Meet Jyotsna Kaki, program manager at Google in Mountain View, CA. She never imagined she would end up working at Google. Kaki’s story in an inspirational one filled with grit, determination and a dogged refusal to give up.

Kaki’s father recommended she consider studying computer science since it provides strong career path. She refused to listen to her dad and instead majored in Management Information System at San Jose State University. 

While in her third year at college Kaki lost her eyesight after a brain surgery. After losing her eyesight Kaki refused to accept that her options were limited. Instead she explored all her options and re-learnt to navigate her new world.  Smart phones and voice-activated technologies have helped her a lot she says.

Losing her eyesight also got her deeply interested in making information accessible to differently-abled people and she started to work on this while in her final year at college. After graduating she was unsure if she’d get a job at Google. Her brother shared her resume with Google. She was pleasantly surprised when she got a call to interview at Google and even more surprised when she got a job offer. She joined Google and  now leads Google’s central accessibility team.

When she is not at work, Kaki spends time with her family and loves to cook for them regularly.

Kaki has left no stone unturned in order to achieve her goal and makes a strong case for having faith and determination in one’s ability to succeed. You have to keep trying she says.”Unless you believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you,”says Kaki.

Kaki’s interview is part of Season 2 of our Women in Science and Technology series. This episode is sponsored by Genentech.

Here is a list of TV stations in the US that broadcast our weekly TV show. Do subscribe to our YouTube channel where we feature new interviews every week.