,” (meaning truth and service) and my time at Howard University, a Historically Black College and University in Washington, DC, had a lot to do with it.  “Veritas et Utilitas” is Howard University’s fou…

This post was written by Cisco Intern (now full-time employee) Rachel Spector. After interning at Cisco for four consecutive summers, I am often asked why I kept going back. It’s a fair question since there were so many different experiences I could have had at other companies – but there are five k…

Rejection after rejection. While looking for the right role and company to take my career to the next level, I applied and interviewed for hundreds of jobs. It seemed, on the best days, to be a one-way street for most companies. And, after succumbing to the fear of failure, I felt discouraged to pur…

As an early-in-career woman working in a male-dominated industry, I certainly found myself wondering what it was like to be an executive at a Fortune 100 company. And, more specifically, I wondered what it was like to be a female C-suite leader in today’s world. The fact that Cisco has six (yes, SIX…

I didn’t start my career in marketing – or at Cisco.  I used to be a full-time civil litigator and a part-time adjunct lecturer.  By day, I picked apart multi-million-dollar insurance contract language.  By night, I picked apart graduate student essays (in all their handwritten glory). So, you coul…

This post was written by Cisco Sales Intern Mabel Liang. Give anyone in Gen Z some time and a computer, and we can “Google” our way to being experts in anything.  That is exactly what I did prior to my interviews for my current role as a Global Strategy, Planning, and Operations summer intern at Cis…

As a young teen, when my family moved to the United States from Thailand, I struggled to fit in.  The kids in high school shied away from me because I looked and sounded different.  The isolation I felt then is a feeling I never want anyone to experience.  As I learned to embrace my identity over th…

Grief, they say, doesn’t have an expiration date. It perhaps fades with time, but never leaves you. Born and raised in India, I moved to the United States nine years ago for a new beginning in life. Being an only child, it was difficult to say goodbye to my parents and I missed them terribly – but…

Growing up, I looked up to my mom – I still do! As a kid I was inspired by my mom’s dedication, work ethic, and resilience. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up – and I’ve kind of done just that as we’ve both found a unique place for ourselves at Cisco! In December 2018, our CEO Chuck announc…