Shyla Oommen

Life Experiences

Growing up.

Life experiences are an important part of learning, and how one acts on these experiences contributes to what one can proudly own and achieve.

From the start of my life, I was born into internal confliction.

I tore all of the paintings down and apart into pieces- the ones from pre-school, where all I could paint were little blobs.

My siblings and I have always known that my parents don't get along, and during each quarrel, they asked us to take sides.

I ripped each of them in half in the background of the midnight argument, where both parents commanded me to come to opposite ends of the house to take sides. I continued to feel my life ripping apart as hardships came- such as bullying, family issues, and seclusion.

Creativity was my outlet- it became my safe place. Later, I would learn how to make it a safe place for others.

Lessons from travel.

I have worked with Burden for India which is a charity organization that runs in the family. I took a trip to understand the difficulties of the underdeveloped areas of India and gave donations to those in need.

In this trip, I got to experience where my family came from, Kerala, which is in South India. Most of my life, I never felt belonging; I have always felt out of place but embraced it as something special. However, once I set eyes on Kerala, my heart felt warmth. Never did I expect to feel such understanding from a land full of villages that function with simplicity in life. Everything felt like it made sense. My fashion sense with big bold jewelry and design all were displayed in the history of women's style in Kerala.

This experience was like no other & only strengthens who I am. During this trip, we visited a children's foster home. Even while we did not speak the same language, we communicated through song, dance, games, and facial expressions. My perspective on human connection and the value of interaction was forever impacted.

Traveling to families in underdeveloped areas, understanding inequities of class, and serving the joyful people of my roots in India allowed me to not only make an impact overseas, but also be forever impacted.

Systemic realization.

In college, I had a rude realization that femininity and attributes that signify femininity are not upheld. In my business classes, I’ve been told and taught many lessons that limit my tendency to female expression. For example, in public speaking, we were taught power stances. Every one of the "power stances" was quite masculine. The recommendation taught in class to those who want to seem like they have power, regardless of gender, was to take up more space in a room, to spread their legs more open to establishing dominance, and to do actions that many females do not naturally act out. Identifying the root of why masculine actions communicate power more than feminine actions is simple. Throughout generations in history, men have been the ones in power so naturally, the stances of men are going to be seen as powerful by society. However, this does not dictate how I will physically behave to simply look as if I am powerful or dominant. I hope to bring femininity into power going forward, and I hope that women can sit with their legs crossed, open, and how they want to, and still own the room with power and confidence. I hope women all over feel empowered in their femininity and in their flowers and colors of vibrancy, etc. Women have been experts in empathy and are taking upon the workforce with knowledge education, drive, persistence, and creativity. I think, taking it a step further within the workplace being unrestrictive of what power and femininity look like in the workplace and how femininity operates, will make all the difference. Through my impact, I hope to be an advocate for femininity in the workplace and a place where femininity shines and takes the throne of power without having to adapt to masculine standards of leadership. I hope that my reach can change society's perception and empower the young ladies going into education not to change their behavior, stance, actions, mentality, and how they operate for the sheer appearance of societal & historically biased "power". Moreover, I hope women can proudly take power within themselves and who they are without pressure on things unrelated.

Application.

Through overcoming different obstacles and understanding the investment of time, effort, and passion, I developed an understanding that not everything was my fault. Furth more, I learned how to take power of opportunity in failures.

Socialization, communication, and leadership became my talents, and I have developed an enthusiastic and distinctive personality after striving to improve others' lives.

Currently, I am leading as a genuine person, without conforming my identity and being humble to learning more. My leadership style is fun, creative, reflective, simple, and original. I thank all of my mentors, experiences, teammates, and the people I have interacted with for molding me into a strategic project manager. I will continue to lead with empathy, humility, and initiative. I hope to be like a sponge, soaking in my experiences and filtering lessons from them.