Ep. 12: Allyship is a Verb: Building Equitable Workspaces with Mridvika Raisinghani

Ep. 12: Allyship is a Verb: Building Equitable Workspaces with Mridvika Raisinghani

For our last episode of the semester, we’re digging into our archives to release a previously unreleased episode hosted by our Allies for Equity Team! Please enjoy this interview hosted by series host Kosha Patel featuring then-Lead Intern Jaqui Sanchez from the Allies for Equity team in conversation withMridvika Raisinghani, IU Alum, co-founder and CEO of Sama, and women’s rights activist. In this episode, Mridvika helps us rethink equity as something we actively build, not just discuss. She shares a powerful moment from her work that revealed how even well intentioned spaces can unintentionally exclude others, and how that experience reshaped her approach to inclusion. She explains why change begins with awareness, how discomfort signals growth, and why evolving our perspectives matters more than “unlearning” them. We also explore her journey from consulting to purpose-driven work and the creation of Sama, a platform that helps organizations use data to understand why women leave the workforce and build more equitable systems. Mridvika also reframes allyship as action, encouraging students to notice whose voices are missing and create space for others. Mridvika Raisinghani is the co-founder & CEO of Sama, an AI enabled startup in the space of Gender Inclusion. Sama's predictive modelling tool depicts the turnover intention of women employees in an organization, and its recommendation engine suggests the interventions that organizations can use to increase retention and representation of women in the workplace. The end-to-end SaaS platform is a one-stop shop for organizations allowing them to use data to drive retention interventions. She has spent her career of 18 yrs across IT services, Consulting, Non-profit fundraising and Ed-tech and HR-tech Startups in India, Africa and US. Her last decade as a start-up operator has allowed her to scale businesses, lead client delivery teams (Sales & Delivery), own multi-million dollar P&L's and work across geographies with cross-cultural teams. She is based in Mumbai and is deeply passionate about women’s rights, identifying as a staunch feminist focused on addressing low female workforce participation in India.  Prior to her start up stints, she was raising funds for large non profit and advising financial services clients in the US in secondary mortgage markets.   Mridvika has a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences from Mumbai University and a Masters Degree in Information Systems from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, (Bloomington) United States.  If you’d like to learn more about Mridvika and her work, you can visit samalives.com [https://www.samalives.com/] or connect with her on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mridvika/]. Her podcast, JustAnOrdinaryMom.com [https://www.justanordinarymom.com/], is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. About the Center of Excellence for Women & Tech The Center of Excellence for Women & Tech [https://womenandtech.indiana.edu/index.html] at Indiana University empowers women to build leadership skills, gain confidence with technology, and foster community across disciplines. Follow @IUwomenandtech on Instagram to stay updated on events and future episodes.

Ep. 11: Go Behind the Portraits: the Women of IU Portrait Collection with Sherry Rouse and Laurie Burns McRobbie

In this episode, Sherry and Laurie take us behind the scenes of the Women of IU Portrait Collection, a powerful campus initiative that honors the legacy and contributions of women connected to Indiana University. They share how the collection began, the research and storytelling process behind selecting honorees, and the importance of making historically overlooked contributions visible through art.  Together, we explore remarkable stories from the collection, including trailblazers who transformed residence life, broke racial barriers, and shaped the student experience in ways still felt today. Sherry and Laurie reflect on the emotional impact of portrait dedications, the role of artists, many of them women, in telling these stories, and how families, students, and alumni continue to connect with the collection in meaningful ways.  Beyond the portraits themselves, the conversation highlights broader themes of leadership, visibility, and legacy. Laurie discusses how the collection helped shape conversations during IU’s Bicentennial Campaign and contributed to long-term efforts to recognize women’s impact through endowments, portraits, and public art. Sherry emphasizes the power of curiosity, inviting listeners to slow down, look up, and notice the stories embedded in the spaces we move through every day.  The episode closes with reflections on inspiration, community, and the importance of preserving the relationships and stories that shape who we become, personally, professionally, and institutionally.   Sherry Rouse is Indiana University’s longtime curator of campus art, responsible for preserving and managing artwork across all eight IU campuses. Her career spans decades in arts leadership, including directing the Bloomington Area Arts Council and serving with the National Endowment for the Arts. Through her curatorial vision and deep institutional knowledge, Sherry has played a central role in shaping and sustaining the Women of IU Portrait Collection, ensuring that the stories of women who have shaped the university are preserved, honored, and made visible to the campus community.  Laurie Burns McRobbie is Indiana University’s eighteenth First Lady and a nationally recognized leader in women’s philanthropy, leadership, and technology. With more than 25 years of experience in higher education at the University of Michigan and Internet2, she helped found the Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council and the Center of Excellence for Women & Technology at IU. Laurie continues to serve on influential boards at the state and national level, advocating for women’s visibility, leadership, and access to opportunity across higher education and beyond.   About the Center of Excellence for Women & Tech  The Center of Excellence for Women & Tech is a welcoming community on Indiana University’s campus that strives to empower women students, faculty, and alumni to expand their leadership skills, build confidence with technology, and foster community and collaboration across all fields of study and industry.  Follow the Center on Instagram at @IUwomenandtech to stay up to date on events, programs, and future podcast episodes.

Ep 10: How Your AI Input Becomes Legal Evidence — with Dr. Angie Burks

In this eye-opening episode, we sit down with Dr. Angie Burks, Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Kelley School of Business, whose work bridges business, law, and engineering. Together, we explore a question most people never think to ask: What happens to the things you type into AI — and can they become legal evidence? Dr. Burks breaks down the hidden permanence of digital communication, why “deleted” rarely means gone, and how your AI chats can be subpoenaed in court. She also shares her P.A.C.E.D. framework — a simple, powerful tool to help students and professionals pause before hitting “send.” We also discuss the moral crossroads created by AI, the role of intuition in a tech-driven world, and what it means to lead with clarity and character in fields where women remain underrepresented. If you use AI in school, at work, or in your daily life, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Ep. 9: Consulting for a Sustainable Future: Stephanie Hayes Richards on Mentorship, Global Policy, and Leading with Purpose

In this episode, Jinji Tserennadmid of the Sustainability and Tech Team sits down with Stephanie Hayes Richards, founder of Gnarly Tree Sustainability Institute. Stephanie shares how a report from the IPCC in the ’90s sparked her journey into environmental policy, and how she later combined her passions for sustainability and business to launch her consulting firm. They explore the value of integrating academic and real-world experience, the role of inclusivity and communication in leadership, and how students can best prepare for global careers in sustainability. Tune in to hear Stephanie’s insights on the future of the field—and how professionalism, not just technical skill, can shape tomorrow’s climate leaders.

Ep 8: Designing for Dignity: Dr. Aqueasha Hammond on Aging, AI, and the Future of Tech

What does it mean to design technology that supports independence, dignity, and connection as we age? In this episode, host Anshu Roja Selvamani sits down with Dr. Aqueasha Martin Hammond—associate professor of Human-Computer Interaction at IU Indianapolis—to explore how AI and voice technologies can empower older adults while navigating critical concerns around privacy, trust, and accessibility. Dr. Hammond shares how her grandmothers inspired her career, why mentorship matters, and the ethical frontiers she's exploring next.